Former Universities Minister to join UPP Foundation

Former Universities Minister Rt. Hon Chris Skidmore MP has been appointed a Trustee of the UPP Foundation, and has also agreed to Chair the Foundation’s Advisory Board.

Chris is one of several new members to join the Foundation’s Trustee and Advisory boards. The appointments will further strengthen the Foundation’s strategic vision, building on the knowledge and practical understanding which has informed the Foundation’s work to support the higher education sector.

Jon Wakeford, Chair of the UPP Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Chris will be joining the Foundation’s Trustee and Advisory boards, which are also being strengthened through the addition of several new board members. Together, their unique blend of policy and sector experience will help to further support the Foundation in achieving its strategic and charitable goals. This represents an exciting opportunity to develop new and innovative ways of developing universities’ civic role, which will be particularly important as the country moves through and out of the COVID-19 crisis.”  

Chris Skidmore MP, former Universities Minister, said: “I am delighted to have been asked to Chair the Advisory Board of the UPP Foundation. The Foundation is committed to helping some of the most disadvantaged in life achieve their full potential, which was also the key theme of my work as Universities Minister. The Foundation has also been central to recent work on developing civic universities and ensuring Higher Education is rooted in their local communities, which I believe will be an essential part of the levelling-up agenda.

"In the post-COVID recovery, universities will matter more than ever in providing support and demonstrating that they are powerhouses of social mobility. As someone who taught at university before going into politics, I know how important the sector is, locally, nationally and internationally. I am looking forward to this new role and helping to forge new thinking about how we can ensure universities deliver on their mission to transform lives and play an essential role in transforming our future.”

In recent weeks the UPP Foundation published a report calling for Government to provide greater support for young people who have been affected by COVID-19, as well as announced five new grants to support student and graduate success.

The UPP Foundation is the registered independent charity founded by University Partnerships Programme (UPP), the provider of on-campus residential and academic accommodation infrastructure.