UNIFYING FORCE

NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR AT MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY WANTS TO BE A KEY PART OF COLLABORATIVE N EFFORTS ACROSS THE CITY, WRITES JENNA CAMPBELL

- JENNA CAMPBELL

FOR many, memories of university can be hazy. But for Professor Duncan Ivison his recollections of Manchester during his student days are crystal clear.

Asked to share some of those formative memories, he flashes a smile. "I'm a big music fan and I used to come up with friends to Manchester for the music and the club scene," he recalls with a chuckle.

Born in Montreal, the professor has held positions at the Australian National University, the University of York, the University of Toronto and several others, as well as more than 20 years at the University of Sydney. But it was during his time at the London School of Economics (LSE), obtaining his MSc in Political Science and PhD in Political Philosophy, he first visited Manchester.

"It has always been a vibrant city, but it was very different, obviously it was still going through industrial regeneration," he reflects. "It has been transformed since I last visited."

While it may have been the nightlife scene that drew him here in the 90s, today, it's the city's future prospects. In August, he began one of the most important roles of his career at the University of Manchester.

Last year, after 14 years at the helm, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell announced she was stepping down as President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester. Prof Ivison says there was a lot that drew him towards the role.

"I'd always admired the university from afar in terms of the work it did within the city and region," he adds.

"In my own discipline I'm a political and moral philosopher and Manchester has always been strong in those areas too so I used to attend some of those seminars when I was a PhD student.

"What attracted me to the role though was the chance to be part of a university that is so embedded in the city and the region and is really committed to civic engagement.