West uni welcomes its first female chancellor
BATH Spa University has welcomed a new chancellor, Bath-based former BBC News anchor, Sharanjit Leyl.
Sharanjit was officially installed with a celebration event on Wednesday in the grounds of the university’s Newton Park Campus in Bath.
The first female Chancellor of Bath Spa University, and only the second chancellor in the institution’s near 20-year history, Sharanjit will act as an ambassador for the university on a local, national, and global stage.
Former BBC World News anchor, as well as a leading business and politics reporter, Sharanjit is now living between Bath and her native Singapore.
She is a trustee for the Bath Fashion Museum and a board member at the Holburne Museum.
Educated in North America, with an undergraduate degree in Journalism and a Master’s in English, Sharanjit said: “I stand here because of the socially uplifting power of education that has transformed my life. My late father, Kernail Singh Leyl, was born in Singapore to a poor immigrant family and was one of eight children.
“He excelled academically and made it to the country’s most prestigious school. He did it through sheer grit and hard work. So determined was he to be educated, that he studied by streetlamp at a time when Singapore was a developing country and didn’t have reliable electricity coverage.
“Through all his efforts, he won scholarships and became the first person to go to university in my family, which has led to a completely different life for my brothers and me. It’s a story that truly exemplifies the transformative power of education.”
Sharanjit added: “My father’s story isn’t a far cry from many of the students at Bath Spa University. Over 40 per cent of the BSU student population are among the first in their family to go to university, just like my father did. About a quarter of our students are from ethnic minorities, like me, and many more are working their way through university, holding down one or more jobs so they can afford to have an education.
“It shows the sheer grit and determination of the students here at BSU, who are so much like my father, students whom I’m inspired by and so proud to represent and truly embodying the spirit of Bath Spa University – The Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion.”
Bath Spa University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sue Rigby welcomed Sharanjit to the BSU community during the ceremony with pledges, music and performances from students and staff.
My father’s story isn’t a far cry from many of the students at Bath Spa University. Over 40 per cent of the BSU student population are among the first in their family to go to university SHARANJIT LEYL