President of Universities UK awarded knighthood

I am absolutely delighted and proud to receive this honour. I have been at the University in a senior leadership position for over 27 years and President of Universities UK since 2021. I feel very privileged to have worked with brilliantly talented students, colleagues, collaborators, and boards throughout my career. Together we have achieved transformational change in education, health and business. Together we have been bold enough to face the really difficult issues, to engage and to take action to create positive change.

"Universities play a critical role in shaping local decisions, improving lives in our communities, and boosting the economy and cultural vibrancy across our country. I am hugely proud that through our education, research and enterprise, we create a huge diversity of jobs and opportunities, positively impact areas of local deprivation, transform local services and empower people from all backgrounds to fulfil their potential.

"I am deeply touched to receive this honour and would like to thank everyone for their support, guidance and influence over the many years, in particular my family and colleagues.

This honour is so well deserved. Professor Sir Steven West has, throughout his tenure as Vice Chancellor of UWE, and as a long-serving member of Universities UK, championed student mental health and the wider health of our staff and students.

“He has made an enormous contribution to changing the way the sector responds to the needs of our students, which will have had an impact on thousands of individual students across the country. I am delighted for him, and as an organisation we are proud to have him as our current President.