Description
As the University of Bradford celebrates their 60th anniversary, this lively and thought-provoking conversation will explore how bold political vision and shifting social attitudes opened the doors to higher education for generations, and why that legacy still matters today.
Author and Labour politician, Alan Johnson, joins Vice Chancellor of the university to reflect upon the attitudes towards higher education during Wilson’s time and his pivotal role in advancing opportunity. From its roots as Bradford Technical College, the university has continued to build on Wilson’s legacy, championing the transformative power of higher education in unlocking potential, driving world-leading research and changing lives.
Join us for a unique opportunity to reflect on the past, engage with the present, and be inspired by what comes next in Bradford.
Related Book
About the Author
Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson served in the Blair and Brown government’s as Work and Pensions Secretary, Trade and Industry Secretary, Education Secretary, Health Secretary and Home Secretary. Having left school aged 15 and failed in his attempts to become a rock star, he joined the Post Office as a postman and became a local official of the Union Of Post Office Workers rising through the ranks to eventually become the Union’s youngest ever General Secretary in 1992. Five years later he became the Member of Parliament for Hull West and Hessle, a position he held through five general elections standing down when the 2017 election was called.
About the Academic
Nick Braisby
Born in Swansea, south Wales, to Yorkshire parents, Nick studied at Olchfa Comprehensive School before earning a place at the University of Cambridge to read Natural Sciences including Psychology. He went on to complete his PhD at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Cognitive Science before taking up a British Academy Postdoctoral research fellowship at the London School of Economics.
Nick has a wealth of experience in higher education, working at institutions including London Guildhall University, The Open University, University of Winchester and the London South Bank University. Most recently, Nick served as Vice-Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), where he oversaw the following achievements:
• Successful organisational restructure.
• Dramatic increase in student numbers.
• Moved from financial fragility to financial strength.
• Significant improvements in national league table positions.
• Top in the UK for student satisfaction, National Student Survey 2024.
Join Our Mailing List
By submitting this form you agree to our Privacy Policy and to receive marketing emails, including e-newsletters and event updates from Bradford Literature Festival.