This week, we get to know Nick Barratt, Executive Director of Student Journey. Nick is new to Royal Holloway, joining our community just before the start of this term. Read on to find out more about his interests and what he is enjoying the most in his new role.
1) Please tell us more about yourself and your role
At time of writing, I’m one month into my role as Executive Director of Student Journey. It’s an exciting new post that brings together teams from across the student journey, from the moment a prospective student first explores Royal Holloway as a place to study, right the way through to the next stage of their life after graduation. I have the pleasure and privilege of coordinating all our work, so that everything we do is focused on providing excellent services that support for you our students.
2) As a new member of staff what are you enjoying most in your role so far?
My last employer was the Open University, which boasts around 180,000 students studying across the UK. However, despite its size, we never got to encounter students in person, given the distance learning focus of the education model. Coming to Royal Holloway, with students returning from summer breaks or coming onto campus for the first time, has been a wonderful reminder of why we’re all here – to support students in everything we do.
3) What are you looking to achieve in your role over the next six months?
Within six months, I’d like to create a set of maps that describe all the various phases within the journeys that students undertake with us – and there are quite a few! – and overlay the services we currently provide. This will show us where there are gaps, or duplication, so we can continuously improve the way we evolve our services as well as ensure the student voice is co-designing the services that our students need. Equally, I’d like to think that we share a values-led approach to the way we provide services to students, ensuring a consistent and positive tone of voice, setting out the standards you can expect from all your interactions with all Royal Holloway staff, and showing how feedback and data-led insights will lead directly to improvements to our services.
4) What or who inspires you inside and/or outside of work?
Genuinely, there are too many people to name. In every role I’ve been in, I’ve learned so much from the people around me and here are a few: Jenni Sanderson, who challenged me to be an authentic and visible leader during the start of the pandemic; Gerald Evans’s work on learning design and the clear focus on seeing the wider learning experience, not just the way we assess, or teach, or provide content; Sas Amoah, who is an inspirational advocate around the importance of creating an inclusive culture; Diane Mason’s focus on system thinking to work through scenario planning; and Kate Ivey-Williams’s career transforming services in a digital age.
5) How do you like to spend your free time outside of work?
On warm sunny days, you can’t beat a long walk or some time in the garden, both of which take your mind off work – or some therapeutic experimental cooking. I do like to remain connected with my academic interests (medieval state finance, as well as the intersection of memory studies with public history) though I do acknowledge that this still would be considered work for many!