To be a changemaker is to develop the knowledge, skills and experience to investigate the underlying causes of a given social or environmental problem, and develop an appropriate and viable intervention to respond to that challenge.
Since 2010, I have led, with my friend and colleague, Dr Wray Irwin, the designation of the University of Northampton as an AshokaU Changemaker Campus. The University remains the only such campus in England, and one of three in Europe.
This strategy became a core of the University 'Raising the Bar' strategy in which the University of Northampton committed to significant steps to reach its strategic objective to become the Number 1 University in the UK for social enterprise and entrepreneurship. Attainment of this objective became most high profile in February 2013 when the University was designated by Ashoka U as the first ‘Changemaker Campus’ in the UK. Ashoka U is the Universities branch of Ashoka, a global foundation that recognises and supports social entrepreneurs, and the designation propelled the University into an exclusive, 30+-strong global consortium of University leaders in social entrepreneurship education. The ethos was utilised in the REF submission of 2014, and in the Gold TEF judgement in 2017z.
I co-ordinated and led the renewal of the designation in 2012 and 2017.
The following documents demonstrate the development and impact of this contribution:
Teaching Excellence Framework: University of Northampton Submission and Judgement 2017
Changemaker Campus Renewal process Summary Sheet Final 17 May 2017
Research Excellent Framework 2014 submission
AshokaU Changemaker Campus membership Application 360 Review report 2012
Raising the Bar at the University of Northampton: A review of 5 years of Changemaker 2010-2015
This strategy became a core of the University 'Raising the Bar' strategy in which the University of Northampton committed to significant steps to reach its strategic objective to become the Number 1 University in the UK for social enterprise and entrepreneurship. Attainment of this objective became most high profile in February 2013 when the University was designated by Ashoka U as the first ‘Changemaker Campus’ in the UK. Ashoka U is the Universities branch of Ashoka, a global foundation that recognises and supports social entrepreneurs, and the designation propelled the University into an exclusive, 30+-strong global consortium of University leaders in social entrepreneurship education. The ethos was utilised in the REF submission of 2014, and in the Gold TEF judgement in 2017z.
I co-ordinated and led the renewal of the designation in 2012 and 2017.
The following documents demonstrate the development and impact of this contribution:
Teaching Excellence Framework: University of Northampton Submission and Judgement 2017
Changemaker Campus Renewal process Summary Sheet Final 17 May 2017
Research Excellent Framework 2014 submission
AshokaU Changemaker Campus membership Application 360 Review report 2012
Raising the Bar at the University of Northampton: A review of 5 years of Changemaker 2010-2015