Professor Janice Kay is the Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter. Prior to her role as Provost, Professor Kay spent 10 years as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education during which time the University consistently achieved top 10 nationally in the National Student Survey. She is a Professor of cognitive neuropsychology, first appointed to Exeter through a Wellcome Trust University Lectureship. Her research, funded most recently by ESRC as well as Wellcome and MRC, is concerned with theoretical modelling, assessment and rehabilitation of disorders of perception, speech, language and memory.
In the role of Provost, Janice is deputy to the senior academic leader of the University, the Vice-Chancellor. She provides strategic leadership for the overall corporate plan and oversees the portfolio of University strategies, ensuring their delivery as part of a coherent institutional schedule of activity. She holds specific accountability for the University’s strategic planning and budgeting processes, in addition to the International Partnerships and Development and Alumni Relationships strategies. The Provost is responsible for the management of the University’s six Colleges, through the six Pro-Vice-Chancellors.
Janice’s external commitments reflect her extensive experience and passion for higher education. Janice has been appointed as Deputy Chair of the prestigious panel which will assess the first teaching Excellence Framework exercise. Janice is also a Board Director of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England Quality, Accountability and Regulation Strategic Advisory Committee and the Pearson World Qualifications Group. For six years Janice also chaired the UK 1994 Group Student Experience Policy Group
Janice has been prominent in widening access initiatives, nationally and regionally. Recent involvement in local schools’ projects includes supporting the establishment of the highly successful Exeter Mathematics School (one of two in the country, with Kings College London), the new Education Campus at Cranbrook, Exeter and the South Devon University Technical College. Janice also holds numerous external positions linked to health sciences, further to her integral role in creating the University of Exeter Medical School. She is on the boards of the South West Academic Health Science Network, Health Education South West and is a non-executive director of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.
Janice was recognised in the Queen’s New Year honours with a CBE for services to Higher Education.
