World renowned explorer Levison Wood returned to his native Staffordshire to mark his installation as Chancellor of Staffordshire University
Explorer Levison Wood has been installed as the new Chancellor of Staffordshire University
During my time as Chancellor, I will try to instil some of that passion and sense of adventure among our students and, as they develop their academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for a lifetime of realising their ambitions, I will encourage them to be true to themselves and to make the most of the journey they are on.
Major Levison Wood FRSA FRGS FRSGS, VR, grew up in Forsbrook and studied history at Nottingham University. He began his career as a Regular Officer in the British Parachute Regiment where he served in Afghanistan fighting against Taliban insurgents in Helmand and Kandahar.
However, his spirit for adventure has also seen him carve out a career as a best-selling author, explorer and photographer and, it was in recognition of this, that he was made an Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University in 2017.
Levison was officially installed as the fourth Chancellor in the University’s history at a ceremony held at the University’s Catalyst building to mark Staffordshire Day.
In his acceptance speech, Major Wood said: “During my time as Chancellor, I will try to instil some of that passion and sense of adventure among our students and, as they develop their academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for a lifetime of realising their ambitions, I will encourage them to be true to themselves and to make the most of the journey they are on.
“Throughout its history, this university has empowered generations of students to make meaningful contributions to society. Now, in my new role as Chancellor, I will do my best to represent our university in a global capacity.”
Welcoming the new Chancellor to his role Professor Martin Jones, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive said: “As our University embarks on the next leg of its journey, I am confident that in his role as Chancellor, Levison will demonstrate to our students and wider community that Staffordshire is a place of possibility where intellectual exploration and dreams are made, and success is then made real.
“Furthermore, as the University’s world ambassador, that he will champion our unique talents, ideas and personalities so we can continue to drive change and deliver success.”
Major Wood takes over the ceremonial appointment from the Lord Stafford DL FRags who has proudly served the University as Chancellor since 2014. Lord Morris of Handsworth and Lord Ashley of Stoke have previously served as Chancellors of Staffordshire University.
- Levison is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club, an ambassador of Unicef. His expeditions across continents have also been the subject of several critically acclaimed television documentaries. These include walking the length of the river Nile, the Himalayas, central America and circumnavigating the Arabian Peninsula. His most recent project took him to Greenland, Borneo and Namibia to document endangered animals.