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Professor.Dr Mike Seal

Leadership and Strategic Responsibilities

Summary

Summary of Strategic Leadership and Professional Contributions
I have demonstrated sustained strategic leadership across higher education, professional sectors, and community-based organizations. As National Director of PALYCW and in senior academic roles at multiple institutions, I have led the development and implementation of strategic plans, research and CPD frameworks, and long-term visions, including funding strategies and institutional transformation initiatives. I have successfully balanced competing priorities in complex environments, led validation processes, and been commended for pioneering pedagogic approaches. In management, I have overseen diverse academic and professional teams, managing up to fifteen staff members, and have been recognized for my tactful and empathetic leadership in challenging situations. I have also managed large-scale research projects with international partners, overseeing budgets up to £600,000, and ensuring timely delivery of REFable outputs and impact case studies.

My commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion is evidenced through leadership in anti-racist pedagogy, decolonizing curricula, and initiatives supporting LGBTQAI+, disabled, and care-experienced students. I have established and led multiple staff support groups and special interest clusters, and my work has directly influenced institutional policy and practice. I have extensive experience working with external partners, including trade unions, homelessness organizations, and international agencies. I have led national training strategies, developed accredited qualifications, and contributed to sector-wide standards. My work has been recognized by the Royal Society of the Arts and has shaped national frameworks in housing and homelessness.

My sector knowledge is underpinned by strategic engagement with the REF, TEF, and KEF, and scholarly contributions on widening participation, civic engagement, and community-university partnerships. I have held numerous committee roles, including Senate, Research and Ethics Committees, Learning and Teaching, and Access and Participation groups, contributing to institutional governance and academic quality assurance.

Strategic Responsibilities

As National Director of PALYCW, I undertook a comprehensive review and refresh of our 2020–2025 Strategic Plan. In doing so, I developed a cohesive Research, Publication, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) strategy, including the necessary operational structures and arrangements to support its implementation. I also articulated a strategic vision for 2030 and devised a sustainable funding plan for the organization. In this role, I managed a small but dynamic association governed by six directors and supported by a 12-member Strategic Development Committee. I consistently prioritized competing demands and met tight deadlines within a complex and evolving policy and operational landscape.

At St Mary’s University, the University of Suffolk, and Newman University, I established and led two research centers, setting their strategic direction while balancing the diverse expectations of colleagues, funders, and institutional priorities. I served on senior management teams within my school or faculty and contributed to cross-institutional committees, including Research and Learning and Teaching Committees. At Suffolk, I was a member of the Centre for Education and Learning’s Executive Committee, the institutional ethics committee, and the Professoriate.

At Newman, I was elected to Senate and the Research Committee as a school representative and served on the Teaching and Learning Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. Across Suffolk and Newman, I contributed to six task-and-finish groups—three of which I led—focused primarily on learning, teaching, and student retention. As Director of the Romero Freire Institute at Newman (2019–2020), I assumed strategic responsibility for four-year integrated foundation year programmes designed to support non-traditional students and those requiring preparatory pathways into higher education. The validation panel commended the programme for its coherence and structure.

I have led numerous pedagogic research projects at the institutional level, including a Higher Education Academy (HEA) project on the effective use of student engagement data to support retention and progression. This work led to the implementation of peer mentoring and enhanced personal tutoring, resulting in a 10% increase in retention during the pilot phase. The subsequent institution-wide pilot received a CATHE award in 2019 and is now being rolled out across the university.

Institutionally, I have provided strategic leadership in several pedagogic areas and mentored colleagues through validation processes. These areas include assessing participation and attendance, threshold concepts, improvisational assessment, student-led curriculum design, and the use of self-directed tutor groups. My innovative approach to assessing professional practice was commended by a validation panel for its “pioneering and ground-breaking” nature. I have also served as safeguarding officer and held strategic oversight of professional programmes.

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Management Experience

I currently manage two research fellows and a senior lecturer. At the University of Suffolk, I led eight research teams comprising academic, support, and professional staff. At Newman, I held managerial responsibility for the Youth and Community Work, Criminology, and Foundation Year teams, as well as administrative and research staff—managing up to fifteen individuals. I have successfully navigated complex interpersonal dynamics, including bereavement and inter-colleague conflict, and am recognized for my respectful, diplomatic, and tactful leadership style.

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Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

I have been an active member of LGBTQAI+ and Disability Networks at both St Mary’s and Birmingham. At CREMCYA, one of our core research strands focuses on the experiences of marginalized students in higher education. I collaborate closely with the Widening Participation Team and am currently involved in securing funding for initiatives supporting care-experienced students.

At Suffolk, I established an anti-racist pedagogy cluster within the Educational Research Centre and led both an APP BAME working group and a decolonizing the curriculum initiative. My leadership contributed to the institutionalization of decolonization efforts, which became embedded in the revalidation process and were formally adopted by the Executive Board and Vice-Chancellor. I also initiated a Gender and Sexualities Special Interest Group, a Global Majorities Interest Group, and an LGBTQAI+ Staff Support Group.

At Newman, I founded an LGBTQAI+ Staff Support Group and led an HEA-funded project exploring the experiences of Black students, which resulted in a mentoring scheme and the inclusion of these issues as standing items on diversity and teaching and learning committees. In collaboration with a colleague, I also investigated disabled students’ perceptions of meaningful engagement (Porter, 2012), leading to institutional policy changes, including the appointment of a permanent mental health advisor and improved support mechanisms for students with mental health challenges. Additionally, I conducted a funded study on LGBTQAI+ students’ experiences in higher education.

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Skills in Analysis, Finance, Organisation, and Administration

Across all institutions, I have contributed to the implementation of university-wide development plans, setting financial and developmental targets for my programmes. At Suffolk, I designed and implemented a research and evaluation plan for the Widening Participation Strategy and Access and Participation Plan, valued at over £200,000. I also developed a strategic framework for advancing the scholarship of pedagogy, including CPD and promotion pathways for teaching and learning scholars.

At Newman, I managed the Youth and Community Work budget and participated in the annual planning cycle at both School and institutional levels, including as an elected member of Senate. I have independently developed five-year strategic plans, identifying priorities, targets, and resource requirements. I have led 45 funded research projects—some involving international partners—with budgets up to £600,000. These projects were delivered on time, met funder criteria, and produced REFable outputs and Impact Case Studies. My responsibilities included formulating research questions, designing methodological frameworks, overseeing governance and ethics, managing risk, and ensuring effective dissemination.

Working with External Partners
Over the past three decades, I have consistently engaged in extensive partnership work across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on education, social justice, and community development. Three years ago, I was invited by the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) to chair their Political Education Committee and lead the development of a strategic framework for trade union education. This framework was structured around three core pillars: the development of a coherent body of knowledge, the creation of CPD opportunities, and the establishment of professional standards. As part of this initiative, I edited a volume on trade union education featuring contributions from international authors, published by New Internationalist. This collaboration led to the establishment of a dedicated imprint for trade union publications, with a focus on radical education. I currently serve on the editorial board, where I have initiated and reviewed several publications by both emerging and established authors.

In parallel, I contributed to the design and delivery of a Graduate Certificate (Level 4) for activist educators, delivered at Leeds Metropolitan University, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Trade Union Education, developed in partnership with Newman University. We are now advancing a strategic plan to enhance trade union engagement with community organizations, further embedding education within grassroots activism.

My long-standing involvement with the homelessness sector has similarly been underpinned by strategic partnership work. Recognizing the fragmented nature of training and education within the sector (Kain and Van Doorn, 2008), I led a national initiative to professionalize workforce development. This initiative mirrored the tripartite structure used in my trade union work: building a knowledge base, creating CPD pathways, and setting sector-wide standards. I led the development, validation, and delivery of three national courses, including a CPD Postgraduate Certificate in Health and Homelessness at the University of Oxford, an Advanced Professional Certificate, and a professional qualification for new entrants to the field, validated by the Chartered Institute of Housing. All courses were successfully implemented, with two continuing to run.

My contributions were integrated into the Quality Assessment Framework used to evaluate services funded through the Supporting People programme. I also served on an expert panel for the Housing Sector Skills Council, contributing to the development of national occupational standards for Levels 2, 3, and 4. I was part of a successful lobbying effort to the ESRC to establish a funding stream focused on multiply excluded homelessness, subsequently serving on the funding panel. A CEO of a leading homelessness charity remarked, “If anyone has been responsible for developing a consistent and coherent approach to training and development across the homeless sector, it is Mike Seal.” In recognition of this work, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

I have also undertaken strategic work with the Revolving Doors Agency, focusing on multiple exclusion within the criminal justice system, and with Groundswell, a charity committed to co-production between people experiencing homelessness and service providers. My expertise has been sought internationally, and I have served as a consultant in Finland, Estonia, Norway, Lithuania, Sweden, and Latvia.

Sector Knowledge
I possess a deep and current understanding of the higher education landscape, particularly in relation to research, learning and teaching, and knowledge exchange. I have worked strategically with institutional frameworks such as the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF), contributing to provider submissions and institutional strategies. My scholarly work has focused on widening participation, the civic role of universities, and the intersection of higher education and community development.

Committee and Academic Responsibilities
My institutional service has been extensive and sustained. I have served on the following committees and working groups:

Access and Participation Working Group (2020–2021)
REF Working Group (2020–2021)
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Executive (2020–2021)
Senior Leadership Group, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (2020–2021)
Senate (2013–2015)
Human Sciences Senior Management Group (2010–2017)
Safeguarding and Respect Steering Group (2015–present)
Learning and Teaching Committee (2016–present)
Research Committee (2015–2019)
Research Ethics Committee (2014–2016)
Wellbeing Centre Steering Group (2016–present)
Collaborative Strategy Group (2015–2017)
Mitigating Circumstances Panel (2010–2017)
Higher Degrees Committee (2012–2014)
Academic Standards Committee (2013–2015)
Safeguarding Officer (2017–2018)

These roles have enabled me to contribute meaningfully to institutional governance, policy development, and the enhancement of academic standards and student experience

Social Enterprise

I am a director of two Community Interest Companies. Firstly, the BLESST Centre (Building, Learning, Education, Safe Space, Transition), a Black community work organization in Birmingham that has been commissioned by youth offending teams and the Youth Violence Reduction Unit to run programs for young offenders. Secondly, Community Criminology CIC, a project working inclusively with people to gain new insights into social harm and social justice in Birmingham. I am also a consultant for Inclusive Insight, an NGO dedicated to developing and undertaking participatory research and co-production in the care field, with the active involvement of community members, and PeteHarris4Youth, providing consultancy, training, and research in the Youth Work field.