Alexandra Burslem
Encyclopedia
Dame Alexandra Vivien "Sandra" Burslem, née Thornley DBE
, JP
, DL
, FRSA
(b. 6 May 1940) is a British
academic
and education
alist. Born in Shanghai, China, she was the daughter of Stanley Morris Thornley, the British Ambasador to China.
She returned to England during the expulsion of foreign nationals that occurred during the Communist Revolution
. She afterwards attended the Arnold High School for Girls in Blackpool
and was married in 1960. At the age of 28 she enrolled on her first degree course as a single mother at the University of Manchester
(mature student) and took a first
class BA degree in Politics and Modern History. Following this she became a lecturer at Manchester Polytechnic and rose gradually to be Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Academic Director by 1992.
Her academic career culminated in September 1997 when she was named as Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University
. She remained until 2005.
in the 2004 New Year Honours list. She served as High Sheriff of Greater Manchester
for 2006–2007 and remains a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, FRSA
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
(b. 6 May 1940) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
alist. Born in Shanghai, China, she was the daughter of Stanley Morris Thornley, the British Ambasador to China.
She returned to England during the expulsion of foreign nationals that occurred during the Communist Revolution
Communist revolution
A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism, typically with socialism as an intermediate stage...
. She afterwards attended the Arnold High School for Girls in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
and was married in 1960. At the age of 28 she enrolled on her first degree course as a single mother at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(mature student) and took a first
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
class BA degree in Politics and Modern History. Following this she became a lecturer at Manchester Polytechnic and rose gradually to be Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Academic Director by 1992.
Her academic career culminated in September 1997 when she was named as Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
. She remained until 2005.
Honours
Burslem was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 2004 New Year Honours list. She served as High Sheriff of Greater Manchester
High Sheriff of Greater Manchester
The Office of High Sheriff of Greater Manchester is the ceremonial position of High Sheriff appointed to Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. The appointment is made by the British monarch, in their capacity as Duke of Lancaster, by pricking the Lites...
for 2006–2007 and remains a Deputy Lieutenant of the county.
List of posts held
Dame Alexandra Burslem has held a number of public and academic posts:- At Manchester Metropolitan University (formerly Manchester Polytechnic):
- Lecturer in politics and public administration (1973–82)
- Head, Department of applied community studies (1982–86)
- Dean, Faculty of community studies, law and education (1986–88)
- Assistant Director (academic) (1988–90)
- Deputy Director (1990–92)
- Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Academic Director (1992–97)
- Justice of the Peace, Manchester Inner City Bench (since 1981)
- Vice-Chair, Learning and Skills CouncilLearning and Skills CouncilThe Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
(2004-?) - Chairman, BBC North Regional Advisory Council
- Member, BBC General Advisory Council
- Deputy Chair, Higher Education Staff Development Agency (HESDA)