Professor Nick Dearden is a former Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Staffordshire, where he developed the university’s academic strategy. He led the Academic Development, Digital Pedagogies, Academic Quality, Academic Projects, and Student and Graduate Employability teams, and managed the Step Up to HE team, supporting successful transition to higher education.
Prior to joining Staffordshire, Nick was Faculty Head of Education (Associate Dean) in the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, overseeing undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education (including degree apprenticeships) across more than 150 programmes and 10,000 students.
Nick initially trained as a commercial solicitor and joined Manchester Law School in 1996. He has taught at the University of Hong Kong (SPACE) for 17 years and served as Chief External Examiner and External Advisor for international partner approval and programme validation processes.
Since retiring from full-time employment, Nick has continued working in the sector as a strategic consultant to a range of universities and sector bodies. His clients include:
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- Kaplan SQE
- Keele University
- NCEE, working with:
- Anglia Ruskin University
- University of Bristol
- University of Leeds
- Manouba University, Tunisia and the public university sector, Tunisia more broadly
- and now Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University
- University of Salford, Manchester
Nick has served on the Chartered Association of Business Schools’ Learning, Teaching & Student Experience Committee and is an alumnus and speaker on the Leaders in Learning and Teaching Programme. He continues to contribute to sector-wide enhancement through programme review, leadership development, and innovation in academic practice.
In his voluntary life, Nick has acted as Chair of the Board of Directors and trustee of the AKT, a charity supporting homeless LGBT+ young people, for over 20 years.