LONDON – Ranvir Singh, a prominent broadcaster on British television, will be inaugurated as the chancellor of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) at a special ceremony in Preston on Friday, making her the first media person of Indo-British person to hold such a post.
Singh will succeed Richard Evans, who held the ceremonial post since 2001. The ceremony will also mark the inauguration of Mike Thomas as the university’s fourth vice-chancellor, the university said on Tuesday.
Singh was brought up in Preston, completing a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism at the UCLan in 2000. She has presented programmes such as Good Morning Britain, ITV Evening News and News at Ten, and the Tonight programme.
She also has her own primetime series for ITV, Real Stories with Ranvir Singh. In 2013, she received a UCLan Honorary Fellowship for her contribution to broadcasting and in 2015, she was adjudged Asian Media Personality of the Year.
“I am immensely proud to accept the university’s offer of becoming its new chancellor. I’m Preston born and bred, I studied for my postgraduate degree in journalism here and the experience helped to shape me and my career,” she said.
David Taylor, the university’s pro-chancellor, said: “Both Ranvir and Mike bring inspiration and vision at a time of increased competition and change within the higher education sector”.
“Ranvir continues to make a huge success of her career in broadcasting and journalism. Importantly, she has an affinity with Preston and the university and is someone who cares about our heritage and our future. She is a wonderful communicator with the capacity to inspire and I know she will be a fantastic role model for our students”.
