Professor Coffey, currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), brings more than three decades of higher education experience, including ten years at university executive level. She will succeed Professor Philip Plowden, who has been leading the University as Interim Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive and will continue in this role to ensure a smooth transition.
A social scientist with expertise in social policy and qualitative research, Professor Coffey spent approximately 30 years at Cardiff University before joining UWE in 2020. At UWE, her responsibilities included learning and teaching, research and enterprise, academic quality and standards, academic schools and colleges, student experience, and student success. She also had executive oversight of academic portfolio development and strategic growth, including education partnerships and transnational education, covering over 30,000 students and around 1,500 academic staff.
The appointment follows a period of significant achievement for Staffordshire University, which was named Modern University of the Year 2027 in the Daily Mail University Guide and ranked seventh nationally for overall student positivity in the National Student Survey. The university also opened its new £100m Student Village this autumn.
Dame Kate Barker, Chair-Elect of the University’s Board of Governors, stated: “Amanda brings exactly the combination of academic leadership and experience at scale that Staffordshire University needs for its next chapter. She has a deep understanding of what makes a university work well for its students, its staff and the communities it serves, and we were impressed by her ambition for the University and for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.” She also thanked Professor Plowden for his "outstanding leadership" during a successful interim period.
Professor Coffey expressed her delight at joining Staffordshire University, describing it as a university with a clear sense of purpose, a commitment to opening up opportunity, and deep roots in its region. She looks forward to collaborating with students, colleagues, and partners to build on existing achievements.
