Lancaster University is launching four new schools this summer as part of moves to strengthen and streamline the arts, humanities and social sciences.
The development comes as part of broader steps to reshape the University for the future and will see the appointment of four new heads of school, each supported by a deputy.
From August 2025, the School of Arts, School of Social Sciences, School of Global Affairs and School of Law will between them make up the newly renamed Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (FHASS) - currently the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Faculty Dean Professor Edward Simpson said the four distinct schools - coupled with a strong leadership team comprising both new and existing staff - would build on the Faculty's world-class reputation to offer students a high-quality experience.
Professor Simpson said: "Our Faculty is already home to some of the world's most highly ranked subject areas. This new structure will enable us to anticipate changing needs, foster a stronger and more resilient faculty to enable us to continue to deliver research and teaching excellence into the future.
"I am exceptionally pleased to welcome our leadership team and look forward to delivering this exciting new vision for the arts, humanities and social sciences at Lancaster."
The new appointments are:
School of Arts
Professor Emma Rose (Lancaster University) has been appointed as Head of School.
Professor Mark Knight (Lancaster University) has been appointed as Deputy Head of School.
Professor Rose said: "I look forward to meeting the challenges and opportunities that come with taking up the role at a time of great change within Higher Education. I welcome the opportunity to advocate culturally for the School at regional, national, and international levels."
Professor Knight said: "The School of Arts is a wonderfully accomplished and creative community, and I'm looking forward with staff and students to showcase the transformative power of the arts."
School of Social Sciences
Professor Beatrice Szczepek Reed (King's College London) has been appointed as Head of School.
Professor Chris Grover (Lancaster University) has been appointed as Deputy Head of School.
Professor Szczepek Reed said: "Social Sciences at Lancaster enjoy an exceptional global reputation, and I look forward to working with colleagues to sustain this standard of excellence and to explore new opportunities for innovation and impact."
Professor Grover said: "I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues from across the school. In a difficult period for HE, the new school provides a welcome opportunity to secure the social sciences at Lancaster by embedding the already excellent reputation of its disciplines in new collaborations and collective endeavours that will shape debates about societies and social relations well into the future."
School of Global Affairs
Professor Caron Gentry (Northumbria University) has been appointed as Head of School.
Professor Chris Macleod (Lancaster University) has been appointed as Deputy Head of School.
Professor Gentry said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining Lancaster, a university community I've long admired. I cannot wait to get started in working with colleagues from across the disciplines in coming together as the School of Global Affairs. I think the future of these disciplines at Lancaster looks bright, giving our students what they need for their futures, while also enabling our staff and wider-community in making an impact on their communities, from the local to the global."
Professor Macleod said: "The School of Global Affairs gives us an exciting collective opportunity to think about what the humanities and social sciences contribute to understanding and confronting contemporary global challenges - and to raise the profile of the excellent research and teaching of our disciplines nationally and internationally. I'm looking forward to working with colleagues throughout the School and to learn more about their work."
School of Law
Professor Bryan Clark (Newcastle University) has been appointed as Head of School.
Angus MacCulloch (Lancaster University) has been appointed as Deputy Head of School.
Professor Clark said: "I am delighted to take on the Head of the School of Law role at Lancaster University and work with the many excellent colleagues there continuing its tradition of providing a first-rate educational experience for our students within one of the leading legal research environments in the UK."
Angus MacCulloch said: "I'm very happy to be able to take on the new role of Deputy Head School of Law and help shape the continuing success of the School. I am also delighted to be in a position where I can support my incredible colleagues within the School and across the Faculty."
Envision
The new structure was developed through 'Envision' - a faculty project to streamline its operations.
Four schools will replace the Faculty's nine departments. The new Schools will include the following disciplines:
- School of Arts: Architecture, Creative Writing, Design, English Literature, Fine Art, Media and Film, and Theatre
- School of Global Affairs: History, International Relations, Languages and Global Cultures, Philosophy, Politics, and Religion
- School of Law: Law
- School of Social Sciences: Criminology, Educational Research, Linguistics and English Language, Social Work, and Sociology
Discipline Leads will be appointed to ensure the vitality and visibility of individual subject areas. Meanwhile, professional services colleagues currently based in education and operational teams within departments will be integrated into larger faculty teams with the aim of enhancing resilience and flexibility.
The new faculty name and school structure will officially launch on 1 August 2025.
