Dr. Dowland comes to BracU from Asian University for Women, where he was Registrar and Chief Operating Officer. He previously served successively as Registrar, Academic Registrar and in other senior positions in the UK higher education sector. He has contributed to strategic renewal, organizational development, internationalization and the deployment of services to support students, and the construction of external relationships and partnerships. In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance – a leading UK based performing arts institution - in recognition of his outstanding service as Registrar and for leading the successful application to Her Majesty’s Privy Council for taught degree awarding powers.
Dr Dowland has also been active in the wider sector as a member of the National Executive of the UK Academic Registrars’ Council; Clerk to the Trustees of the AUA – an international professional development organization for higher education managers and administrators; and an institutional reviewer for the Quality Assurance Agency. He is a graduate of King’s College London and Oxford University; his academic specialization is the history of British higher education in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He has particular interests in student support, staff development and corporate and academic governance.