Professor Janet Beer honoured with Damehood

Professor Dame Janet Beer has dedicated the majority of her working life to higher education. An outstanding researcher in the field of late 19th and early 20th century American literature and culture, she has held a number of senior leadership roles and took up post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool in February 2015 after seven successful years as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. She is also currently President of Universities UK, the representative body for universities nationally.

Professor Beer said: "I am both honoured and humbled by this award and grateful for the support of colleagues over the years. Having had my own life transformed by higher education, I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to contribute, in the University of Liverpool founders' words, to the 'advancement of learning and ennoblement of life' throughout my career.

Founded in 2006, XJTLU is the largest international joint venture university in China, a partnership between Xi'an Jiaotong University and the University of Liverpool.

Professor Beer made her first visit to XJTLU in July 2015 to attend the University's graduation ceremonies.

"International partnerships and collaborations have always been important to me and, I firmly believe, are now more important than ever in higher education. I remain committed to continuing and building on the University's already significant international presence in order to maximise the power of our learning opportunities and the impact of our research projects," added Professor Beer.

Dame is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of knighthood in the British honours system, and was granted to Professor Beer on New Year's Day, 1 January.

XJTLU is an independent, Sino-British joint venture, based in the world heritage city of Suzhou in China's Jiangsu province, a high-tech, high-growth corridor just 25 minutes from Shanghai.

As one of the most international universities in Asia, XJTLU is seeking to further increase its international student enrolment, research partnerships and academic staff recruitment. Our vision is to become a research-led international university in China and a Chinese university recognised internationally for its unique features.

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