Cabinet Minister pays surprise visit to Exeter University
Exeter University business school students learning about women and leadership were surprised by the sudden appearance of a Cabinet minister in class this week.
The Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening, who was visiting the University of Exeter, delighted first years studying women and leadership by giving an impromptu talk about her own path to Government.
The Cabinet Minister, who studied economics and worked in business before entering politics, popped into the class and gave an impromptu talk on the qualities needed to succeed. She then answered questions from students about what it takes to become a leader, including how to respond to rejections from City employers.
Greening told the first year business students, attending a lecture about women and leadership, that a key skill for succeeding was prioritising, and not being deflected from important goals.
The Cabinet Minister, who used to be a Treasury Minister and worked for a number of big firms including Price Waterhouse Coopers before being elected, told students she still loved the business world. The Education Secretary arrived in a Thursday afternoon lecture on women in leadership roles being given by Business School Professor Ruth Sealy, who helped design the national index of women on FTSE 100 boards.
“It was fantastic for students to see the role model of a female leader at the top of our game in the classroom,” Professor Sealy said. “We had just been discussing women in leadership in organisations and politics and in walked a female cabinet minister who had also held senior roles in business. She gave all the right positive messages and says the sort of things undergraduates wanted to here. She spoke in a really down to earth way that the students could relate to. I think they got a lot out it.”
Greening also heard about innovative research from a group of natural science students, chemists and geographers.
The Education Secretary travelled to Exeter University to hold talks with Sir Steve Smith, the Vice Chancellor, Janice Kay, the Provost, Jacqueline Marshall, the Deputy Registrar, and Deputy Vice Chancellors Tim Quine, Mark Goodwin and Nick Talbot.
She also visited Exeter Mathematics School, which is sponsored by the University of Exeter and Exeter College, and has just been rated Outstanding in all categories by Ofsted.
The minister chatted with students at the school - including those who had devised innovative maths projects – and saw sixth formers using jelly beans to help them calculate statistics in class. She also held meetings with head teacher Kerry Burnham, and John Laramy, Principal of Exeter College, about the school which could serve as a model for creating more specialist maths sixth forms around the country.
