We’re delighted to reach two major milestones: 450 members and 200,000 Fellows
We’re celebrating a ‘double success’ this month with the addition of our 450th member institution and 200,000 Fellows worldwide.
We welcome University College Bahrain (UCB) as our 450th member. UCB’s main driver for membership is to enhance teaching and learning – its Strategic Plan 2024 particularly focuses on employability, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Explaining why the University had taken Advance HE membership, Professor Khalid AlKhalifa, chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “Our commitment is to build a culture where excellence is sustained, improvement is continuous, and professionalism is deep-rooted and working to achieving Fellowship. Advance HE membership will help us do this through Fellowship, sharing good practice and evidence-informed enhancements.”
UCB joins 20 other institutions in the Gulf region that have taken up Advance HE membership. The reward and recognition of teaching – along with a commitment to continuous professional development that is inherent through Fellowship – have been major drivers for membership in the region.
Their increasing engagement with Advance HE’s support for Teaching and Learning has contributed to reaching the second major milestone – 200,000 Fellowships worldwide, including approximately 47,000 Associate Fellows, 128,000 Fellows, 23,000 Senior Fellows and more than 2,000 Principal Fellows.
Ten years ago, there were 57,000 Fellows and since 2018-19, when Advance HE was formed, around 15,000 people have become Fellows each year, with a marked increase in 2023-24 when there were over 20,000 new Fellows.
While the majority of Fellows are based in the UK, there are now more than 19,000 Fellows working in institutions in 116 other countries around the world. These include nearly 9,000 in Australasia and the Pacific region, 3,500 in the Gulf states and North Africa, and 3,000 in South East Asia, with growing numbers in Ireland (455) and Hong Kong (574).
New initiatives, such as the Professional Standards Framework in Arabic – and soon in Thai – will give even greater access to those respective language speakers in developing their teaching and encourage them to apply for fellowship.
Kathryn Harrison-Graves, Advance HE Deputy Chief Executive, said, “We are delighted to welcome UCB as the 450th member institution.
“With nearly 330 UK members and a further 126 member institutions across the globe, Advance HE membership provides the opportunity to build networks and communities through which we can learn from each other.
“While our contexts may be different, we often share both challenges and opportunities and I hope Advance HE membership can enable the sharing of innovative ideas and good practice.
“To reach the milestone of 200,000 Fellows is testament to both institutional and individual commitment to high-quality learning and teaching. It’s a privilege to be able to facilitate the recognition of these individuals and the impact they have on the student learning experience.”
Advance HE Membership
Join our celebration by sharing your membership impact stories, reflections and feedback to help us continue shaping a thriving higher education sector. Email us at communications@advance-he.ac.uk
Share your stories – #FestivalofFellowship
If you would like to share how Fellowship has helped your practice or the impact it has had in your institution, please use the hashtag #FestivalofFellowship on your social channels.
‘Right click’ on the image and select ‘Save image as’ to get a digital copy of the image to use in your social media posts. Don’t forget to tag us @AdvanceHE on X and Advance HE on LinkedIn. Find out more about the Festival of Fellowship. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/festival-of-fellowship
