Laura Pennie

Laura is the Deputy Academic Registrar, responsible for Quality Assurance; the Office for Student Appeals, Complaints and Conduct (OSACC); Assessment; Graduation; and the Student Records Team. Laura also has oversight of the centralised elements of Academic Administration, working with colleagues located within each School. The teams that form Registry Services provide support for students and staff at the University of Suffolk and the University's academic partners regarding a range of administrative processes, policy and compliance matters. All teams have a strong focus on the experience of the stakeholders they work with, putting students at the heart of process and policy. 

Laura joined the University in 2007, originally working in the Admissions team and subsequently within the then newly established Infozone (Student Centre) as Infozone Manager. She moved to the role of Head of Academic Services in 2014, and was subsequently appointed as Deputy Academic Registrar. 

Laura is an active member of the Association of Higher Education Professionals (AHEP, previously the AUA), and was awarded Member of the Year at the national conference in 2023. She is currently the AHEP Ambassador for UoS, with aims to grow membership numbers and the engagement opportunities for professional services staff. She is also a member of the Academic Registrar's Council (ARC), and a Board member for the Cambridge Access Validating Agency (CAVA). 

Prior to joining UoS Laura graduated from the University of Kent with a BA (Hons) in Comparative Literary Studies and Classical and Archaeological Studies. In 2021 she completed an MSc in Higher Education Leadership, Management and Administration. Her final project focused on complaint making behaviours of widening participation students in UK HE.