University of the West of Scotland has pledged its support to those who are from an armed forces background.  

At a breakfast event taking place on Friday 4 April 2025, UWS signed the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) – a promise to those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families that they will be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy, and society they serve with their lives.

As well as signing the covenant, the University was also presented with a bronze award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, highlighting the University has successfully pledged, demonstrated and advocated its support to the armed forces community and already aligns its values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

Discussing signing the Armed Forces Covenant, Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS said: “Today we formally marked UWS’s commitment to our veterans, through the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant. We are delighted to be part of the AFC and to have been given our Bronze award, because we know the incredibly positive impact this will have on our armed forces community here at UWS.

As a University, we are absolutely passionate about creating educational opportunities for all, and I hope that has been demonstrated throughout today’s event and by our pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS

Speaking at the event was the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, Lieutenant Commander (retired) Susie Hamilton, who highlighted the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant and the current focus on transitioning from the armed forces into employment. The event also shone a light and celebrated the many businesses local to UWS’s campuses, who are already part of the Armed Forces Covenant.  

There were also two panel discussions, one focused on businesses who have inspiring examples of success with their involvement in the Armed Forces Covenant, and the second involved UWS’s own community of staff and students who are armed forces veterans and family members.  

Chaired by Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS, the business panel comprised Chris Granger, VP Markets at Barclays; Lynne McBurney, Group Head of People at Arnold Clark; and Michael Cusack, Chief Sustainability Officer at ACS Clothing. They discussed what employers can do to ease the transition from the armed forces into civilian work and the support they can provide.

The second panel was chaired by Fiona Morton, Vice-Principal (People and Student Wellbeing) at UWS. Comprising this panel was Professor Murray Leith, Audrey Murray, Dr Rebecca O’Hanlon and student, Ross Lynch, who are all either former veterans or family members of those from the armed forces. Colleagues and students spoke about the support they had received from UWS.  

Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS signed the covenant and was awarded the University’s bronze status by Lieutenant Colonel Gary Giles RM from the Ministry of Defence.

Also as part of the event, the University formally launched a new network, aiming to support colleagues and students who have an affiliation with the armed forces. The Armed Forces Family Network (AFFN) aims to share experiences, offer support and guidance, and discuss issues of relevance to colleagues about students and staff who may be veterans, reservists, and family members of armed forces personnel. 

Involved in supporting the creation of this network and driving forward the University’s activity now as part of the Armed Forces Covenant is Fiona Morton, Vice-Principal (People and Student Wellbeing) at UWS.  

Fiona said: “As an institution that focuses on ability over background, and places a focus on widening participation, we are committed to supporting our military and veteran community."

We are absolutely delighted to have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and are pleased to join a large cohort of organisations within our local campus areas who are already members and look forward to continuing to communicate and learn from each other, to ensure we provide inclusive and supportive environments for our local armed forces communities.

Fiona Morton, Vice-Principal (People and Student Wellbeing)