Welcome to the first OpenMinds e-News of 2025, I'm kicking off the year by sharing just some of the incredible things happening across your University. From the latest BBC/OU programme - Pompeii: The New Dig, House of Treasures - to how OU research is making a difference, there is so much exciting content to explore.

We are also delighted to bring you the news that the OU’s new Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Phoenix will be joining us from 1 July.

I hope you find something below to enjoy and discover.

With best wishes, and I hope I'm not too late to wish you a happy new year,

Emily Rowland-Portch

Alumni Engagement Manager

The Open University

The OU appoints new Vice-Chancellor

The OU has appointed Professor Dave Phoenix as its next Vice-Chancellor. Professor Phoenix, currently Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University and the CEO of LSBU group, will begin his new role on 1 July 2025.

Professor Phoenix brings a wealth of experience in higher education leadership to the role, and a strong commitment to widening access to education. In his current role, he has led change and influenced policy development within one of the most diverse universities in the UK.

Footie fans score a win with fan-art business

Celebrations are in order for student Becca and business partner Jade after landing a contract to supply a bold and vibrant range of merchandise for Arsenal Women’s team.

The range – which includes cups, apparel and other eye-catching accessories – is officially licensed by Arsenal Football Club and will be available to fans. The businesswomen netted the deal thanks to a combination of the OU’s Open Business Creators programme and their work being talent-spotted.

The future is now looking bright not only for the women’s game, but also for the duo’s company, AFTA Studios, based in the West Midlands.

Moon Night brings science to life at the OU

Before Christmas, on Friday 13 December, the OU’s Milton Keynes campus hosted a celebration of lunar science and exploration, offering opportunities for learning and discovery to visitors of all ages.

More than 210 people visited the Walton Hall campus to take part in the two interactive events. A creative school competition focused on designing lunar habitats using Lego© bricks during the day, then the annual Moon Night event brought together members of the public, families, and supporters for an evening of activities and expert talks.

Researchers pave the way for the toy and film industry to become more sustainable

Over the Christmas period, millions of children delighted in ripping open their presents, oblivious of the carbon emissions that toys might notch up in the production and end-of-life processes.

Dr Rebecca Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Film and Media at the OU, doesn’t want to ruin Christmas, but she recently revealed research that aims to encourage the toy and film industry to become kinder to the planet.

BepiColombo swings by Mercury for the final time

On 8 January 2025, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission flew past Mercury for the sixth time, successfully completing the final ‘gravity assist manoeuvre’ needed to steer it into orbit around the planet in late 2026.

David Rothery, Professor Planetary GeoSciences, and Jack Wright, Project Officer, from the OU are both members of BepiColombo’s MCAM (monitoring camera) team.

New study provides evidence that parrots can communicate needs and emotions with humans

New research has provided groundbreaking evidence that parrots are able to express their wants and feelings with humans via digital tools.

The results showed that the birds, kept in human care, could exercise a form of communication when selecting from a digital tablet ‘speech board’ with selectable options.

Academic’s quest to help people with facial-recognition blindness

A professor of Psychology from The Open University is embarking on a quest to raise awareness of a little-known human condition that affects between 2-3 per cent of the population: facial-recognition blindness.

Many people unknowingly live with the condition, also known as prosopagnosia, and shrug off the fact they can’t recognise their partner or children by face alone, but use other cues such as the clothes they are wearing.

New treasures emerge from Pompeii in an OU/BBC TV programme

For the second time, OU academics have been working with programme makers for the BBC on the latest exciting finds in Pompeii: The New Dig, House of Treasures.

First broadcast on Monday 20 January, and available on iPlayer, the programmes show the results of an archaeological excavation that reveals a peaceful and opulent dwelling – one of the most glamourous found in Pompeii.

A Special School has returned for another series

Heartwarming OU/BBC series A Special School returned to BBC One Wales and iPlayer in early December. The three-part series follows the joys and challenges faced by pupils and teachers at Ysgol Y Deri as cameras once again capture the reality of life at one Britain’s biggest special education schools.

An OU/BBC Radio series examines how the UK’s major issues could be rethought

A new Open University/BBC radio series called Rethink examines the emerging issues in society, economics, technology and politics in relation to the UK’s standing in the world.

Simon Usherwood, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the OU, is a consultant to the programme makers who show how we might approach those issues differently.

The weekly programme, which first aired on Thursday 16 January on BBC Radio 4 at 4pm, looks at the latest thinking and research and discusses new ideas that might make the world a better place. You can also hear the broadcast on BBC Sounds.

Rachel's story: From OU assignment to award-winning community project

Rachel from Stockport used her Youth Studies degree from the OU to support hundreds of families in her local community. After changing careers from sales to justice, Rachel is now the founder of the award-winning Cherry Tree project, which developed from an idea for one of her assignments into a successful social enterprise.

Ayesha's story: ‘OU study helped me move on from the past – it changed my life’

Growing up in difficult circumstances, Ayesha never imagined that her ambition of achieving a degree was within reach, until an opportunity to empower others gave her the confidence to chase her dream.

Now in the final year of a Health and Social Care degree with the OU, Ayesha describes how much higher education means to her, and shares why she thinks the OU is the perfect place to achieve your goals.

We would love to know what inspired you to become a student. Did you have any extraordinary moments while studying? Has completing your qualification changed your life or helped you discover a new self-confidence?

We want to hear from all OU alumni of different ages and experiences, identities and backgrounds, diverse ethnicities and cultures, abilities and disabilities, mental and physical health conditions and intersectionalities.

Please get in touch and share your story with the rest of the OU community.

Five poetry books to inspire your winter wanderings

Whether you love poetry or are new to it, dip into the collections suggested by Dr Wanda O’Connor, Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Creative Writing at The Open University. These books can help us explore the way we live and respond to nature, enhancing our walks and rest stops along the way. As poet Philip Gross writes, the forest has been ‘waiting for us, all this time’. Wanda singles out a few companions:

10 tips to beat the January blues

Feeling a bit low? Unmotivated? Tired? OpenLearn have put together ten ways to beat the January blues, with a few free resources to help you on your way.

Explore your world with free learning from the OU

We've got thousands of ways to learn: short articles by academic experts from the OU and beyond; videos; podcasts; even, if you're really keen, free courses. You can navigate your own bespoke path through our content, choosing by subject, type of experience, or most popular!

If you don’t follow us on social media, please do! Just click on the icons below and join our online conversations. Your contributions help inspire the next generation of OU students and spur current students on to get to that well-deserved graduation day.

Have you visited your alumni website recently? If not, why not have a look today? Here you will find information on events and ways to keep in touch.

Here's a reminder of your PI number if you would like to register: 

Time to treat yourself?

Our OU Students Association shop has a range of OU merchandise for you to enjoy and proudly own as one of our alumni, from clothing, accessories, home and leisure, to stationery and jewellery.