Meet Your Colleagues- Roger Duncan

Here at SERC we are keen to promote internal colleagues to allow staff the opportunity to get to know each other and put a face to the name, particularly due to the size and scope of SERC.  With this in mind, “Meet your Colleagues” is a fun Q and A exercise to help raise awareness of people’s roles within SERC and allows you to get to know more about your fellow colleagues.

This week's Meet Your Colleague features Roger Duncan. Roger is the Head of SERC Extra, Pastoral Care and Campus Manager of Newtownards within SERC.

1. What does your role at SERC involve?  

My role is very diverse, and I suppose in short, I have responsibility for the wellbeing of students within SERC. I, along with Paul Walsh are co-leaders for Pastoral Care, and this role involves dealing with any learner concerns, and offering advice and support to tutors to help learners in need. 

My SERC Extra Role involves managing a quality team of staff who will work with Teaching and Learning Teams to ensure that our learners remain on their preferred course of study. 

I also am the Campus Manager for Newtownards, which in my opinion is the best Campus within SERC.  The staff here are fantastic and create a good community feeling for the learners, so they feel part of SERC. We all work together to make sure the Campus runs effectively and efficiently. I enjoy working not only in SERC, but also in Newtownards Campus, and this is down to the staff we have here on Campus.

2. Tell us a bit about your background?

They say that you change your career at least three times in your life, and mine is tantamount to that theory.  After graduating from the then University of Ulster I started a career in Currys/PC World as a Trainee Store Manager.  After some time and working every hour under the sun over Christmas I decided upon a new direction, and please do not laugh, I became a Used Car Salesman.  I do think this helps me in my current role, as I can bluff a good story. 

I slowly realised that there was something else that I needed or wanted to do, and I looked towards education and becoming a teacher.  I left the working world in 2001 and trained as a Business Studies and ICT Teacher at Staffordshire University.  I then taught in schools for 3 years, before joining Lisburn Institute in August 2005.  Just before the main merger I was promoted to Senior Lecturer responsible for the Transition of the Business Studies, Travel and Tourism and ICT Areas within the 3 legacy colleges.

In 2008 I became the Head of Pastoral Care and Guidance with responsibility for Careers and Students’ Union amongst other things.  In 2016 I took on the new role that I have today and moved working bases to Newtownards Campus.  Did I mention that it is the best Campus within SERC???  

3. What 3 words best describe you?

Crikey, that is a difficult question.  I am sure my wife can describe me perfectly, but maybe not just very politely (lol).  I think my role has helped to define me and I think that I am ‘Calm (most of the time)’, ‘empathetic’ and probably a bit ‘crazy’ at times as well.

4. What do you like to do outside of work?

My life outside of work is just as busy as inside work.  I am a Scout and Explorer Scout Leader which I really enjoy and takes up a fair amount of time planning activities, arranging camps and helping with the Duke of Edinburgh programme as well.  I help at a Church Youth Club close to home, again helping with activities and having fun along the way. I enjoy running and have completed the Belfast and London Marathons in the past, and I would love to run the New York Marathon.  I really enjoy hiking and trekking in the mountains, and in 2013 I got to the summit of Kilimanjaro which was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it. I try to get into the hills as often as I can, especially when there is a bit of snow to mess around in.

5. If you could swap jobs for a day who would it be and why?  

I am not sure on this one, but I really enjoy my job within SERC and would not change what I do. I think though if I was to want to do a different job, it would be that of someone like Harald Kruger or Dieter Zetsche who head up BMW and Mercedes Benz.  I still have a love of cars, and helping to design and develop new cars would be a brilliant job to have.

6. List 3 items you would want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?  

Might be a bit controversial here, one would be a crate of good Irish Whiskey (for medicinal purposes), my Fire 10Tablet with lots of downloaded TV shows and movies, and a boat to get off the island after I finished the whiskey and watched all the TV shows.

7. What is your favourite film and why?  

I really like any of the Bourne Movies, but mainly The Bourne Identity for the car chase scene with the Mini around Paris and across Europe.

8. Where do you most want to travel, but have never been?  

This ties in with my love of mountains, I would love to go trekking in the Himalayan Mountains and maybe trek to Everest Base Camp, and climb either Island or Mera Peaks, both of which are over 6000m.

If you would like to partake in “Meet Your Colleagues” please contact Roisin Morgan (Marketing and Engagement Intern) at rmorgan@serc.ac.uk for more details.