The RAISE Committee are saddened to hear of the passing of Prof Mike Neary, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Lincoln and the lead author for his Students as Producers works which have inspired much of our student engagement community's activity across the last two decades.
Mike was a regular contributor to international debates and national policy work on informing student voice, engagement and partnership agendas, where his work on Students as Producer argued to empower students as researchers and equal voices in the governance of our education communities. From researching learning spaces, the marketisation of higher education, student activism and student engagement in developing the university, Mike's work provided a catalyst for many projects in and around student engagement.
The RAISE community immensely benefited from his insight where in 2022, we were honoured to be hosted by the University of Lincoln for our annual conference to celebrate 12 years of Student as Producer, being joined by several other institutions who had taken the pedagogical approach for their learning and teaching strategies, both in the UK and internationally.
Mike's work in recent years had extended to the creation of the Cooperative University to facilitate a true civic university governed by students, staff and the community. Mike's published works are well summarised in his 2020 monograph 'Student as Producer: How do revolutionary teachers teach?' and if colleagues wish to donate to his family's chosen charity, more information can be found on the University of Lincoln's website here: https://staffnews.lincoln.ac.uk/2023/01/30/professor-mike-neary-tribute-and-funeral-arrangements/