Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Nosheen Dad with the Students’ Union team outside Student Central
Mayor of Kirklees and University of Huddersfield alumna Nosheen Dad returned to campus a decade on from her role as the first female Muslim president of its Students’ Union.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Thornton was delighted to welcome Councillor Dad back to the University on an official visit after becoming the 50th and youngest Mayor of Kirklees, as well as the first Muslim woman to hold the office.
The Mayor was able to speak to Professor Thornton in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, before being given a tour of the Students’ Union and Jo Cox Building as well as meeting the current Students’ Union executive team.
Cllr Dad graduated from the University in 2012 and then took on a role within the Students’ Union, becoming its president for the 2013-14 year at a time when the campus was undergoing many changes.
She was at the helm when the new Student Central building was being constructed and was there with University Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan to officially open the new-look facilities which now house the Students’ Union itself.
Professor Thornton commented: “It was a pleasure to welcome such a successful former student back to campus and to showcase the numerous positive changes that have taken place at the University of Huddersfield since Nosheen graduated more than a decade ago. What an inspiration she must be to so many of our students.”
The 34-year-old mother of two spoke of how thrilled she was to be back on campus after all this time and to see a number of familiar faces.
“Everything that I learnt in my time here, not just as an undergraduate, but in offices as Vice-President for Wellbeing and Equalities and then as President of the SU, it was certainly the foundation for me to then be able to build on in terms of my career to get me to where I am today.”
She continued: “One of the main things as SU president was the relationship with the University and working collaboratively for our student population – this was a very positive experience.
“I was involved with the new Students’ Union and Student Central right from the start when it was just a shell and a construction site. I had a lot of input into what they were going to look like which was appreciated. It was great that we were able to influence the building as much as possible.”
In an effort to inspire the current cohort of students, Cllr Dad added: “If you’ve got a passion for something, got fire in your belly, keep fuelling that fire and I promise you will make something of it and great things will happen.”
Cllr Dad grew up in Dewsbury and was a commuter student during her time at the University of Huddersfield. She was first elected to represent the Dewsbury South ward for Labour in 2015, just three years after graduating. In 2023 she served as the district’s Deputy Mayor, before taking over as first citizen in May.
