Vice-Chancellor Retires

An announcement by Dr Robert Vanderplank, Chairman of Council, University of Buckingham.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Terence Kealey, has informed me of his intention to retire at the end of this term.

During his 13 years of outstanding, dynamic leadership Professor Kealey has steadily raised the quality and profile of the University through successful QAA audits and ensuring that we are consistently top of the National Student Survey. He has been instrumental in encouraging innovation in existing Schools and creating new ones such as the flourishing School of Education, the London MA programmes and the School of Medicine, which will soon receive its first cohort of undergraduate students. He leaves a better, larger and stronger University than he found.

Those of us who knew the University in 2000 when Professor Kealey was appointed often ask ourselves whether it would even still exist were it not for his tireless and dedicated work. This work has not been without personal cost and the last two years of taking the Medical School plans forward to fruition have had a heavy cost for him. Universities these days ask a great deal of their Vice-Chancellors, not only in day-to-day management, but also by the constant stream of outward-facing activities with donors, friends, potential students, alumni, collaborating institutions, journalists and, of course, politicians. Professor Kealey played a key role in ensuring that loans and grants from the Student Loan Company were made available to students at independent institutions. He has been a wonderful champion for the University, enhancing our reputation all over the world. In this respect, he has generously offered to continue being involved in working with donors and potential donors.

Professor Kealey is, at heart, a scholar, with a long record of research into the economics of science, and he intends to complete that programme of scholarship with a series of publications to be written with colleagues from Buckingham and the Cato Institute in Washington DC.

On a personal note, I have enjoyed working with Professor Kealey enormously over the past 18 months. We share the same vision of independence and academic self-governance for the University and I have greatly appreciated his unfailing courtesy and good humour. I am sure all members of the University will join me in wishing him a long, happy and fulfilling retirement.