Image: Edge Hill University
John Cater announces he will step down after leading Edge Hill for over 30 years
The UK’s longest-serving vice chancellor, John Cater of Edge Hill University, has announced he is to retire at the end of January after more than 30 years leading the institution.
Clive Elliott, chair of the board of governors at Edge Hill, said: “John’s remarkable leadership has guided the institution through some of the most challenging times the sector has experienced, always with an approach which reflects the values of the university.
“His tenure has been marked by unwavering commitment and outstanding leadership, and he leaves the university in an incredibly strong and enviable position.”
The university said Cater, a social geographer who was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to higher education and teacher training, was responsible for more than £350m being invested in its physical infrastructure.
It also said he had transformed Edge Hill into a “modern institution”, recognised for giving students an outstanding experience through a Teaching Excellence Framework ‘gold rating’ last year.
Edge Hill launched a new medical school in 2018 and this year it introduced new programmes in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
During Cater’s leadership since 1993 the institution has more than doubled its number of research staff and significantly grown its community of professors, according to the university.
Cater said: “It has been an immense privilege to lead Edge Hill University for over thirty years. This is a university which has been transformed and I want to thank my colleagues, the staff and students of the university, who have worked together to create the successful values-driven Institution we have become.
“I am extremely proud of the experience we deliver for our students and of the contribution that the university and our community make to the life of the region and beyond.”
The university will now start the process of appointing a new vice-chancellor and said an appointment will be made in a “timely way which will enable a smooth transition”.