The vice chancellor of Brighton University, Professor Julian Crampton, has announced his intention to retire.
Professor Crampton has been vice chancellor for 10 years and during his tenure the university has seen significant growth and development.
As a result the university now supports over 7,000 jobs and generates £700 million per annum for the local, regional and national economies.
In a message to staff at the university, Professor Julian Crampton said: “It has been a privilege to have held this post in such a wonderful institution for the last 10 years and to have overseen the development of the university in terms of its positioning, popularity, research, and the impact which it has had on our students, staff and the communities within which we work.
“The university I believe is in a strong position for the future. There has been a very positive outcome of the REF2014 for Brighton, and our student applications are buoyant, particularly when compared against the sector and our comparators.”
Responding to the announcement, Lord John Mogg, chairman of the university’s board of governors, said: “Julian is owed a tremendous vote of thanks for the decade of his vice chancellorship.
“We have seen major progress in raising the academic and research standing of the university leaving it well placed to meet the challenges of the coming decade and a greatly enhanced reputation in the region and throughout the academic world.
“The whole university will certainly join me in wishing Julian a long and full retirement in 2016.”
Professor Crampton will remain in post until early 2016 to ensure the university has time to appoint a new vice chancellor.
He said: “There is never an ideal moment given the many projects and developments under way across the university.
“However, I believe that after 10 years any institution, and perhaps especially a university, benefits from a change of leadership.
“It therefore feels the right moment for me to retire to allow the board and university to recruit a new vice chancellor who has an opportunity to deliver on the new strategic plan, and have a full four years to prepare for the next REF in 2020 in pursuit of our research ambitions.”
Tributes paid to Professor Crampton today included one from Peter Jones, head of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
He said: “I have truly enjoyed a decade-long partnership with Julian Crampton, first in my former role as leader of East Sussex County Council and this last two years as chairman of the South East LEP.
“I still can’t believe my good fortune in working with Julian who has an immense capacity to do good things well and remain personally modest.
