Professor Robert Allison announces decision to retire from role of Loughborough University Vice-Chancellor
At today’s meeting of Loughborough University Council (the institution’s governing body), Professor Bob Allison announced that he would be retiring from the post of Vice-Chancellor and President at the end of the current academic year.
By July 2021, Professor Allison will have been Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough for nine successful years.
Professor Allison said: “Loughborough is a very special place and I shall always be very grateful for the chance to lead such an outstanding institution. I am hugely proud of the University and all it has achieved.
“By this time next year, we shall be well on the way to developing a new University strategy to set our direction for the future. I believe that the time is right for a new leader to take Loughborough forward.
“When I leave next summer I shall miss so many things about Loughborough, in particular the colleagues and students with whom it is a privilege to work.”
Sir Peter Bonfield CBE, the University’s Senior Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the University Council said: “Professor Allison is an outstanding Vice-Chancellor. He has displayed courageous leadership and has always had a very clear vision of what Loughborough should and could be. His assured guidance has ensured the continued development and success of the University over the past years.
“It has been a privilege to have worked alongside him. When he leaves Loughborough next summer, he will be very much missed and I wish him great success in what comes next.”
Christine Hodgson CBE, who will succeed Sir Peter as Senior Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Loughborough University Council in January 2021, added: “Professor Allison has guided Loughborough through a period of great success since his appointment in 2012. As a Loughborough alumna I have been delighted to see the outstanding journey on which he has taken the University, both in the UK and overseas.
“I look forward to working with him from January and also wish him all the very best for the future.”
The process to appoint the next Vice-Chancellor will begin shortly.
View the press release on the Loughborough University website for further information and resources.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.