Longest serving university vice-chancellor in UK announces retirement in January 2025

Study in UK: Dr John Cater has been instrumental in developing Edge Hill University over the period of 30 years when he served as the Vice-Chancellor.

The Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University, Dr John Cater is the longest-serving Vice-Chancellor in United Kingdom's higher education. He has announced his retirement by the end of January 2025.

While commenting on his retirement, he 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."

Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors Clive Elliott commented, “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.”

About John Cater

He led Edge Hill for 30 years and contributed significantly to advancing the university into a better and modern version. He invested more than £350m in the physical infrastructure. Under his leadership, the institute was granted approval for three new medical schools that are free-standing. Also, the university has an impressive range of programmes across Sciences, Arts, and Healthcare.

The university has also said that the process to appoint the new Vice-Chancellor for the university will start soon and the intention is that the transition should be smooth.

Edge Hill University, Everton partner to ensure students' employability

To promote well-being and health in the local communities and conduct health-related research, the university has an alliance with Everton. The students are reportedly developing their knowledge of how health-based programs are delivered in communities. They are gaining real-world experiences and learning from and evaluating the existing programmes.

Dr David Haycock, Senior Lecturer in Sports Development and Management said, "One of the main reasons why we have this stream of work within our degree programme at Edge Hill is that the policy landscape is now that sport organisations need to be doing more than promoting sport, they need to be achieving social good through sport. Sport England’s remit covers physical and mental health and their Uniting the Movement strategy is a 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. Through our established partnership with Everton in the Community we can provide enrichment opportunities for our students to enhance their employability when they graduate.”

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