David Watson (academic)

Professor Sir David Watson
Born	David John Watson (1949-03-22)22 March 1949 Broxbourne, England
Died
Nationality	British
Occupation	Writer and Professor of Higher Education, University of Oxford

Sir David John Watson (22 March 1949 – 8 February 2015) was a British academic and educationalist. He was Director of Brighton Polytechnic from 1990 to 1992 and Vice-Chancellor of its successor the University of Brighton from 1992 to 2005. He was the Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford and Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford from 2010 to 2015.

Early life

Watson was born on 22 March 1949 in Broxbourne, England. He was educated at Cheshunt School, then a grammar school in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, before winning a Fleming Scholarship to attend Eton College. In 1968, he matriculated into Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar and studied history. He graduated with a first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. As a Thouron Scholar, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in intellectual history in 1975.

Career

From 1981 to 1990, he was Dean and Deputy Director of Oxford Polytechnic. In 1990, he was appointed Director of Brighton Polytechnic. In 1992, Brighton Polytechnic was granted university status. He continued as its head and was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton. In 2005, he joined the Institute of Education, then part of University of London, as Professor of Higher Education and Co-Director of its Centre for Higher Education Studies.

He was a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation from 2005 to 2015.

In 2010, he was elected of Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford. Upon taking up the position, he was also appointed Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford.

He was a member of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (commonly known as the Dearing Review) which published a highly influential report, Higher Education in the Learning Society, in 1997. It made a large number of recommendations to improve higher education in the UK, including the introduction of tuition fees. He was chairman of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning and co-authored its report, Learning Through Life, which was published in 2009.

Honours and awards

Watson was awarded a knighthood in 1998 for services to higher education. In 2009 he was given the Times Higher Education Lord Dearing Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also the recipient of eight Honorary Doctorates in addition to Honorary Fellowships of Queen Mary University of London and the City and Guilds Institute London, and Honorary Membership of the Royal College of Music.

Following his death, the University of Brighton announced its intention to name a new academic building and library in his honour.

Death

Watson died on 8 February 2015, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. He was aged 65.

Personal life

Watson was married to Betty Pinto Skolnick. He had a keen interest in music and was an accomplished pianist; together with his wife he regularly hosted informal music evenings at Green Templeton College for its amateur musicians. He also contributed to the development of more formal musical and artistic events for the College’s social calendar. He and his wife had two children, Michael and Sarah, born in 1980 and 1984.

Selected works

Watson was a prolific author; in addition to his own books and those which he edited and co-authored, he also published some 400 monographs and pamphlets, chapters in books, articles and reviews.

References

Academic offices
New title	Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton 1992 to 2005	Succeeded by Julian Crampton
Preceded by Colin Bundy	Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford 2010 to 2015	Succeeded by Denise Lievesley