John Brooks to retire as Manchester Met head

John Brooks, who took up the post in September 2005, making him one of the UK’s longest-serving vice-chancellors, made the announcement in a message to colleague earlier this month.

“By the year-end I will have completed most of the projects in my original strategy, so it feels like an appropriate point to draw a personal line in the sand and pass over to new leadership,” he said in the message.

“I am excited and enthusiastic about my final challenges at MMU. I would like to thank all of you who have supported me, and I know that I can continue to rely upon your support during my final 12 months.” He added that he felt confident he was leaving the university in a “robust” state.

Prior to his post at Manchester Metropolitan, Professor Brooks was vice-chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton for seven years.

A former chair of the Equality Challenge Unit, he has spoken out in the past year about the negative representation of graduates, praising them for their “independent, autonomous approach to learning and their understanding of technology”.

He also served on the board of the Northwest Development Agency and was recently appointed chair of Corridor Manchester, a partnership between the city’s two universities and the local authority which is developing part of the city centre for businesses and research projects.

Professor Brooks studied physics at the University of Sheffield, where he also completed a PhD. He was also awarded a DSc in 1998 for 25 years’ work in the science of materials.