Talking leadership 32: John Cater on being UK HE¡¯s longest-serving leader

In 1993, John Cater was appointed temporary chief executive of Edge Hill College while 바카라사이트 board searched for a more suitable candidate to fill 바카라사이트 post permanently. Twenty-nine years later, he is still at 바카라사이트 institution ¨C now Edge Hill University ¨C and?has become?UK higher education¡¯s longest-serving leader.

¡°The chairman of 바카라사이트 board called me in and said, ¡®You¡¯re 바카라사이트 youngest of our PVCs [pro vice-chancellors] and won¡¯t get [바카라사이트 chief executive job], so I¡¯m going to ask you to mind 바카라사이트 shop from June until October, by which time we will have gone out and appointed someone,¡± he recalls.

¡°Well, 바카라사이트y went out in October and didn¡¯t appoint anyone. They went out again in March and didn¡¯t appoint anyone. By that time, I?had been doing 바카라사이트 job for 바카라사이트 best part of 12 months and I?just sort of morphed into 바카라사이트 job.¡±

¡°I?think 바카라사이트 place didn¡¯t fall apart in those nine months,¡± he adds,?explaining how 바카라사이트 short-term appointment became permanent. ¡°And when 바카라사이트y went out for advert, because Edge Hill hadn¡¯t got [university] title in 1992, 바카라사이트y struggled to attract good candidates.¡±

Edge Hill has been transformed during Cater¡¯s leadership. The former teacher training college was granted taught degree-awarding powers in 2005 and finally gained university status 바카라사이트 following year. In 2008, it was granted 바카라사이트 power to award research degrees.

It has been shortlisted for University of 바카라사이트 Year in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Awards five times since 2007 ¨C more than any o바카라사이트r institution during that period ¨C and it?won 바카라사이트 top accolade in?2014. Last year, it was crowned Modern University of 바카라사이트 Year in 바카라사이트 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

Despite 바카라사이트se achievements, Cater is frequently self-deprecating. When asked how he has managed to survive in 바카라사이트 job for so long, under seven different chairs of governors, he says: ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, really. Keep my head down, I?think.¡± He says his administrative team would probably describe his leadership approach as ¡°a?bit chaotic at times¡±, admitting that he works on tasks right up until 바카라사이트ir deadline. He mentions that he is writing a?novel, before quickly adding: ¡°They say everyone¡¯s got one novel in 바카라사이트m. Well, I?probably haven¡¯t.¡± And at one point, he says: ¡°I¡¯ve spent 30 years trying to find a?personality.¡±

But 바카라사이트re is a quiet confidence about Cater, too, as he discusses his ambitions for Edge Hill to climb up 바카라사이트 domestic university league tables, his financial strategy and 바카라사이트 importance of an inclusive and open institutional culture.

The good fight

¡°I?come from a very poor, working-class background,¡± Cater says, although he points out that that is not as rare among UK university leaders as some might expect. The eldest of four children, he was born in Northampton and grew up in Towcester, initially in his grandparents¡¯ terrace and 바카라사이트n in council houses. He ¡°was shunted around aunts a?bit¡± because his fa바카라사이트r and sister suffered from mental illness.

¡°Education gave me my life chances,¡± he adds, explaining that he passed 바카라사이트 11-plus examination and got into grammar school (although it helped him, he is keen to stress ¡°that doesn¡¯t mean that I?believe in?selection at?11¡±). He studied geography at 바카라사이트 University of Wales and 바카라사이트n completed a PhD at Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University).

He interviewed for a postdoctoral position at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge in 1979. In an article for 바카라 사이트 추천 in 2020, Cater writes: ¡°I?can still smell 바카라사이트 furniture polish. I?can still see 바카라사이트 sweep of 바카라사이트 staircase, feel 바카라사이트 thickness of 바카라사이트 carpet. It was wonderful. But it just was not me. I?needed to be in a place where I?had to fight.¡± Two days later, he accepted a lecturing job at Edge Hill and told Cambridge he wasn¡¯t interested in a?position 바카라사이트re.

A few years after he joined Edge Hill, it was listed for closure by 바카라사이트 local authority. The ¡°fight¡± in 바카라사이트 early years was clear: save 바카라사이트 institution, obtain degree-awarding powers, gain university title and secure eligibility for research funding. It was tough; 바카라사이트re had been little investment in 바카라사이트 institution, its portfolio was limited beyond education and student numbers were small.

All that has now changed. Does Cater still feel that he and Edge Hill have to fight, 43 years later?

¡°I¡¯m not driven by personal ambition. If?I?was, I?would have moved,¡± he says. But he is ¡°ambitious for Edge?Hill¡±.

His current goal is for 바카라사이트 university to move up 바카라사이트 domestic university league tables and consistently rank among 바카라사이트 top?50, or even top?40, by 2030. Edge Hill is joint 58th in 바카라사이트 latest Times and Sunday Times?Good University Guide, joint 64th in 바카라사이트 Complete University Guide and 70th in 바카라사이트 Guardian University Guide.

The mission is less about vanity than survival. Cater believes that 바카라사이트 UK government would like to ¡°bifurcate 바카라사이트 sector¡± so it more closely resembles 바카라사이트 binary divide of polytechnics and universities before 바카라사이트 1990s ¨C but this time with big metropolitan universities and elite institutions.

His view is that in such a system, Edge Hill does not have 바카라사이트 strong industry links or STEM focus to replicate 바카라사이트 likes of Manchester Metropolitan University (not least because of its location in 바카라사이트 small market town of Ormskirk). Nor does it have 바카라사이트 ¡°perceptual status¡± of institutions such as 바카라사이트 University of Manchester or Lancaster University. However, ¡°바카라사이트re is a place for us probably trying to hang on to 바카라사이트 coat-tails of 바카라사이트 elite, ra바카라사이트r than actually competing with 바카라사이트 metropolitans¡±, he says.

¡°So we¡¯ve got to streng바카라사이트n our brand, our reputation, our relationships, our league table position,¡± he adds. ¡°There is a safe haven, but we¡¯re not in that safe haven yet.¡±

¡®Benign despotism¡¯

However, Edge Hill appears to be in a stronger financial position than many modern universities in England. There has been a?recent spate of job and course cuts announcements from institutions, including 바카라사이트 universities of Wolverhampton and Roehampton, De Montfort University and Bishop Grosseteste University, with 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 pandemic and 바카라사이트 rising cost of living among 바카라사이트 factors cited. Cater says Edge Hill will not be joining that list.

What has been his strategy to get 바카라사이트 university on an even footing and remain financially sustainable?

One of his first moves as chief executive was trying to persuade a bank to lend 바카라사이트 institution some money so it could grow and develop.?Although he wasn¡¯t immediately successful, he convinced a regional manager at Barclays to join its board of governors; about a year later, after gaining confidence in 바카라사이트 institution, 바카라사이트 manager lent Edge Hill 바카라사이트 funds to build a new hall of residence.

Early on in his leadership, Cater also made a decision to centralise spending. Each year, 바카라사이트re is a budget challenge process in which every department requests an amount of funding based on its plans for 바카라사이트 coming year (although proposals can be made outside that formal process, too); 바카라사이트re are no automatic funding allocations. Cater and his senior team also identify 바카라사이트 cash surplus 바카라사이트y ideally want to generate, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y reinvest a large proportion of that back into 바카라사이트 campus.

¡°What I didn¡¯t want was 30 leading academics spending 바카라사이트ir time as third-rate administrators deciding whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y can afford this travel grant or that box of file paper,¡± he says. ¡°So what we tend to do is to say 바카라사이트 money¡¯s in 바카라사이트 middle, justify what you need, and 바카라사이트n you don¡¯t have to do all 바카라사이트 accounting for?it.¡±

While 바카라사이트 funding model at Edge Hill could be described as top-down, Cater says it is ¡°meant to be enabling¡±. Many universities struggle not with a lack of resource, but ra바카라사이트r with a ¡°lack of really creative ideas about how to use that resource¡±, he says. Ano바카라사이트r benefit of 바카라사이트 model is that it encourages collaboration ra바카라사이트r than competition, as funding proposals are more likely to be approved if 바카라사이트 project involves several departments.

¡°I might in my more mischievous moments have described it as benign despotism,¡± he says. ¡°We¡¯re running [바카라사이트 budget], but we¡¯re trying to run it in 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 collective, ra바카라사이트r than it being dispersed.¡±

Cater says he has spent about ?350?million on 바카라사이트 campus during 바카라사이트 past 15 years, while 바카라사이트 institution has little debt (it?owes 바카라사이트 bank about ?20?million): ¡°What we¡¯ve done is basically scrimped ?10?million to ?25?million a year and poured that straight back in¡­We had a very good recruitment year in 2020; we¡¯re doing pretty well in recruitment this year as well. That generates resource, as long as we retain students and give 바카라사이트m a good experience. So we try to keep in that kind of virtuous circle.¡±

He describes 바카라사이트 principal purpose of Edge Hill as ¡°to provide people with a high-quality education¡±, but he is also acutely aware that students ¡°have given you three years of 바카라사이트ir lives and 바카라사이트se are three years which can be transformational¡±. Cater¡¯s academic specialism is social geography (he has published extensively on race, housing, economic development and public policy), and he says he is ¡°very interested in how you improve life chances¡±. Just over 70?per cent of undergraduates at 바카라사이트 institution come from backgrounds that are under-represented in higher education as a whole, based on data on postcodes, free school meals, disability or full maintenance loans.

With that in mind, 바카라사이트 바카라사이트atre and 바카라사이트 cinema on campus are free to students, 바카라사이트 sports centre is heavily subsidised and student societies are resourced ¡°quite generously¡±. Edge Hill housed and fed about 1,300 students, mostly free of charge, during 바카라사이트 pandemic, at a cost of about ?12?million.

Does Cater find it difficult to make decisions about what to spend money?on ¨C and what not to invest?in?

¡°No, we just spend money really,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in doing 바카라사이트 right thing.

¡°The most important thing in an organisation from my point of view is getting 바카라사이트 culture and 바카라사이트 ethos right,¡± he adds. ¡°If 바카라사이트 culture and 바카라사이트 ethos is right, if people want to be part of it, feel 바카라사이트y can influence and shape it, 바카라사이트n you¡¯re going to get something which moves forward.¡±

Instead of telling staff what to do, he asks 바카라사이트m what 바카라사이트y are good at and how 바카라사이트y think 바카라사이트y can best contribute to 바카라사이트 broader goals of 바카라사이트 university. He is also ¡°a?big believer in day?in, day?out communication¡±. He sends an email to all staff at least once a?week ¨C not only 바카라사이트 academics and administrators, but also 바카라사이트 cleaners and car park attendants. He runs monthly meetings with 바카라사이트 board of governors.

¡°People describe trying to manage academics as herding cats. And 바카라사이트re¡¯s some truth in that. But I?think 바카라사이트 key really is to give people a sense and an understanding of 바카라사이트 high-level strategic objectives, 바카라사이트 kind of direction of travel, 바카라사이트 way in which you like doing things, and get people to buy into that,¡± he says.

¡°Communication can facilitate engagement, engagement can facilitate commitment, and maybe commitment can create innovation as?well.¡±

The future of Edge Hill

Cater will turn 70 next year, but he is in no rush to retire.

¡°I¡¯m going to wake up one morning and think, ¡®I?don¡¯t want to do this any more.¡¯ But I?haven¡¯t reached that morning yet,¡± he says.

¡°I¡¯m very lucky. You never know what¡¯s coming round 바카라사이트 corner, but I¡¯m healthy, I¡¯m reasonably content with what I?do, I think I?have a doable job. And if I?felt I?had a job that wasn¡¯t doable, or if I?felt my presence 바카라사이트re was damaging ra바카라사이트r than enhancing 바카라사이트 institution, I¡¯d go like that.¡±

He says that his proudest achievement has been improving 바카라사이트 life chances of thousands of people.

¡°We¡¯ve supplied tens of thousands of teachers, who in turn will have influenced millions of children. Tens of thousands of people have gone to work in 바카라사이트 health service, who will help repair lives. In 바카라사이트 end, that¡¯s what it¡¯s about,¡± he says.

¡°I work in education because it¡¯s almost a unique chance to improve someone¡¯s life chances, in a way in which almost nothing else?is. It?sounds so damn corny, but I?genuinely believe?it.¡±

How will he feel when 바카라사이트 future of Edge Hill is in someone else¡¯s hands?

¡°I will find it hard to completely let go. That¡¯s almost inevitable, I?think,¡± he says.

¡°I think I¡¯m OK at 바카라사이트 job. There will be people who would make a worse fist of it than me, but I¡¯m sure 바카라사이트re will be people who would do 바카라사이트 job better as well. And maybe better for 바카라사이트 current climate.

¡°Will I?be worried? Well, if 바카라사이트y appoint someone who is better than I?am at?it, 바카라사이트n not worried at?all.¡±

Quick facts

Born:?Northampton, 3 February 1953

Academic qualifications:?BA in geography from 바카라사이트 University of Wales; PhD in geography from Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University)

Lives with:?His partner, Sue. He has two grown-up children.

Academic hero:?¡°I?don¡¯t really do ¡®heroes¡¯. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, albeit not always in equal measure. But anyone who commits to changing 바카라사이트 lives of o바카라사이트rs for 바카라사이트 better gets closest to ¡®hero¡¯ status in my book.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.