Malcolm Grant

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Malcolm Grant (1947-), CBE, is the Provost and President of University College London, a role equivalent to Vice-Chancellor at other United Kingdom universities. He took up the post – the principal academic and administrative officer and head of UCL – on 1 August 2003. Professor Grant has been controversially responsible for UCL's attempt to redefine its image as one of the world's leading universities. He has encountered difficulty with academics especially on aspects within the College such as pay reform. He is also responsible for initating UCL's £300 million fundraising scheme.

Early life, education and previous work

Professor Grant was born and raised in New Zealand, studying at the University of Otago, where he gained an LLB (1970), LLM (1973) and LLD (1986). He became a part time Lecturer in Law at Southampton University (1982–1986). He was then a visiting Professor of Law and Vice-Dean, from 1986 till 1991, of University College London Law Faculty. Other teaching positions included being a Visiting Professor at the School of Law and Centre for Growth Management, University of Florida (1991) and Senior Research Fellow at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Massachusetts (1991).

Grant was appointed a professor of Land Economy and a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge in the late 1990s. Professor Grant was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university from 2002 until 2003. Whilst there he led attempts to reform the university. He then as served Head of the Department of Land Economy at Cambridge from 1993 until 2001. He was elected an Academician of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences in 2000.

As Provost of UCL

In August, 2003, Grant left the University of Cambridge and become Provost and President of University College London. It is a role equivalent to Vice-Chancellor at other United Kingdom universities.

In 2004 Grant launched 'The Campaign for UCL'. The campaign was designed to generate 300 million pounds of extra funding for the university, to expand facilities and provide for new research iniatives. The appeal will also fund an ear institute, a spinal repair unit and an institute for women's health. £50 million of the targeted funds will provide support for students, in the form of bursaries, scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships. It was the biggest ever fundraising target set by a university in the United Kingdom, until Cambridge set a £1bn target for its 800 year anniversary. Grant said of the 'Campaign':

In 2005, after pressure from The Cheese Grater, he agreed to shave off his moustache if UCL students raised £1500 for Comic Relief, on Red Nose Day. Unfortunately for his moustache — of 33 years — students and staff duly donated over £2,000. However, it has since regrown.

To gather additional funding for UCL, Grant has led UCL's attempt to reduce any increase in staff expenditure. In 2004 and 2005 this encountered protest from several members of the academic and support staff at the university. This was part of the wider call for pay increases across UK universities by the Association of University Teachers (AUT). A partial boycott threatened UCL, although this was later resolved by a minor increase in pay.

In 2006 he was against the Israel university boycotts. In 2006 Grant also controversially stated that European students had better English skills than many British students.

In 2007, Professor Grant said the achievement and academic gap between male and female students was widening. Since 1998, 313,259 more women than men have made university applications. Malcolm Grant said, "the trend indicated a big fall in the number of university-educated men".

In January 2007 he argued that the entire nation-wide university approach to funding needed a different approach. In regards to UCL's need for additional funding he stated the reasons in an interview with the BBC:

In June 2007, in response to legal threats from Alan Lakin, husband of a purveyor of herbal remedies, Grant required Professor David Colquhoun to remove his website, "Improbable Science" from university computers. An outcry from the scientific community ensued, and Grant reconsidered, inviting Dr. Colquhoun to bring the site back to UCL.

Awards and other positions

Grant is an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (1993–), a Member of Council (1998–2001); an Honorary Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1995–), a former Member of Governing Council (1997–2001), a Member of the International Governing Council (2001–). He is also a Barrister of Middle Temple (1998–); and Honorary Life Member of the New Zealand Resource Management Law Association (1999). He was elected a Bencher of Middle Temple in 2004.

In 2003 Grant was awarded the CBE for services to planning law and local government. He was Chair of the Agriculture & Environment Biotechnology Commission (2000–2005). Grant was also Chair of the UK Independent Steering Board for the Public Debate on Genetically modified foods from 2002–2003). He urged that the public have a voice in discussing GM foods.

Since 2006 he has been chair of the Russell Group of UK research universities. He is also Chair of the Standards Committee of the Greater London Authority, and has been Chair of the Association of London Government’s Independent Panel on the Remuneration of Councillors in London (1998–2005). He served two terms of appointment as Chair of the Local Government Commission for England (1996–2001), having been originally appointed a member of the commission from 1992. Whilst there he helped organise the new plans for electing members of London's local government.

References

External links

• UCL Website Official Biography

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