Malcolm Grant

Malcolm Grant
For other people named Malcolm Grant, see Malcolm Grant (disambiguation).
Malcolm Grant
Provost of University College London
Term 1 August 2003 –
Predecessor Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith
Born 29 November 1947 (1947-11-29) (age 63)
New Zealand
Website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/provost/

Malcolm John Grant, CBE (born 29 November 1947)[1] is the Provost and President of University College London. He took up the post – the principal academic and administrative officer and head of UCL – on 1 August 2003.[2] Since then, UCL has developed as one of the world's leading universities and he has tackled critical issues, such as pay reform.[3][4] He is also responsible for initiating UCL's £300 million fundraising scheme.[5] However, he has been criticised for claiming that extremism is not an issue on Britain's campuses.[6]

Contents

Early life, education and previous work

Professor Grant was born and raised in Oamaru, New Zealand. He attended Waitaki Boys' High School (a state school) and went on to study at the University of Otago, where he gained an LLB (1970), LLM (1973) and LLD (1986). He became a Lecturer in Law at Southampton University (1972–1986). He was then a Professor of Law and Vice-Dean, from 1986 till 1991, of University College London Law Faculty.

Grant was appointed Professor of Land Economy and a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge. He then served as Head of the Department of Land Economy at Cambridge from 1993 until 2001 and was the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university from 2002 until 2003. Whilst there he led attempts to reform the university.[7] He was elected an Academician of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences in 2000[2] and in 2004 he was elected a Master of the Bench of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.

As Provost of UCL

In August, 2003, Grant left the University of Cambridge and become Provost and President of University College London.[8]

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 initiatives.[9] 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,[10] until Cambridge set a £1bn target for its 800 year anniversary. Grant said of the 'Campaign':

"I have heard it suggested that the concept of philanthropy is somehow alien to the national psyche, and that asking for money is not the British thing to do. This is, frankly, nonsense. Most of our leading universities owe their origins to philanthropy. Without the generosity of our founding fathers, UCL would never have seen the light of day back in 1826. This campaign will enable UCL, a real British success story, to enjoy the kind of resources to enable us to compete with the world's very best academic institutions"

— Interview with BBC News, 2004[10]

In 2005, on an invitation 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.[11] However, it has since regrown.

In 2006 he spoke out against the Israel university boycotts by the Association of University Lecturers (now the Universities Colleges Union).[12] In 2006 Grant also controversially stated that European students had better English skills than many British students.[13][14]

In 2007, Professor Grant said the achievement and academic gap between male and female students was widening.[15] 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".[16]

In January 2007 he argued that the entire nation-wide university approach to funding needed a different approach.[17] In regard to UCL's need for additional funding he stated the reasons in an interview with the BBC:

""To provide world-class research - through discovery, invention and creativity - and to convey the excitement of it to able young minds."

— Interview with BBC News, 2007[5]

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"[18] from university computers. An outcry from the scientific community ensued, and Grant reconsidered, inviting Dr. Colquhoun to bring the site back to UCL once it had been edited for libel.[19]

Awards and other positions

Grant is an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (1993–) and an Honorary Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1995–). 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.[20]

In 2003 Grant was awarded the CBE for services to planning law and local government.[2][21] 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).[22] He urged that the public have a voice in discussing GM foods.[23][24]

From 2006-2009 he was chair of the Russell Group of UK research universities.[25] He was 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.[20] Whilst there he helped organise the new plans for electing members of London's local government.[26] Grant served as a Member of Council of the Royal Institution from 2007-2009. He was appointed a British Business Ambassador by the Prime Minister in 2008, and he serves on the boards of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Hong Kong University Grants Committee.

In October 2011, he was appointed as the first chair of the NHS Commissioning Board by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.[27]

Criticism

In the Telegraph, Malcolm Grant was criticised by several writers for allegedly condoning Islamist radicalisation and extremism on the UCL campus.[28][29] Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab – who attempted to explode a bomb on a flight to Detroit – was the president of the UCL Islamic Society from 2005-08. He was the fourth president of an official Islamic society at a London university to face terrorist charges in three years.[30] In response to the criticisms, Malcolm Grant stated that he had ordered a review into the issue. He also denied that there was a problem with Islamic extremism at UCL, and accused some Telegraph writers of "Islamophobia".[31] Consequently, the CSC issued a press briefing listing a number of Islamist extremists who had recently spoken on the UCL campus after being officially invited by UCL's Islamic groups.[32] Ruth Dudley Edwards criticised Grant's response, writing: "Rather than producing mealy-mouthed defensive statements... Provost Grant should seriously reconsider his position."[33] In the Evening Standard, Douglas Murray wrote in a similar vein: "[T]here's nothing “safe” for gay or other minority students at UCL when their Islamic society invites guests who call for their murder, or indeed for any of us when Grant's Islamic society invites, as they repeatedly have, people who teach when and where to carry out violent jihad."[34] On the other hand, Professor John Sutherland, writing in the Guardian, defended the university's response of constructive engagement, which recommended "debate with extremists" and the promotion of an Islamic Awareness Week: "My own, partisan, view is that UCL's openness is morally justified... But there are clear risks".[35]

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b c Biography
  3. ^ Curtis, Polly (4 May 2004). "Higher education,Education". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,5500,1208582,00.html. 
  4. ^ Eason, Gary (16 March 2004). "Marking boycott 'may hit degrees'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3513096.stm. 
  5. ^ a b "Looking inside the university". BBC News. 5 October 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3706650.stm. 
  6. ^ Lipman, Jennifer (18 October 2011). "Campus extremism is 'made up' - UCL head". The Jewish Chronicle. http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/56636/campus-extremism-made-ucl-head. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 
  7. ^ "Management shake-up at Cambridge". BBC News. 7 February 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1806169.stm. 
  8. ^ Grant to lead UCL
  9. ^ The Campaign For UCL
  10. ^ a b "University launches £300m appeal". BBC News. 5 October 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3718172.stm. 
  11. ^ UCL News
  12. ^ Smith, Alexandra (30 May 2006). "Israel (News),Higher education,Education,UK news,International education news,World news,Middle East (News),Lecturers". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1786102,00.html. 
  13. ^ "European students have better English, says university head". The Daily Telegraph (London). 18 June 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/18/nuni18.xml. 
  14. ^ Blair, Alexandra (21 November 2006). "Universities to get extra money for giving places to the poor". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article643905.ece. 
  15. ^ "Student gender gap is even wider". BBC News. 15 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6364337.stm. 
  16. ^ Blair, Alexandra (15 February 2007). "Growing gender gap risks turning universities into malefree zones". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1386928.ece. 
  17. ^ Grant, Malcolm (30 January 2007). "Higher education,Tuition fees,Students,Education,UK news". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2001195,00.html. 
  18. ^ DC's Improbable Science page
  19. ^ Joint statement by Professor Colquhoun and UCL
  20. ^ a b Public Service
  21. ^ "Higher education,Education,UK news,University administration,Careers in higher education,UCL,Cambridge University". The Guardian (London). 2 April 2003. http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/careers/story/0,9856,928664,00.html. 
  22. ^ "GM debate 'to include crop trials'". BBC News. 5 February 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2727969.stm. 
  23. ^ "Public 'needs voice' on GM issue". BBC News. 3 June 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2955150.stm. 
  24. ^ "News - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/25/ngm25.xml. 
  25. ^ "Malcolm Grant: Is the axe-man a saviour?". The Independent (London). 19 January 2006. http://education.independent.co.uk/higher/article339475.ece. 
  26. ^ "London poll plan unveiled". BBC News. 25 August 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/158048.stm. 
  27. ^ Taylor, Lynne. "Lansley names academic to head NHSCB". Pharma Times. http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/11-10-18/Lansley_names_academic_to_head_NHSCB.aspx. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 
  28. ^ Is Malcolm Grant, Provost of UCL, worth his £376,190 salary? Daily Telegraph, By Douglas Murray. Politics Last updated: May 16th, 2010
  29. ^ When will the British people wake up to the enemy in their midst By Con Coughlin Defence Last updated: December 30th, 2009, Telegraph
  30. ^ "Airline Bomb Suspect Reportedly Groomed While a Student in London". The Times. December 30, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581457,00.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fworld+%28FOXNews.com+-+World%29. Retrieved January 4, 2010. 
  31. ^ "Freedom of thought is all we foment". Times Higher Education. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=409807. Retrieved 12 November 2010. 
  32. ^ How UCL authorities ignored Islamic extremismCSC
  33. ^ British universities: seats of learning – and loathing By Ruth Dudley Edwards 10:30AM GMT 02 Jan 2010
  34. ^ There’s nothing ‘safe’ about letting fanatics preach Douglas Murray 27 Jan 2010, Evening Standard
  35. ^ UCL, on the frontline of the student extremism debate guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 February 2011 17.00 GMT

External links

Academic offices
Preceded by
Sir Derek Roberts		 Provost of University College London
2003 – Present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent



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