David Watson (academic)

Watson was born on 22 March 1949 in Broxbourne, England.[1] He was educated at Cheshunt School, then a grammar school in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, before winning a Fleming Scholarship to attend Eton College.[1][2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

From 1981 to 1990, he was Dean and Deputy Director of Oxford Polytechnic.[2] 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.[5] 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.[1][6]

He was a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation from 2005 to 2015.[7]

In 2010, he was elected of Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford.[8] Upon taking up the position, he was also appointed Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford.[9]

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.[10]

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.[10] 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.[11]

Following his death, the University of Brighton announced its intention to name a new academic building and library in his honour.[12][13] The Watson building was rededicated in September 2018.[14]

Watson died on 8 February 2015, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.[13] He was aged 65.[10]

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.[15] He and his wife had two children, Michael and Sarah, born in 1980 and 1984.[1]

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.[1]

• Bines, Hazel; Watson, David (1992). Developing professional education: a polytechnic perspective. Milton Keynes: Society for Research into Higher Education / Open University Press. ISBN 0335097103.
• David Watson (1 April 2007). Managing Civic and Community Engagement. Open University Press. ISBN 978-0335220472.
• David Watson (1 October 2009). The Question of Morale: Searching for Happiness in University Life. Open University Press. ISBN 978-0335235605.
• Schuller, Tom; Watson, David (2009). Learning through life: inquiry into the future for lifelong learning. Leicester: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. ISBN 978-1862014336.
• David Watson; Robert Hollister; Susan E. Stroud; Elizabeth Babcock (15 February 2013). The Engaged University: International Perspectives on Civic Engagement (International Studies in Higher Education). Routledge. ISBN 978-0415824224.
• David Watson (1 December 2013). The Question of Conscience: Higher education and personal responsibility. Institute of Education Press. ISBN 978-1782770268.