Sir Timothy O’Shea has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh since 2002 and he has now indicated that he will step down in 2017 after 15 years of expansion and modernisation.
Professor O’Shea has ensured that Edinburgh has been a pioneer in distance and e-learning in Higher Education. Edinburgh became the first University in the UK to introduce MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses – which have opened up the University’s areas of expertise to audiences around the world in the form of free computer-based learning, attracting 2.5 million online learners.
He has also been a passionate advocate of social inclusion and widening access to the institution, while encouraging a spirt of entrepreneurship around the University’s many research breakthroughs. Between 2010 and 2015, the University was responsible for the formation of 184 new companies, with 44 created in 2015 alone.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh and I am extremely proud of what we as an institution have achieved over recent years,” said Professor O’Shea.
“The success and growth that we have enjoyed have only been possible thanks to our very gifted students and highly talented staff, as well as the tremendous backing we’ve received from our alumni, supporters and friends across Scotland, the wider UK and the world. I have every confidence that the University will continue to go from strength to strength in the years to come.”
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, John Swinney, said: “The quality of Scottish universities is crucially important to perceptions of Scotland around the world. Under Sir Tim’s leadership, the University of Edinburgh, has built on its reputation as one of the world’s great universities and is widely regarded as a powerhouse of ideas and innovation across the breadth of academic endeavour, bringing distinction and talent to Scotland.”
Professor O’Shea will formally step down as Principal and Vice-Chancellor in September 2017. The University will shortly begin the recruitment process for his successor.
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