VC Bob announces shock resignation by end of academic year

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Robert Allison, announces intention to step down at the end of the academic year


In a shock email to students and staff at noon today (26/11/2020), the much loved Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, Professor Robert Allison, more commonly known as VC Bob, announced his intention to step down from his role as Vice-Chancellor at the end of the year.

In a Tweet from the University:

‘It is Council that appoints the Vice-Chancellor and in 2012 I was invited to take up the role at Loughborough. I shall always be grateful to Council: it is a privilege to work here.’

‘By this time next year Council will be well on the way to developing a new University Strategy to set Loughborough’s future direction, the Covid-19 pandemic should be behind us and I believe that the University will be set-fair for further success.’

‘With these points in mind, I have, with much reluctance, concluded that it will be right for a new leader to take Loughborough forward at this point in time. I shall therefore be stepping down at the end of the academic year to make way for a new Vice-Chancellor.’

VC Bob also described that having to move on with his life away from Loughborough would be a ‘huge wrench’. This feeling will no doubt also be felt by the Loughborough student community. Prior to coming to Loughborough in 2012, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Sussex University.

Professor Allison has been greatly commended by students since the return to campus in September with visits to isolating students across the village and to students in private accommodation in town as well.

For Council now, the university’s governing body, it will be a struggle to find such an animated, charismatic, caring and successful figure who truly helped make the University great and led us high up the league tables.