Rick Trainor
Encyclopedia
Professor Sir Richard Hughes "Rick" Trainor KBE
FRHS
FKC (born 31 December 1948) is the current Principal of King's College London
.
, and graduated from Brown University
with a BA summa cum laude in American Civilization, and subsequently earned MAs from Princeton University
and from Merton College, Oxford
, before completing his D.Phil. in 1981 at Nuffield College, Oxford
entitled "Authority and social structure in an industrialized area: a study of three Black Country towns, 1840-1890". He is a former Rhodes Scholar.
He is a member of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences
, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
and a member of the Athenaeum Club
. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford
and Trinity College of Music
, and a member of the Anglo-American Fulbright Commission.
Trainor was awarded an honorary knighthood (KBE) in June 2010, for services to higher education. The award was honorary due to his American nationality, however on 31 December 2010 the knighthood was made substantive by Queen Elizabeth II following his assumption of the British nationality.
He is married to Dr Marguerite Dupree, an academic historian of medicine currently at Glasgow University, with two children.
(2000–2004) and, before that, Senior Vice-Principal of the University of Glasgow
. He became Principal of King's College London
in 2004, where he is also Professor
of Social History
.
He is a former President of Universities UK
, serving between 2007 and 2009.
Since becoming Principal of King’s in 2004, Trainor has overseen a rise in the College’s Times Higher-QS World University Rankings from 96 to 23rd in the world; in 2010 the College was named Sunday Times University of the Year. Other achievements include the acquisition of the east Wing of Somerset House, that the College had discussed for 180 years, and the formation of King’s Health Partners, a collaboration between the College and the hospitals of Guy’s, St.Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and the Maudsley.
The University and College Union
(UCU) and the British Medical Association
(BMA) have also voiced their concerns about the restructuring at King’s College London. The situation at King's has attracted national press coverage.
Trainor has responded by highlighting the pressures facing UK Universities and his belief that further higher education funding cuts would risk serious damage to the sector.. The King's College London UCU executive committee have commented on Trainor's responses
Further, his decision to close the Division of Engineering which has the honour of being one of the oldest departments in the world risks charges of reckless academic vandalism .
His cuts were the subject of House of Commons Early Day Motion 1179 in the 2009-2010 Session. 'That this House notes the proposal by the Executive of Kings College London as part of its budget review process to abolish the Chair of Palaeography, the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom; further notes the fundamental importance of palaeography to a broad and interdisciplinary scholarly community; considers that without the development of palaeographic skills, millions of documents would be rendered inaccessible, thus depriving the nation of its full historical legacy; and therefore urges Kings College London to consider very carefully any proposals in respect to this prestigious and important Chair.' This had no effect on King's College policy.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRHS
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
FKC (born 31 December 1948) is the current Principal of King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Biography
Trainor was educated at Calvert Hall College High SchoolCalvert Hall College High School
Calvert Hall College High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys located in Towson, Maryland, United States...
, and graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
with a BA summa cum laude in American Civilization, and subsequently earned MAs from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and from Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, before completing his D.Phil. in 1981 at Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college and primarily a research establishment, specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. It is a research centre in the social sciences...
entitled "Authority and social structure in an industrialized area: a study of three Black Country towns, 1840-1890". He is a former Rhodes Scholar.
He is a member of the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences
Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences
The Academy of Social Sciences is a research body in the UK. , the Academy was composed of over 450 Academicians and 32 Learned Societies. Academicians are distinguished scholars and practitioners from academia and the public and private sectors...
, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
and a member of the Athenaeum Club
Athenaeum Club, London
The Athenaeum Club, usually just referred to as the Athenaeum, is a notable London club with its Clubhouse located at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place....
. He is also an Honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
and Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
, and a member of the Anglo-American Fulbright Commission.
Trainor was awarded an honorary knighthood (KBE) in June 2010, for services to higher education. The award was honorary due to his American nationality, however on 31 December 2010 the knighthood was made substantive by Queen Elizabeth II following his assumption of the British nationality.
He is married to Dr Marguerite Dupree, an academic historian of medicine currently at Glasgow University, with two children.
Career
Trainor was formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of GreenwichUniversity of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
(2000–2004) and, before that, Senior Vice-Principal of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He became Principal of King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
in 2004, where he is also Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Social History
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
.
He is a former President of Universities UK
Universities UK
Universities UK began life as the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century when there were informal meetings involving Vice-Chancellors of a number of universities and Principals of university colleges...
, serving between 2007 and 2009.
Since becoming Principal of King’s in 2004, Trainor has overseen a rise in the College’s Times Higher-QS World University Rankings from 96 to 23rd in the world; in 2010 the College was named Sunday Times University of the Year. Other achievements include the acquisition of the east Wing of Somerset House, that the College had discussed for 180 years, and the formation of King’s Health Partners, a collaboration between the College and the hospitals of Guy’s, St.Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and the Maudsley.
Restructuring at King's College
In response to actual and further anticipated cuts in public sector funding in 2009/2010, Trainor introduced plans for 'financial and academic sustainability' and 'strategic disinvestment' at King's College London that have provoked letters of protest by prominent scholars both in the UK and abroad.The University and College Union
University and College Union
The University and College Union is a British trade union formed by the merger in 2006 of the Association of University Teachers and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education ....
(UCU) and the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
(BMA) have also voiced their concerns about the restructuring at King’s College London. The situation at King's has attracted national press coverage.
Trainor has responded by highlighting the pressures facing UK Universities and his belief that further higher education funding cuts would risk serious damage to the sector.. The King's College London UCU executive committee have commented on Trainor's responses
Further, his decision to close the Division of Engineering which has the honour of being one of the oldest departments in the world risks charges of reckless academic vandalism .
His cuts were the subject of House of Commons Early Day Motion 1179 in the 2009-2010 Session. 'That this House notes the proposal by the Executive of Kings College London as part of its budget review process to abolish the Chair of Palaeography, the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom; further notes the fundamental importance of palaeography to a broad and interdisciplinary scholarly community; considers that without the development of palaeographic skills, millions of documents would be rendered inaccessible, thus depriving the nation of its full historical legacy; and therefore urges Kings College London to consider very carefully any proposals in respect to this prestigious and important Chair.' This had no effect on King's College policy.
Published works
- Black Country élites: the exercise of authority in an industrialized area, 1830-1900. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.
- Urban governance: Britain and beyond since 1750, edited by Robert J. Morris and Richard H. Trainor. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000.
- University, city and state: the University of Glasgow since 1870, by Michael Moss, J. Forbes Munro and Richard H. Trainor. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press for the University of Glasgow, 2000.