Imperial bids a fond farewell to some familiar faces

Retirees look back over their time at the College - <em>News</em>

Thursday 20 September 2007
By Alexandra Platt

Imperial is saying a regretful farewell to two senior members of staff this month, who are retiring from their positions.

Tony Mitcheson , Secretary to the Court and Council, retires after 10 years at the College, while Professor Rees Rawlings , Pro Rector, Educational Quality, leaves after a career at Imperial that began as an undergraduate in 1961. They look back at their time at the College below.

Also retiring is Clare Jenkins , Director of Library Services, while Professor Dame Julia Higgins  , currently Principal of the Faculty of Engineering, steps down from that role to return to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology as a Senior Research Investigator. They will discuss their memories and plans in future issues of Imperial's newspaper Reporter.

Tony Mitcheson

Tony Mitcheson joined Imperial in May 1997 as College Secretary and Clerk to the Court and the Council, following a successful career in the Army. He retires this month after over 10 years at the College.

As Clerk he has been responsible for Internal Audit and for servicing the Court and Council. As College Secretary, he has been one of the principal administrative officers, acting as a coordinator of the College's central administrative functions and the line manager of the Central Secretariat, the Reactor Centre, the Safety Department and, in the early part of his time at Imperial, a number of other departments.

The spring of 1997 was an exciting time to join Imperial, with the imminent merger of the Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School with the College on 1 August that year. The two schools, together with the existing medical divisions on the St Mary's and Royal Brompton Campuses, came together to form Imperial College School of Medicine, the forerunner of the Faculty of Medicine. For Tony and his colleagues, this presented many challenges: "Suddenly, we had to reconcile five different ways of doing things and make it work. It was a real baptism of fire, all this happening just three months after I'd started in my job."

On top of the merger, August of that year brought further challenges. Tony explained: "I suddenly found myself responsible for a whole range of functions over and above my main role. These included Catering, Conferences, Residences, Sport and Leisure, Occupational Health, CBS, the Early Years Education Centre, Security and the Safety Department. In addition, I was asked to take on the role of Secretary of the School of Medicine on a part-time basis for five months. It was a steep learning curve!"

He continued: "Considering that the job advertisement I answered had promised me ‘an assistant (yet to be appointed)', it's ironic that the assistant never appeared and the work continued to expand at the rate it did."

A high point in Tony's Imperial career came the following year when the Queen granted the College a new Charter marking the medical merger and authorising changes to the College's Council - the first of two Royal Charters he has prepared during his time at Imperial.

Next came work on the potentially devastating ‘millennium bug' and the decision to update the College's finance and HR systems as a precaution. He recalls: "This was a huge undertaking against a very tight deadline. Although the ‘bug' turned out not to exist, we couldn't afford to take any risks and ICIS, a system now used by many around the College, has served its purpose admirably." Tony was also instrumental in the birth of the College intranet, Spectrum.

There were further diverse roles to follow in his career at Imperial, with Tony being involved in many of the College's capital projects, including SAMS, the Faculty Building, the Sports Centre and Southside. He also undertook brief caretaking stints with Finance, Estates, the Registry, the Office of Alumni and Development, and Music and Art, as the College's organisation evolved. "Nobody can say I haven't had a varied career at the College," he says. "I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here. It's been a very exciting ten years in the organisation's history and to be departing in the Centenary year as we gain our independence is to leave on a great high. I'm sorry to be going, but I leave the team in the safe and capable hands of Rodney Eastwood."

Tony's plans for his retirement won't see him slowing down just yet. He explains: "One of the first things I'll be doing is donning a hard hat and boots and reaching for my brick-laying trowel to renovate a derelict barn."

Professor Rees Rawlings

Professor Rees Rawlings, Pro Rector for Educational Quality, retires this month. He began his career at Imperial in 1961, as an undergraduate student in the Department of Metallurgy (now Materials) and, in his own words, "never left".

Professor Rawlings was promoted to lecturer in 1966 and was awarded his PhD the following year. He remembers: "One of the first courses I gave was on an MSc in Material Science. Most of my students were older than me!"

His career in the Department progressed rapidly from here, seeing him hold the positions of Admissions Tutor and Director of Undergraduate Studies over the next few years. He was appointed Dean of the Royal School of Mines in 1995 and it was during this time that he prepared the College for the Quality Assurance Agency subject review in Materials Technology, the only review to involve more than one section of the College. He said: "The top score of 24 out of 24 was achieved—no other university was awarded 24 for this discipline."

Professor Rawlings' next promotion, to Acting Head of the Earth Resources Engineering, was his first step away from the Department; a second took him to his current position as Pro Rector in 1999, a post he has really enjoyed: "I always wanted to be an academic as I like research and teaching. I've really valued working with so many bright young people and having the chance to enhance education at the College." He adds: "My previous positions and the fact I'd been a student here myself gave me a real insight into how university life affects young people and the problems they might encounter." Personal highlights of his time as Pro Rector include supporting the process involved in the College gaining degree awarding powers in 2003, and developing the Centre for Educational Development.

Alongside his commitment to Imperial's students, a love of sport has been an underpinning theme of his time at the College. Professor Rawli ngs was instrumental in the opening of Ethos, the College's sports centre, and he has maintained strong links with Imperial's teams, with a particular interest in rowing and rugby. He explains: "I played for Imperial teams in my youth and have continued to support them ever since. I think it brings so much to those students taking part."

When asked what he'll miss about Imperial, Professor Rawlings is quick to answer: "There is a great deal that I will miss, especially not coming into contact with young people. I'll also miss the sense of community that exists at the College. I can't walk around the Campus without bumping into about three people I know well enough to say hello to. I think that's quite rare for an organisation this size."

He added: "I've seen so many changes in my time here. I saw the original Southside Building erected and am still here to witness the first students moving into the new building. That and the fact that there were only a quarter of the number of students here when I first came to the College."

Retirement for Professor Rawlings will include walking and visits to his cottage on the south coast. He said: "My wife and I are looking forward to indulging some of our interests. We'll definitely be visiting some art galleries and spending more time in the garden and the allotment. Sport will also continue to play a large part of how we spend our time."