Professor David Green CBE DL

During his time in office, Worcester became Britain’s fastest growing University, as both revenues and student applications more than trebled. The University has achieved an outstanding reputation for educational quality, imaginative, inclusive innovation, sound management and ethical leadership. In 2016 Worcester was shortlisted for the Times Higher Education’s University of the Year, in recognition of these achievements. The University of Worcester in consistently ranked in the top 5 Greenest of all Britain’s universities.

A Professor of Economics, specialising in international finance, David was educated at the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Worcester, he held senior academic posts at London South Bank University, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of West London. David has worked as a researcher, consultant and economist in both the private sector and for SHELTER, the campaign for the homeless, and has engaged in extensive voluntary work in community organisations and for racial equality.

From 2006 to 2012 David served on the 12-strong national Board of the Teaching and Development Agency for Schools, which was responsible for the funding and framework for teacher training throughout England and an annual budget of up to £700 million. He also served as a member of the UK’s Advisory Committee on Degree Awarding Powers, which advises the Quality Assurance Agency and Privy Council on institutional applications and matters of general principle concerning University Title and Degree Awarding Powers.

David represents Worcester on the two UK wide representative bodies for Higher Education, UniversitiesUK and GuildHE, as well as on Universities West Midlands, which he chaired for the academic year 2010-11.

During David’s time at Worcester, the University has grown significantly. Applications to study at the University have increased seven times faster than the national average, the largest sustained increase for any university in the UK. The University now educates over 10,000 students annually.

In recent years, University of Worcester revenues have more than tripled. Careful financial management has ensured the University has earned consistent annual financial surpluses which have underpinned an imaginative, dynamic building programme to provide many new facilities for students, researchers and the broader community. These include The Hive, Britain’s first University and Public Library and The University of Worcester Arena, Britain’s first indoor University and Community Sports Arena specifically designed to include wheelchair athletes.

During David’s tenure, Worcester’s programme of capital development has been particularly extensive and imaginative. A new City Campus has been created from the beautiful, historic, but previously derelict, buildings of the former Worcester Royal Infirmary. Abandoned buildings on the banks of the River Severn have been transformed into centres for Art, Dance, Sports and Performance, as well as new classrooms and learning space. New Science labs have been built for research and teaching and over 360 residential places in four new Halls of Residence have been constructed. All of the University’s older rooms in Halls have been extensively refurbished. The Students’ Union building has been completely refurbished as have the University’s classrooms and original University Library, which was transformed into a student advice, learning and guidance centre.

Worcester graduates have consistently recorded some of the best employment rates for graduates from any university in the UK and the University’s work to promote graduate employability, including the introduction of a salaried graduate internship scheme in the depths of the recession, has received national acclaim. David has championed the development of close working relationships with businesses, community, educational, health care, regional and sporting organisations. In 2011, Worcester was designated ‘The University partner of choice’ by the National Childbirth Trust, a partnership that continues today.

David is a frequent commentator on both educational and economic matters for press and broadcast media. He has been interviewed on the Sunday Politics Show, BBC Breakfast, Channel 4 News, Sky News, The Radio 4 Today Programme and The World This Weekend as well as BBC News 24, Midlands Today, Central News, Radio 5 Live, Radio 1 and for local BBC and commercial radio. He has contributed articles and been interviewed in The Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, Times, Financial Times and Daily Mail as well as the leading UK journal on higher education The THE and the leading US journal on higher education The Chronicle. David is known as an outspoken advocate of increased educational opportunity and of the positive, productive role of universities in modern society. A selection of these articles are available.

A passion for educational inclusion combined with quality and professionalism has characterised David’s career. Whilst at South Bank University in the 1990s, David headed the 80-academic-strong Department of International Business and Languages, which recorded that University’s first ever ‘excellent’ rating from the national Quality Assurance Agency. Appointed Dean of the Leeds Business School in 1998, at the time one of Britain’s largest Business Schools with 250 staff and several thousand students, David led it to achieve Leeds Metropolitan’s University’s only ‘perfect score’ of 24 out of 24 for Business and Economics education – a score which propelled the Leeds Business School to be rated Britain’s best new University Business School in the early 21st Century. At Worcester, the University was awarded Outstanding ratings for Primary, Secondary and Employment-based Teacher Training in 2010, whilst later in the same year the Nursing and Midwifery Council graded the University’s provision in Nursing and Midwifery as good in all five categories – the best rating possible. The regular institutional audits from the Quality Assurance Agency have all been most positive with particular commendations for inclusion, student involvement and work to promote student and graduate employability.

The University was rated Silver in the first ever national Teaching Excellence Framework. The assessors, who inspected the educational results for every university in England, found that Worcester “delivers high quality teaching, learning and outcomes for its students” and “consistently exceeds rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education.” Based on the evidence, the panel reported that “students achieve excellent outcomes” at Worcester.

Throughout his time at Worcester, Professor Green has championed the rights of students. He was one of the only Vice Chancellors in the UK who, back in 2011, campaigned vehemently against the rise in tuition fees, which, at the same time, led to a drop in the University of Worcester’s income from government grants from 67p in every £1, to just 6p in every £1 it now receives.

He has also campaigned against attempted Government interference in university teaching, as well as for increased student nursing places.

Professor Green has always championed a truly inclusive approach to education. By placing great importance on combining enduring human values with professionalism, the University of Worcester community is an environment in which staff and students thrive: there is no gender pay gap and 59% of senior positions are held by women.

David has lectured at universities and spoken at conferences throughout Europe and the United States as well as in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Australia, China and Mauritius. In 2016 he was the only Vice Chancellor invited to speak at the International Paralympic Committee’s Inclusion Summit, as part of the Rio Games, alongside IPC President Sir Philip Craven. His authored publications in academic books and journals have focussed on financial reform, banking, and economic policy.

David plays an active role in the local community. His leadership work led to the 2006 Pride of Worcestershire award being conferred upon him. David is the long-serving chair of the Worcester Alliance, which brings together a wide variety of local organisations for the common good. In 2011, when the Worcestershire Local Economic Partnership was formed, David was appointed a member of the seven-strong Board. David also serves on the Worcester Cathedral Council.

David is married to Cathy, a midwife and ante-natal teacher. Cathy and David are the proud parents of two daughters.

To read more about Professor Green and his work, download this biography.