Gerald John Pillay (born 21 December 1953) is a South African theologian and

ecclesiastical historian __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

. He was

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

and Rector of

Liverpool Hope University , mottoeng=Hope to all who need it , established=1844 – Saint Katharine's College (as Warrington Training College)1856 – Notre Dame College (as Our Lady's Training College)1964 – Christ's College1979 – Liverpool Institute of Higher Edu ...

in England from 2003 until the end of 2022.

Early life and education

Pillay was born on 21 December 1953 in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. His ancestors had come from India to the then British colony of Natal, and he grew up in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

under

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. He studied at the

University of Durban-Westville The University of Durban-Westville (UDW) was a university situated in Westville, a town situated near Durban, South Africa, which opened in 1972. It is now one of the campuses of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was initially established for ...

(a university established for

Indian South Africans Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it one of the l ...

), graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) degree in 1975, a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

(BD) degree in 1978, and a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

(DTheol) degree in 1985. He also studied

philosophical theology Philosophical theology is both a branch and form of theology in which philosophical methods are used in developing or analyzing theological concepts. It therefore includes natural theology as well as philosophical treatments of orthodox and heter ...

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public university, public research university located in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, ...

, graduating with a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree in 1984.

Academic Career

After lecturing at the

, he became Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

in 1988, a post he held for eight years. During this period, he was also Guest Professor at

North Western University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chartere ...

, Illinois; Research Fellow at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

; Guest Professor at Rhodes University and Visiting Professor at the Graduate School at the

Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is an Anabaptist Christian seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, affiliated with Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. It was formerly known as Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary until its name ...

(AMBS), Indiana, USA. In 1997, he became Foundation Professor at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, New Zealand. In 1998, he became Executive Head of the School of Liberal Arts within that University. He lived in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

with his family for many years of his life before moving to the UK. Pillay has served on editorial boards of two international journals (Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae and Verbum et Ecclesia), has presented papers at numerous international conferences and has served on various public and educational bodies. He has been involved in recent research and lecturing in Cambridge, Oxford, Pretoria, California, Canada and Munich. In September 2021, Gerald Pillay was announced to become the president of the international

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

Initiatives of Change International for 3 years.

Liverpool Hope University

On 1 September 2003, Pillay was appointed Rector of Liverpool Hope University College. He became the first Vice Chancellor and Rector when Liverpool Hope was granted full university status in July 2005. Under his leadership the University changed exponentially, benefitting from substantial investment to become a truly modern institution noted for the quality of its research-informed teaching. In 2009, research degree-awarding powers were granted, with a well-established research culture reflected in the results of the last three Research Excellence Frameworks. In 2017, Hope received Gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework, and in 2019, Pillay led the celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the University’s first college being established. He has also overseen the transformation of Hope’s campuses, which have received significant investment during his tenure. This includes the opening of the Eden Building in 2010, the state-of-the-art Health Sciences building and new sports facilities in 2016, and now the launch of the new IQ Building with its Simulation Laboratory. Pillay also established the Creative Campus in Liverpool city centre, including the opening of the Capstone Building and the addition of a new Arts Centre, as well as the renovation and expansion of the Grade II-listed Cornerstone Building.

Honours

In 2005, he was elected a Life Fellow of the

Royal Society of the Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(FRSA). In 2013, he was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Hope College. In 2009, Pillay was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Merseyside, assisting the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside in carrying out her role as the Queen’s representative on Merseyside. Pillay was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to higher education.

Selected works

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillay, Gerald J 1953 births Living people Deputy Lieutenants of Merseyside People from KwaZulu-Natal Rhodes University alumni Academics of Liverpool Hope University 20th-century South African historians University of Durban-Westville alumni University of South Africa academics University of Otago faculty South African emigrants to New Zealand South African emigrants to the United Kingdom Officers of the Order of the British Empire South African people of Indian descent