Sir Robert George Burgess DL,

FAcSS The Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) is an award granted by the Academy of Social Sciences to leading academics, policy-makers, and practitioners of the social sciences. Fellows were previously known as Academicians and used the ...

(23 April 1947 – 21 February 2022) was a British sociologist and academic. He was appointed

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 of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

in 1999, succeeding Ken Edwards. He was President of the

British Sociological Association The British Sociological Association (BSA) is a scholarly and professional society for sociologists in the United Kingdom, and was founded in 1951. It publishes the academic journals ''Sociology'', '' Work, Employment and Society, Sociological R ...

1989–1991 and chair of the board of GSM London.

Early life

Burgess was born in Sturminster in Dorset on 23 April 1947. He grew up Somerset, and attended the King Arthur's School in

Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...

, from 1958. He taught for a year at

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is an all ability co-educational academy in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, which caters for students from age 11 to 18. History The school was founded on 17 October 1951 by Lady Elena Bennett of Matfield ...

, a church school, in Tunbridge Wells in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Burgess received his BA degree from the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

in 1971 and his PhD degree from the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

in 1981.

Career

Burgess remained at Warwick as a lecturer and became Professor of Sociology in 1987. He then rose through the ranks, serving as Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor 1995–99. Burgess then moved to the

as Vice-Chancellor, introducing sweeping changes that enhanced the university's reputation and saw it enter the top-20 institutions in many league tables. Burgess was chair of the

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS ) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants an ...

(UCAS) 2005–11, the Research Information Network 2005–11, and is the chair of the UUK/Guild HE Teacher Education Advisory Group. In 2007, Burgess chaired the steering group that produced the Burgess Report, calling for sweeping changes in university degree classification that would replace the established system of first- and second class degrees. Burgess retired from the post of Vice-Chancellor in September 2014, at age 67. He was succeeded by Professor

Paul Boyle Paul Joseph Boyle, (born 16 November 1964) is a British geographer, academic, and academic administrator. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester between 2014 and 2019. He had been Professor of Human Geography at the Universit ...

Personal life

Burgess was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 2010 New Year Honours. He became an

Academician of the Social Sciences The Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) is an award granted by the Academy of Social Sciences to leading academics, policy-makers, and practitioners of the social sciences. Fellows were previously known as Academicians and used th ...

in 2000. He received an Honorary

DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree from the

University of Staffordshire , mottoeng = Dare to know , type = Public , endowment = £70 million (2015) , administrative_staff = 1,375 , chancellor = Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford , vice_chancellor = Professor Martin Jones , ...

in 1998 and a DUniv degree from the

University of Northampton The University of Northampton is a public university based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, and gained full university status as the University of Northampton in ...

in 2007. Burgess married Hilary Margaret Mary Joyce in 1974 and lists his recreations as walking, music and "some gardening". Sir Bob and Lady Burgess live at Knighton Hall, the University of Leicester's traditional vice-chancellor's residence in

Knighton, Leicester Knighton is a residential suburban area of Leicester, situated between Clarendon Park to the north, Stoneygate to the east, Oadby and Wigston to the south and the Saffron Lane estate to the west. Originally a separate village a couple of mi ...

. Burgess's record in building both the university's academic reputation and its campus buildings have earned him the nickname

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along with ...

among his university colleagues. Burgess died on 21 February 2022, at the age of 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Robert 1947 births 2022 deaths Academics of the University of Leicester Alumni of the College of the Venerable Bede, Durham Alumni of the University of Warwick British sociologists Comprehensive education Deputy Lieutenants of Leicestershire Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences Knights Bachelor People from Knighton, Leicester People from Sturminster Newton People from Wincanton Presidents of the British Sociological Association UCAS Vice-Chancellors of the University of Leicester