Sir Ronald Urwick Cooke,

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

DL (born 1 September 1941Debrett's People of Today
Sir Ron Cooke) is a Professor of

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

and

geomorphology Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...

who 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 of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

from 1993 to 2002.Professor Ron Cooke to retire as Vice-Chancellor in 2002
University of York Press Release, 1 May 2001

Career

Cooke's academic career began as a lecturer in the Department of Geography at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1961: he rose to the position of Professor in 1981 and Vice-Provost (1991–3) at the same institution. From 1993 to 2002 he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of York. Cooke was appointed chair of the

Joint Information Systems Committee Jisc is a United Kingdom not-for-profit company that provides network and IT services and digital resources in support of further and higher education institutions and research as well as not-for-profits and the public sector. History T ...

(JISC) in 2004.Sir Ron Cooke, JISC Chair
JISC, accessed 26 January 2010 He was a Trustee of the

National Museum of Science and Industry The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums: * The Science Museum, London, Science Museum in South Kensington, London * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester * The National Railway Museum in York * The Locomotion Mu ...

from 2005 to 2008. He lives in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

where he is active in city life, for instance in fund-raising for the restoration of

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

, and in planning and restoration through the York Civic Trust. The

York Civic Trust York Civic Trust is a membership organisation and a registered charity based in York, UK. Its primary function is to "preserve, protect and advise on the historic fabric of York". It is based in Fairfax House. Foundation York Civic Trust was fo ...

also published his monograph ''Why York is Special''. and his 2016 book ''York, Changing the Face of the City''.

Honours and awards

He was awarded the Founder's Medal of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(RGS) in 1994, and was President of the RGS from 2000 to 2003.Professor Sir Ronald Cooke - Honorary Freeman
York City Council, 7 March 2006 In 2002, he received the

Scottish Geographical Medal The Scottish Geographical Medal is the highest accolade of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, awarded for conspicuous merit and a performance of world-wide repute. This was awarded first in 1890 as the Gold Medal, and from 1933 as the Scotti ...

of the

Royal Scottish Geographical Society The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...

. He 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 ...

for services to higher education in the Queen's 2002 New Year's Honours list.New Year honours in higher education
Donald MacLeod, guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 December 2001 In 2006, he was made Honorary Freeman of the City of York. The Ron Cooke Hub at the Heslington East campus of the

was named in his honour.

Publications

Published books include: * 1969 Trends in Geography (with J.H.Johnson) * 1973 Geomorphology in Deserts (with A.Warren) * 1974 Geomorphology in Environmental Management (with J.C.Doornkamp;a New Introduction,1990) * 1976 Arroyos and Environmental Change in the American Southwest (with R.W.Reeves) * 1980 Geology, Geomorphology and Pedology in Bahrain (contributor) * 1982 Urban Geomorphology in Drylands (Editor and contributor) * 1984 Geomorphological Hazards in Los Angeles * 1993 Desert Geomorphology ( with A.Warren and A.S.Goudie) * 1993 Crumbling Heritage? (with G.B.Gibbs) * 2016 York- Changing The Face of the City * 2018 The Streets of York - Four Centuries of Change ( with others) He has published over 100 refereed articles. These relate mainly to his major research themes: desert geomorphology (chiefly in Chile, the USA, North Africa, and several Middle Eastern countries), historical geomorphology in the southwest USA, geomorphology in environmental management (especially in the Middle East), and studies of stone weathering in the UK. In addition there are published reports of committees he chaired: e.g. HEFCE 02/15 Information on Quality and Standards in Higher Education;HEFCE 99/26 Learning and Teaching- Strategy and Funding ; e.g. reports from the Joint Information Systems Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Ronald Urwick British geographers Academics of University College London Deputy Lieutenants of North Yorkshire Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Knights Bachelor Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Living people Academics of the University of York Place of birth missing (living people) 1941 births Vice-Chancellors of the University of York British geomorphologists