John Nicholson Black (28 June 1922 – 6 October 2018)''BLACK, John Nicholson'', Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011; accessed 30 May 2012 /ref> was Principal of
Bedford College, London
Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in highe ...
from 1971-81.
Education
John Nicholson Black was educated at
Rugby School
Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...
and
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university.
The college was founde ...
.
Career
He did war service with the RAF from 1942–46 and then obtained a BA in agriculture at Exeter College, Oxford in 1949 followed by an MA and
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
both in 1952. From 1952-63 he was a lecturer, senior lecturer and Reader at the
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...
DSc DSC or Dsc may refer to:
Education
* Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
* District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India
* Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Educational institutions
* Dyal Sin ...
in 1965. Black was also an accomplished musician and while residing in Adelaide he established the
Burnside Symphony Orchestra
The Burnside Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra based in the Burnside Council area in Adelaide, South Australia. While most concerts presented are in the Burnside Ballroom, the orchestra sometimes repeats performances outside the Adel ...
, then comprising both professional and amateur musicians. He led the orchestra from 1957-1963.
He was Professor of
Forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
and Natural Resources at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
from 1963–71 before becoming Principal of Bedford College.
Bedford came under considerable financial pressure in the 1970s from cuts in grants and the limitations of the college site in
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
. The college was slow in responding to the challenge and Black's efforts to persuade the college to a merger especially with
Royal Holloway College
Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...
'fell on stony ground'. Black came from one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom and: ''"...was well aware that a college of only eleven hundred students with grant/fee income to match could not be expected to support as many as twenty academic departments in a wide spread of disciplines, especially at a time when public funding was seriously reduced."'' The inevitable merger came under the next principal (
Dorothy Wedderburn
Dorothy Enid Wedderburn (née Barnard, formerly Cole; 18 September 1925 – 20 September 2012)
Personal life
He married, first, in 1952 Mary Denise Webb (died 1966) with whom he had a daughter and a son. He married, second, in 1967 Wendy Marjorie Waterston with whom he has two sons.
He died on 6 October 2018 at the age of 96.John Nicholson Black /ref>