Dominic Shellard

Dominic Shellard is a British academic who has served as Head of the School of English and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield and Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University. A former Rotherham Councillor, he is a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Medal, awarded by the United Nations NGO, the Gandhi Global Family, for his social good work in the UK and India.[1]

Dominic Shellard
Shellard (centre) with The Baroness Lawrence and S.P. Varma at The United Nations Civil Society Conference in August 2019.
Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University
In office
June 2010 – February 2019
ChancellorThe Lord Alli
The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon
Preceded byPhilip Tasker
Succeeded byAndy Collop (interim)
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Councillor
for Boston Ward
In office
1999–2003
Personal details
BornOrpington, Greater London
Alma materSt Peter's College, Oxford

Early life

Dominic Shellard was born in Orpington, Greater London.[2] He went to school at Crofton Junior School and then Dulwich College, before going on to read English and German at St Peter's College, Oxford, where he also obtained a DPhil in English Literature on the theatre criticism of Harold Hobson.[2]

He is a former councillor for Boston Ward on Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, serving from 1999 until 2003.[3]

Academic career

Shellard began his academic career as a lecturer in English at the University of Salford in 1993. He moved to the University of Sheffield in 1996, and was awarded a Readership in 1999 and a Personal Chair in 2003. In 2004, he became the Head of the Department of English, before being appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs in 2008.[4]

He served as Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester in 2010 from 2010-2019.

Shellard is an expert in post-war British theatre and an active Shakespeare scholar. He has authored ten books, including British Theatre Since The War, (Yale University Press, 1999), Shakespeare: A Writer’s Life (British Library/Oxford University Press, 2000), and a biography of the critic Kenneth Tynan, Kenneth Tynan: A Life (Yale University Press, 2003) with the most recent monograph being Shakespeare's Culture Capital, which he edited with Siobhan Keenan in 2016. He also founded and led the Theatre Archive Project, a joint venture with the British Library to reinvestigate British theatre history from 1945 to 1968. The Theatre Archive Project contains a very large number of interviews with practitioners, actors, playwrights and audience members about this formative period of British Theatre history.[5] Shellard is also a former chairman of Sheffield Theatres Trust, responsible for the Crucible Theatre and the Lyceum Theatre.

Square Mile India

During his time as Vice-Chancellor Shellard conceived and oversaw the launch of Square Mile India, an initiative created to “help improve the lives of thousands of India’s poorest and most vulnerable families”. To do this, many students from the university would travel to Ahmedebad, Gujarat, to work with the community in the city’s largest slum, home to 160,000 people. Whilst they were there, the students focussed on improving the infrastructure of the slum sustainably, by introducing the use of solar power and intelligent electricity systems to ensure energy would be used efficiently. They also worked closely with these communities to “help people needing treatment for eyesight and hearing problems, and to use art, education and psychology training to improve community life”, as well as building homes for families affected by leprosy, work on projects to improve sanitation, design anti-microbial pillows for children to sleep on and help improve literacy and numeracy skills.[6]

In 2013, the Gandhi Global Family, a United Nations NGO, presented Prof Shellard with the Mahatma Gandhi Seva Medal for services to society. As a result of the university’s commitment to social good, its efforts were recognised by Mahatma Gandhi’s own grandson in a visit to the campus later that year.[7] In 2017, Shellard was appointed special representative to the United Nations Civil Society Unit for the Gandhi Global Family and in August 2019, he delivered an address, together with Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon and Padmashri, SP Varma, the Vice-President of the Gandhi Global Family, on his social good work in India to the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.[8] In November 2019, Shellard initiated new social good projects in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[9]

The Royal Visit to De Montfort University

The very first visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s, Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012 was to De Montfort University.[10] The Queen was accompanied by Prince Philip and the Duchess of Cambridge. Hosted by Lord Waheed Alli, the then Chancellor of De Montfort University and Shellard, the university put on a fashion show for the Queen. It was widely remarked upon in the media how much the Queen appeared to enjoy this event, as well as her meeting with the university’s Bollywood Dance Society.[11]

International work

Shellard also founded the hugely popular DMU Global scheme, an international student mobility project, which enabled thousands of DMU students to travel abroad to destinations such as the United Nations in New York and refugee centres in Berlin.[12][13]

The Campus Transformation of DMU

Initiated by Shellard, De Montfort University now has a widely praised, award winning campus, following a £136m investment in facilities for students. The campus transformation included the new Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Leisure Centre, a new complex for the Faculty of Art and Design, the Vijay Patel Building, a conference centre, a new sportsground and a new ‘green lung’, a large series of landscaped open spaces at the heart of the university.[14]

Pay and benefits

In January 2019, Shellard came under public scrutiny regarding a 22.3 percent increase in his remuneration over that of the previous year, following the award of the prestigious TEF Gold status for the university.[15] His remuneration for the academic year 2017-18 consisted of a £350,000 salary (2016–17; £286,000), £1,000 in health benefits, and £6,000 in pension contributions. Other benefits included Ivy Club membership.[16]

In 2018 it emerged that Shellard had business links with the Chair of The Remuneration Committee of the Board of Governors[17] Shellard was paid an additional £270,000, the equivalent of 9 months pay, when he resigned from the university in 2019.[18][19][20] The Office for Students launched a formal investigation of De Montfort University following the resignation; the report concluded that there had been serious failings in governance, including oversight of The Vice-Chancellor.[21][22]

Business interests

Shellard is a Director of Theseus Global Limited, Theseus Global (Education) Limited, and Acetute Limited.[23]

Personal life

Shellard was one of the very few openly gay Vice-Chancellors.[24] He is also a fan of QPR, an English Football League club.[25]

References
  1. "Leading Gandhi teacher impressed by diversity at DMU during first visit". DMU. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  2. "The Theatre Archive Project - contact us". bl.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  3. "Appointments". Times Higher Education (THE). 4 March 2010.
  4. "Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard". De Montfort University. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  5. "Theatre Archive Project". British Library Sounds. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. "DMU launches initiative to support thousands of lives in India". DMU. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  7. "Gandhi's great grandson visits De Montfort University". The Asian Today. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  8. "DMU's Vice-Chancellor is appointed special representative to UN by global charity". DMU. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. "UN 17 SDG's work reviewed by GGF UN Envoy at Lawrence School". Jammu Links News. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. "The Royal Visit". DMU. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  11. "DMU's proudest day to be replayed on ITV this Easter as it celebrates "Our Queen at 90"". DMU. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  12. "DMU and the United Nations Together". DMU. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  13. "Huge #DMUglobal trip to Berlin". DMU. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  14. "Campus Transformation Project". DMU. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  15. "DMU awarded Gold in Government's new teaching standard". DMU. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  16. Reporters, Telegraph (19 April 2019). "University's former vice chancellor stripped of Ivy Club membership". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  17. "University boss had link to chair of committee that gave him £64k rise". The Independent. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  18. correspondent, Sally Weale Education (1 July 2019). "University vice-chancellor given £270k payoff after resigning". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  19. Turner, Camilla (1 July 2019). "Disgraced vice-Chancellor who resigned amid watchdog inquiry awarded a £270,000 'golden goodbye'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  20. "Vice-chancellor got £270k after quitting". BBC News. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  21. "Public statement". www.dmu.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  22. "Regulator finds 'systemic' failings at De Montfort after v-c exit". Times Higher Education (THE). 1 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  23. "Dominic Marcus SHELLARD - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  24. "How welcoming is academia to LGBT staff?". Times Higher Education. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  25. Fazackerley, Anna (15 March 2017). "2VCs: How do we win back anxious international students?". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
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