Issue 45

20 May - 2 June 1997

New college secretary

Following a full career in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, which led to the rank of colonel, Tony Mitcheson joined Imperial College at the beginning of May as college secretary and clerk to the governors.

"When my eye lit upon the Imperial College post it seemed ideal as a place where I could make a real contribution," Mr Mitcheson commented.

He explained that in his last two Army appointments he was involved in a wide range of administrative activities.

After being head of personnel and logistics at Aldershot, he went on to be head of planning at the headquarters of Land Command at Wilton: "Land Command comprises almost all the front line units of the Army - from Britain to Belize - and accounts for about 70 per cent of the Army's strength. I was in charge of management planning and the day-to-day military direction of the Command's finances - a budget of just under £3 billion".

Among the initial impressions Mr Mitcheson has of Imperial College are its, "Great size and great complexity. It's a very dynamic organisation with a tremendous amount happening - we live in interesting times!"

His previous experiences of university life include the time he spent at Hertford College, Oxford, where he read history as a young officer; and a posting during the mid 1980s as commanding officer of the Officer Training Corps at Leeds University.

Of his predecessor Peter Mee, Mr Mitcheson remarked: "It's an almost impossible act to follow. I spent three weeks with him in April and he has been enormously helpful."

Mr Mitcheson foresees a challenging and exciting future at Imperial College.