David House
Doctor of Letters

David House was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the university between January 1991 and April 2010. As such, he took overall responsibility for the management and conduct of the university and the leadership of the senior management team in the absence of the Vice-Chancellor. In this role, he was also responsible for leading strategic planning and relationships with funding bodies and for personnel, information services, estates, and health and safety. David House’s background is in modern languages and in library and information management, which he has both taught and practised. He joined the university as a lecturer in librarianship with European studies, transferred to the Learning Resources department and within 10 years, was the department head.

In 1988 he was appointed assistant director (administration) and after incorporation in 1990, when he became clerk to the new Board of Governors, he was re-designated assistant director (resources). In December 1990, he was made deputy director (now Deputy Vice-Chancellor). During his 37-year career at Brighton, he worked with three Vice-Chancellors and four board chairmen. His achievements are numerous and his impact and sphere of influence across the university immeasurable.

David House has been a long-serving member of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), chairing one of its main committees and through this is involved in the development and deployment of networked information services to UK higher education. During the 1980s, he was chairman of the Library Association’s Accreditation Board (now the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, CILIP). He has also been a member of the Board of Governors at City College Brighton and Hove and currently chairs the Board of the Brighton Philharmonic Society. David House’s impact on the university and the community in Brighton has been immense. He has also had a notable impact on the higher education sector nationally.