Andrew Atherton

Andrew Atherton (born 27 June 1966) was the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee from January to November 2019. Prior to this role, he held academic and directorial positions at the universities of Durham, Lincoln, and Lancaster. His areas of academic interest are business and entrepreneurship, particularly related to small and medium-sized enterprises and China.

Andrew Atherton
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee
In office January 2019 – November 2019
Chancellor	Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Rector	Mark Beaumont Jim Spence
Preceded by	Sir Pete Downes
Personal details
Born	27 June 1966 Liverpool, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	Academic administrator
Institutions	Durham University University of Lincoln Lancaster University University of Dundee

Education

Atherton read Chinese and Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, graduating in 1989. This was followed, in 1992, by a Master's degree in International and Development Economics at Yale University in the United States. As a result of his studies of China, he is fluent in Mandarin. Andrew completed a PhD by publication in 2012 on the effectiveness of government enterprise policy at the University of Lincoln.

Career

Atherton began his academic career at Durham University, in the Small Business Centre, Durham University Business School. He was Director of the Policy Research Unit within the Small Business Centre from 1995 to 1999, establishing the Centre as an international policy research unit. In 1999, he became Head of Department of the department the Foundation for SME Development at the Durham University, which at that time was one of the world's leading centres for small and medium enterprise development and enterprise. He then moved to the University of Lincoln in 2002, where he worked for 10 years, initially as Director of Research in the Business School and then as Acting Dean of the School. He was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor Strategy and Enterprise in 2006 and in 2010 became Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor.[1] In this role he worked toward the establishment of the School of Engineering, the first new engineering school in the UK for over 20 years, as well as contributing to the emergence of the University as one of the leading modern universities in the UK.

From Lincoln, he moved on to Lancaster in 2013 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Entrepreneurship.[2] As Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lancaster, he was responsible for the development of the University, leading on resource planning and the annual planning cycle. He also led on creation of the Health Innovation Campus, a science park adjacent to the University,[3] and was part of a team that attracted the Eden Project to Morecambe to create Eden North[4] At Lancaster, Atherton also led on creation of a new campus in China, as a Joint Institute with Beijing Telecommunications University[5] and creation of Lancaster University Leipzig, a campus based in Germany, which recruited its first students in 2019.[6]

Atherton has published extensively on enterprise and small and medium enterprise development.[7] On small and medium-size enterprises in China, Atherton had a book published (Entrepreneurship in China) with co-author Alex Newman in 2017.[8]

After the retirement of Professor Sir Pete Downes from his principality at the University of Dundee, Atherton was announced as his successor in 2018. His tenure officially began on 1 January 2019.[9][10] During his period as Principal, the University rose to 4th in the UK for student satisfaction, its best ever result, and to its highest league table position of 24th in the Sunday Times University Guide and 3rd in Scotland.[11][12] The University was named Student Experience University of the Year by the Sunday Times as a result of its rise in student satisfaction.[13]

On 30 and 31 October 2019, several Scottish newspapers reported that Atherton had been suspended from office, pending an independent investigation into allegations that he had failed to pay rent in full on the Principal's official residence—University House.[14][15] In a statement to the BBC, a university spokesperson said: "As is our policy in any disciplinary case, it would not be appropriate for the university to comment further while the process is ongoing."[16]

On 8 November 2019, it was announced that Atherton had resigned.[17][18] The financial statements 2019 for the University state that an outstanding balance of one month's rent was settled on 1 August 2019.[19]

Selection of published works

• Small firm success and the art of orienteering: the value of plans, planning, and strategic awareness in the competitive small firm with Hannon, (Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development Vol 5 Issue 2 1998) https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EUM0000000006759/full/html
• The uncertainty of knowing: An analysis of the nature of knowledge in a small business context, (Human Relations Vol 56 Issue 11 2003) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00187267035611005
• Examining clusters formation from the ‘bottom-up’: An analysis of four cases in the North of England), (Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy vol. 21 no. 1 2003) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/c0115
• Should government be stimulating start-ups? An assessment of the scope for public intervention in new venture creation), (Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy vol. 24 no. 1 2006) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1068/c0436
• Structuring qualitative enquiry in management and organization research: A dialogue on the merits of using software for qualitative data analysis with Elsmore, (Qualitative research in organizations and management: An International Journal Vol 2 Issue 1 2007)
• Cases of start-up financing: An analysis of new venture capitalisation structures and patterns, (International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research Vol 18 Issue 1 2012) [20]
• Promoting private sector development in China – The challenge of building institutional capacity at the local level", Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, vol. 31, no. 1 2013) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/c1125b
• The decision to moonlight: Does second job holding by the self-employed and employed differ?, (Industrial Relations Journal vol. 47, no. 3 2016) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/irj.12135
• The emergence of the private entrepreneur in reform era China: Re-birth of an earlier tradition?, (Business History vol. 58 no. 3, 2016 Special Issue, History and Evolution of Entrepreneurship and Finance in China) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00076791.2015.1122702
• Entrepreneurship in China: The Emergence of the Private Sector with Newman ISBN 9781315625126 (2017) https://www.routledge.com/Entrepreneurship-in-China-The-Emergence-of-the-Private-Sector-1st-Edition/Atherton-Newman/p/book/9781138650121

References

1. "Who We Represent". Universities Scotland. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
2. Malik, Paul. "New Dundee University head chosen". The Courier. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
3. "Lancaster University announces £41m Health Innovation Campus".
4. "Eden Project in Morecambe gets green light in 'game changer' for Lancashire seaside resort".
5. "Lancaster University College launched in China".
6. "Lancaster announces new Campus in Leipzig, Germany".
7. "Google Scholar Andrew Atherton".
8. "New book Entrepreneurship in China out now". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
9. "New principal appointed for Scottish university". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
10. "Dundee University appoints new principal". 2 July 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
11. "Dundee ranked among UK's top 5 for student satisfaction".
12. "Our most recent rankings".
13. "University of Dundee scoops major accolade for student experience".
14. "Professor Andrew Atherton removed from office". 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
15. "EXCLUSIVE: £298k-a-year Dundee University principal suspended for allegedly not paying rent". 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
16. "Dundee University principal suspended over rent row". 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
17. "Rent row Dundee University principal Andrew Atherton quits". 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
18. "University of Dundee principal steps down following claims of failure to pay rent". 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
19. "Reports and Financial Statements 2018/19" (PDF).
20. "Andrew Atherton – Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.co.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2019.