Former cricketing legend turned politician, Imran Khan, will become the University of Bradford's fifth Chancellor when he is officially installed at a special ceremony on Wednesday 7 December 2005. Before that, Imran Khan will lay a foundation stone for the University's new Institute of Cancer Therapeutics. Imran Khan succeeds Baroness Betty Lockwood as the University's fifth Chancellor since its foundation in 1966.

Professor Chris Taylor, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, said: "Through his achievements and endeavours, Imran Khan embodies the interest and style of the University and continues a Bradford tradition of distinguished Chancellors.

"Imran will be a role model for young people in the University and the city, strengthen our links with South Asia and he will be a valuable bridge between east and west."

Imran Khan will be officially installed as Chancellor of the University at a ceremony on Wednesday 7 December. This ceremony will also see the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Baroness Valerie Amos in recognition of her distinguished contributions to public life, particularly in the fields of equal opportunities and international development. The ceremony will also see the awarding of degrees to students from the Bradford Centre for International Development, the department of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the School of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, which Imran Khan will confer in his first awards ceremony as Chancellor.

ABOUT IMRAN KHAN

Imran Khan was born in 1952 in Lahore, Pakistan. He was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore where he proved to be a fine cricketer and made his first-class test debut for Lahore against Sarghodha at the age of sixteen. He was selected to play for the Pakistan cricket team in 1970 and very soon made a permanent place for himself in the national side. He finished his high school education at Royal Grammar School at Worcester in England where he excelled in cricket.

He went on to study Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972, where former president of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was his classmate. He was elected captain of Oxford's cricket team in 1974 but gave up the captaincy in 1975 to concentrate on final exams.

During the Seventies he became a leading all-rounder in the world of cricket and was rewarded with the Pakistan captaincy in 1981. He was declared international cricketer of the year in 1989-90 and led Pakistan to numerous victories all over the world, finally clinching the World Cup in 1992.

He retired from cricket in 1992, and moved into Pakistani politics in 1996, launching the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Pakistani Justice Movement).

In 1996 he opened the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) Cancer Hospital in memory of his mother who had suffered from the disease. Today SKMT is one of the leading institutions for free cancer treatment in the world and has received international recognition.

Imran is amongst a number of actors, artists, singers and sports figures who donate their talents to advocate for children on behalf of UNICEF as Special Representatives. He has used his international profile in cricket to support health and immunisation programmes in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The UN has designated 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education to highlight the power of sport to bridge cultural and ethnic divides and improve people's lives.

THE ROLE OF CHANCELLOR

The Chancellor's role is an important one for universities. A Chancellor not only acts as a figurehead for the University's activities but is also chosen as an individual who will appeal to, and provide a role model for, the various constituencies the University serves, including most obviously its students and its local, national and international stakeholders. Formally, the Chancellor's role under the University's Charter and Statutes is to confer degrees of the University at Congregations which are held twice a year, over three days in July and two days in December.

Former Chancellors of the University of Bradford include Lord Harold Wilson of Rievaulx (Chancellor: 1966-1985), Sir John Harvey-Jones (Chancellor: 1986-1991), Sir Trevor Holdsworth (Chancellor:1992-1997) and Baroness Betty Lockwood (Chancellor: 1997-2005) .

Top