:Keith Robbins
{{Short description|British academic (1940–2019)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
Keith Gilbert Robbins {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSE|FRHistS|FLSW}} (9 April 1940 – 12 September 2019) was a British historian and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter. Professor Robbins was educated at Bristol Grammar School, Magdalen, and St Antony's College, Oxford.Who's Who 2008, p. 1965
His academic career began in 1963 as Assistant Lecturer in History at the University of York where he subsequently became Lecturer. He moved to the University College of North Wales, Bangor, in 1971, as Professor of History and was later appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts. In 1980 he moved to the University of Glasgow as Professor of Modern History.Who's Who 2008, p. 1965
His final academic post was as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter, between 1992 until 2003, when he was succeeded by Professor Robert A Pearce. During his time as Vice-Chancellor at Lampeter, he also served as Senior Vice-Chancellor of the federal University of Wales between 1995 and 2001.Who's Who 2008, p. 1965 He was also a Welsh Supernumerary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, for the academic years 1996/7 and 2002/3.
In 2005 the University of Wales awarded Robbins an honorary degree of DLitt in recognition of his years of service to University of Wales institutions and the field of history.
He was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (1980–81).[https://www.history.ac.uk/ehsoc/about/past-ehs-presidents Past Presidents - Ecclesiastical History Society] He was also a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and a Member of its inaugural Council.
He died on 12 September 2019 at the age of 79.[https://epaper.thetimes.com/app/THE343 Robbins]
Summary of life
= Education =
Bristol Grammar School, 1949-58:
State Scholarship 1957:
Demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1958-61:
Gladstone Memorial Prize 1960 (Oxford University)
Prox. acc. Gibbs Scholarship 1960 (Oxford University)
First Class (Congratulatory), Modern History, 1961
Senior Scholar, St. Antony's College, Oxford, 1961–63
= Academic career =
Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer, University of York, 1963–71
Professor and Head of Department of History, University College of North Wales, Bangor (now Bangor University), 1971-1979: (Dean of the Arts Faculty, 1977–79)
Professor of Modern History, University of Glasgow, 1980-91 (Head of department, 1981–91)
Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales, Lampeter, January 1992- September 2003 (now part of the University of Wales Trinity St. David)
Senior Vice-Chancellor, (Federal) University of Wales, 1 September 1995 – 31 August 2001 (a Cardiff-based post held concurrently with the above)
Inaugurating Chairman Cttee. of Heads of Higher Education, Wales 1996-1998
Chairman, Higher Education Wales Charitable Trust 1996-1998
Special Visiting professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, July–August 1983
Visiting professor, University of Constantine, Algeria, February 1984
Fred Alexander Fellow, Department of History, University of Western Australia, July–August 1995
=Degrees=
B.A. (1961); M.A. (1970); D.Phil. (1964) Oxford;
D.Litt. (1985) Glasgow.
Hon.D.Litt. (1999) West of England
Hon.D.Litt, (2005) Wales
=Fellowships=
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1991).
Hon. Fellow in European History, University of Nanjing, China (P.R.)
Hon. Fellow, University of Wales, Lampeter (2006)
Fellow of the Historical Association (2007).
Hon. Fellow, Bangor University (2010)
Founding Fellow, Learned Society of Wales (2010) Council (2010–17)
=Professional bodies=
Member of Council and a vice president, Historical Association, 1976-; President, Historical Association 1988-1991
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society 1970; Member of Council of the Royal Historical Society 1980–1983; a Vice-president 1984-1988
President of the Ecclesiastical History Society, 1980-1981
Former Member, Scottish Records Advisory Council
D.E.S. Postgraduate Awards Panel (History), 1974–1976; Chairman 1976
President, Welsh Religious History Society 1993-2000
Humanities Research Board, British Academy 1994–1997; Chairman of its Research Committee, 1995-1997
Board of Management, Arts and Humanities Research Board 1998-2003
Works
=Editor=
Editor, History (1977-1986)
Editorial Board, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 1978-1993
{{not a typo|Editorial Board}}, Journal of Indian History 1985
Publications Committee, latterly chairman, Ecclesiastical History Society, 1978-1983
Publications Committee, Royal Historical Society, 1980-1985
{{not a typo|Editorial Board}}, National Identities 1998-2008
=Author=
- Munich 1938 (London, 1968)
- Sir Edward Grey: A Biography of Lord Grey of Fallodon (London, 1971)
- The Abolition of War: The British Peace Movement, 1914 - 1919 (Cardiff, 1976)
- The Eclipse of a Great Power: Modern Britain, 1870-1975 (London, 1983). Second Edition, (London, 1994)
- The First World War (Oxford, 1984)
- Appeasement (Oxford, 1988)
- Great Britain: Identities, Institutions and the Idea of Britishness (London, 1998)
- Churchill (Profiles In Power) (London, 2000) {{ISBN| 978-0582437593}}
- The World Since 1945: A Concise History (Oxford, 2002) {{ISBN|978-0192803146}}
- Britain and Europe, 1789-2005 (London, 2005)
- Oxford History of the Christian Church: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales 1900-2000 (Oxford, 2008)
- Transforming the World: A Global Political History since World War II (Basingstoke, 2013)
- The History of Oxford University Press: Volume IV: 1970 to 2004 (Oxford, 2017) {{ISBN|978-0199574797}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{succession box | before=Brian Robert Morris| title=Principal of St David's University College | after=Position Discontinued | years=1992–1996}}
{{succession box | before=New Position| title=Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, Lampeter | after=Robert A Pearce | years=1996–2003}}
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Category:People educated at Bristol Grammar School
Category:People associated with the University of Wales, Lampeter
Category:Academics of Bangor University
Category:Academics of the University of Glasgow
Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Category:Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford
Category:Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford
Category:Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales
Category:Fellows of the Royal Historical Society
Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Category:Historians of the University of York