Duncan Cameron (university administrator)
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Duncan Inglis Cameron (26 August 1927—7 May 2006) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. After attending the academically rigorous Glasgow High School, he then went on to study law at Glasgow University. During the years 1945 - 1948 he performed his national service flying with the RAF, after which he began his administrative career as a Chartered Accountant's apprentice with Alfred Tongue & Co. In 1951 he progressed to become a qualified assistant with Cooper Bros & Co.
Duncan's first step into working within a university came in 1952, when he was appointed an assistant accountant of Edinburgh University. He remained at Edinburgh for thirteen years until 1965 when he was chosen as Secretary of the new Heriot-Watt University, also based in Edinburgh, a position he would go on to hold for quarter of a century.
[edit] University Secretary of Heriot-Watt
Heriot Watt University gained its Royal Charter in 1967 and became one of Britain's new breed of technological universities. Duncan Cameron would serve as the university's secretary for 25 years until his retirement in 1992. During his time at Heriot-Watt, he worked with no fewer than five principals, two acting principals, four chairmen of court and two chancellors.
Cameron's legacies to the university are many and most notably include:
- In 1967, initiating one of the first chairs in accountancy and finance, an innovative approach for training graduate-level accountants.
- Between 1969 and 1992, Cameron played a key role in the transfer of Heriot-Watt's campus from its city location to a new campus at Riccarton, an ambitious yet highly successful plan involving many negotiations with the University Grants Committee.
- Duncan had a strong vision for developing strategy for the transfer of technology and techniques into industry. This vision resulted in such entities as Unilink, the pioneering industrial liaison unit, dedicated technology transfer units including the Institute of Offshore Engineering, Computer Applications Services, the Medical Laser Unit, the Marine Science Unit and the opening of the first UK university research park in 971.
- Heriot-Watt's reputation as 'Norway's University in Scotland' was largely due to Duncan Cameron's work in establishing links with Norway. He was later recognised for his achievements by the King of Norway.
- From 1967 to 1990, Duncan represented Heriot-Watt's interests on the University Central Council on Admissions.
[edit] Achievements Outside Work
Duncan Cameron contributed much to society outside of his work with Heriot-Watt. His work to strengthen Scotland's historical links with Norway were honoured with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, awarded by the King Olav V in 1979. He was also an active member of the Norwegian Scottish Association. He served as justice of the peace for several decades and was a highly respected session clerk of St Ninians Church in Corstorphine, Edinburgh.
From 1983-1988 he served as chairman of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and from 1989, became an honorary fellow. In 1990 he was awarded an OBE by the Queen and the following year, in 1991, the honorary degree of Doctor of the University was conferred on him by Heriot-Watt. His obituary was published in The Scotsman on Tuesday 6 June 2006.
