Roy Frank Miller (born 1935) is a British academic, educator, physicist and university administrator. He was Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London (RHC) from 1982-85.[1]
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He was educated at Wembley County Grammar School. In 1957 he took the BSc external Special (meaning single subject) Honours degree in physics as an external student at the University College of South-West England (now the University of Exeter). He later studied at RHC where he obtained a PhD under Samuel Tolansky in 1962.[1]
He stayed at RHC and from demonstrator progressed to senior lecturer in physics in 1973. In 1965 male undergraduates were admitted to the college and Miller took charge as Warden of Kingswood, the first men's hall of residence, in Coopers Hill Lane, Englefield Green. In 1976 he became vice-principal of the college under Dr Lionel Butler who had been appointed as the first male principal in 1973.[1]
In 1970 London University had set up a committee of enquiry into the governance of the university chaired by Lord Murray of Newhaven with appointments by the university and also the University Grants Committee.[1] The Murray Report, which covered all 34 constituent schools of the university, proposed "some kind of amalgamation" for RHC citing reasons of economy. By 1975/6 the cuts had begun to threaten the quality of teaching, research and the infrastructure.[1] The incoming Conservative government of 1979 cut another 15% from universities' budgets. This forced a reduction in staff at RHC by about 15% in 1981. Senior RHC academics also concluded that the college could not survive alone, nor cover the academic range with reduced staff, and needed to combine with another of the smaller colleges.[1]
In the middle of this and before anything was finalised, Butler died suddenly on 26 November 1981, in London. Miller assumed authority in his capacity as vice-principal, later made acting principal and in 1982 was made principal. Following suggestions from the University of London Vice-Chancellor, in February 1982 discussions took place between Miller and Professor Wedderburn, Principal of Bedford College, also part of the university, about the possibility of Bedford leaving its site in Regent's Park, London and moving to the RHC site. Bedford had no other option as the university had decided that teaching and research in science should be concentrated on five sites, of which RHC was one. The Bedford site was also land-locked with a limited lease so growth at Bedford would have been virtually impossible. On 26 July 1982 the chairs of both colleges signed an agreement to merge. Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (RHBNC) was created by Act of Parliament on 1 August 1985 with Professor Dorothy Wedderburn its first principal.[1] RHBNC remains the official name of the college but Royal Holloway, London is the current day-to-day name, generally abbreviated to RHC.
Miller is married to Ruth Kenchington, a former student and postgraduate at RHC and they have one son.[1]