Professor Sir Steve Smith honoured with lifetime achievement award by Times Higher Education
Professor Sir Steve Smith, the University of Exeter’s long-serving former Vice-Chancellor, has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award by Times Higher Education.
At the prestigious THE Awards 2025 in Edinburgh this week, Sir Steve received one of the night’s top prizes, the THE Outstanding Achievement Award, for his remarkable contribution to the higher education sector.
Sir Steve accepted the award – the first to be presented on the night – from THE Editor, Chris Havergal, and Chief Executive John Gill, and joins previous winners including Melvyn Bragg and Dame Nancy Rothwell.
The judges said it was “hard to think of an academic who has had more influence on the course of UK higher education over the first quarter of this century than Sir Steve Smith, across four acts: as researcher, vice-chancellor, sector leader and global champion. This breadth of impact put him at the heart of major policy reforms that helped to shape the university sector as we know it today.”
Sir Steve served as Exeter’s Vice-Chancellor from 2002-2020, during which time the University was invited to join the elite Russell Group in recognition of its world-class standing in higher education.
President of Universities UK (UUK) from 2009-2011, Sir Steve was a Board member of the Russell Group from 2012-2020, and Chair of UUK’s International Policy Network (2015-2020). He was also a member of the UUK Board for 14 years, and Chair of the UCAS Board from 2013– 2019.
Referring to his achievements at Exeter, the judges said: “Sir Steve transformed the institution into a globally recognised powerhouse, more than doubling student numbers, significantly increasing the quality of research output, and leading the institution into the Russell Group.”
Paying tribute to Sir Steve, Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “Everybody at the University of Exeter would like to send Sir Steve our warmest congratulations on this incredibly well-earned award. Sir Steve led the University for 18 years, during which time Exeter developed into a world-class institution for teaching and research. His legacy is clear for all to see, and we are delighted to share in his wonderful achievement.”
Since leaving his post as Vice-Chancellor, Sir Steve has served as the UK Government International Education Champion, and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative to Saudi Arabia for Education. He previously led for higher education on the Prime Minister’s National Council for Excellence in Education from 2007-2010.
In 2000, Sir Steve was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Learned Societies in the Social Sciences (FAcSS), and was knighted in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to higher education. He served as President of the International Studies Association from 2003-2004, and is author or editor of 17 books and more than 100 journal articles.
A passionate advocate for the region, Sir Steve served on the Board of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership for seven years, and is Chair of the Liveable Exeter Place Board, and a Patron of Exeter College. For this service to the city, he was made a Freeman in 2019.
Now in their third decade, the THE Awards are commonly referred to as ‘the Oscars of the higher education sector’, and similarly bestow a lifetime award to one person each year. This year’s awards night was hosted by actor and comedian Ed Byrne and held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
