John Brooks, who took up the post in September 2005, making him one of the UK¡¯s longest-serving vice-chancellors, made the announcement in a message to colleague earlier this month.

¡°By the year-end I will have completed most of the projects in my original strategy, so it feels like an appropriate point to draw a personal line in the sand and pass over to new leadership,¡± he said in the message.

¡°I am excited and enthusiastic about my final challenges at MMU.?I would like to thank all of you who have supported me, and I know that I can continue to rely upon your support during my final 12 months.¡± He added that he felt confident he was leaving the university in a ¡°robust¡± state.

Prior to his post at Manchester Metropolitan, Professor Brooks was vice-chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton for seven years.

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A former chair of the Equality Challenge Unit, he has spoken out in the past year about the negative representation of graduates, praising them for their ¡°independent, autonomous approach to learning and their understanding of technology¡±.

He also served on the board of the Northwest Development Agency and was recently appointed chair of Corridor Manchester, a partnership between the city¡¯s two universities and the local authority which is developing part of the city centre for businesses and research projects.

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Professor Brooks studied physics at the University of Sheffield, where he also completed a PhD. He was also awarded a DSc in 1998 for 25 years¡¯ work in the science of materials.