Prof Richard Follett
| Post: | Deputy Vice Chancellor (American Studies) |
| Other posts: | Professor Of American History (Documenting Louisiana Sugar 1845-1917) |
| Location: | ARTS B B155 |
| Email: | R.Follett@sussex.ac.uk |
Biography
Richard Follett is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice President at the ÄûÃÊÊÓƵ. He oversees Sussex's international strategy, developing a global network of of education partnerships and research collaborations. He is also Professor of American History and a specialist on the history of slavery and emancipation in the United States and Caribbean, Follett enjoys a strong international reputation for his scholarship and public engagement work. An accomplished university administrator and educator, Follett has a wide range of HEI experience, particularly in the field of international education.
Brought up in Bangor, Wales and Bristol, England (with spells in the United States), Follett attended the and the for his BA degree. He obtained an MA from the in 1991 before receiving a to support his doctoral work on American slavery at . Before moving to in 1999, he taught at the . He has held visiting teaching and research appointments at the University of Lagos (Nigeria); Nanjing and Peking Universities (China) and at University College London. He speaks Spanish fluently and is attempting to learn Hindi and Mandarin.
Role
Richard Follett has left the ÄûÃÊÊÓƵ permanently. He is (from January 2023) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global Engagement) at the University of Exeter and can be reached at: r.follett@exeter.ac.uk
Community and Business
Business Engagement
As Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), Follett is charged with developing the ÄûÃÊÊÓƵ's institutional vision for academic engagement worldwide and for promoting international student recruitment and mobility, be it at the Brighton campus or via Trans-National Education. To follow his international engagement work on behalf of Sussex, please consult his and profiles.
Research Engagement
As at the in New York City, Richard Follett was interviewed about the book project White Fright and the research he conducted as Gilder Lehrman Fellow on the 1741 New York Slave Insurrection Conspiracy.
Sky News: Should Slavery Be Made Essential Reading?
was among the most graphic films ever made about American slavery. Following the movie's release, director and lead actor were quoted as saying that autobiography (first published in New York in 1853) should be on the National Curriculum for British school-children.
Sky News covered the story with a special report which is available here: , which they followed up by interviewing of Sussex University and then , historian and freelance journalist.