In memory of Sir Shridath "Sonny" Ramphal

Sir Shridath served as Chancellor for our University from 1989 to 2002, following Lord Leslie Scarman. His length of service saw him witness an immense period of expansion for the University, as it grew from 7,000 students at the beginning of his tenure to 18,000 when he left his post in 2002. The same period of time saw more than £150million invested in new buildings on the University campus, including a new teaching building, Ramphal, named after the Chancellor himself.

In 2002, Sir Shridath said that he left the Office of Chancellor “with immense pride in Warwick, with confidence in its future among Britain’s leading universities, and with a profound sense of privilege.”

Professor Stuart Croft, our Vice-Chancellor, said:

We share a lifelong connection with Sir Shridath – he spent over a decade here at Warwick, as we grew in size, number and reputation. His legacy lives on through the RamphalLink opens in a new window building, which is home to our School of Cross Faculty Studies.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Sir Shridath was known in the wider world for his time as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth (1975-1990), and for a number of other key roles, including Minister for Foreign Affairs and Justice for his home country of Guyana, and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Environment and Development. He also published several books, including One World to Share (1979) and Our Country, the Planet (1992).

Support is available

Please reach out if you’ve been affected by Sir Shridath’s death and would like support. You can get help and support through the Staff Wellbeing HubLink opens in a new window, or by contacting the Employee Assistance ProgrammeLink opens in a new window. Bereavement supportLink opens in a new window from the Chaplaincy is also available.