ACG member profiles: Air Commodore Ian H Forster, OBE RAF Rtd (BSc Geography 1955, DipEd 1956)
Ian Forster is a former member of staff of Newcastle University. He gained a BA in Geography in 1955, and a Diploma in Education in 1956, before joining the Royal Air Force, where he served for 33 years.
On retiring from the RAF, he was appointed as Director of the University’s Careers Advisory Service in 1987, and as Director of the Centre for Continuing Education in 1989. In the RAF, he held a wide variety of roles, including Deputy Director of Personnel, Inspector of Recruiting, Co-ordinator of the Armed Services Youth Training Scheme (RAF), and Director of Training (Support and Education).
A keen sportsman as a student he represented English Universities in middle distance and cross country running. Later he took up hockey, and was Chairman of RAF Hockey from 1977-1987. He was also President of England Hockey between 2003 - 2005.
He maintains close links with the University, as Chair of the Alumni Consultative Group (ACG), Chairman of the North of England Alumni Branch and Secretary of the Northumbrian Universities Military Education Committee. Ian was awarded an O.B.E. in 1976 and added to his collection of prestigious titles when he received Honorary Fellowship for his outstanding contribution to the university in 2009.
