Video by: Olivia Centeno, UWC Mostar, Class of 2024 from Spain
Born and raised in London, David Sutcliffe was modern languages graduate of St. John’s College, Cambridge. He taught for four years at Salem School in South Germany where he met Kurt Hahn.
A member of the founding staff of the Atlantic College in 1962, he became successively Director of Studies/Deputy Headmaster (1967-1969) and Headmaster (1969-1982).
In 1982 he moved to Italy to be the Founder Headmaster (Rettore) of the United World College of the Adriatic.
From 1985-1989 he was also the Vice-President of the International Baccalaureate Council of Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the IB Executive Committee and from 1994-1999 Executive Director of the United World Colleges International.
On retirement from the Adriatic College in 2001 he became co-founder of the United World Colleges - International Baccalaureate Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which set up the United World College in Mostar (UWC Mostar). He has been a Chairman of the Foundation Education in Action 2010-2018.
Granta Editions has published his account of the rescue boat that was developed at Atlantic College in the 1960s (The RIB: The Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Lifeboat and Its Place of Birth - the Atlantic College), and is now used worldwide.
In 2001 he was awarded the Silver Order “Naim Frasheri” by the President of Albania and appointed “Grand’Ufficale Dell’Ordine al Merito della Republica Italiana” by the President of Italy. He was the official biographer of Kurt Hanh, the Founder of UWC movement.
One of the scholarships of the UWC Mostar Endowment funding scholars in perpetuity carries the name of “David and Elisabeth Sutcliffe”.
- September 2006 – January 2011 - member of the Executive Committee of the Finnish Association Education from Conflict to Internationalism which governed the UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- September 2006 - January 2011 - member of Board of Directors of the Finnish Association Education from Conflict to Internationalism.
- November 2010 - March 2016- Chair of the Governing Board of the Foundation Education in Action which governs the work of UWC in Mostar.
How to Order the Book ‘David Sutcliffe: Pioneer of International Education. His Life, His Words and His Legacy’
The book ‘David Sutcliffe: Pioneer of International Education. His Life, His Words and His Legacy’ has been compiled and edited by Andrew Maclehose, Colin Reid, Henry Thomas and Pilvi Torsti. It has been sponsored and published by UWC Mostar endowment ‘Bridge to the Future’. For more information on the endowment, please go to www.mostarendowment.com.
If you are interested in receiving one copy, please contact Irma Husic Pandur
Video by: Olivia Centeno, UWC Mostar, Class of 2024 from Spain