Patrick Nuttgens, the first director of Leeds Polytechnic and a Times Higher columnist for much of the 1980s, died this week aged 74 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. An architect and conservationist, Dr Nuttgens was the first academic appointed to York University and became a key influence in its development. He moved to Leeds when the polytechnic, now Leeds Metropolitan University, was created in 1969 and stayed until his retirement due to ill health in 1986. His funeral will take place next Wednesday.