Mike Roberts, who has died aged 46, was the man largely responsible for the UEA's successful student recruitment work in America.

Mike Roberts, who has died aged 46, was the man largely responsible for the UEA's successful student recruitment work in America.

Fresh from graduating from UEA with a first-class degree, Mr Roberts was appointed in 1986 - the first person to work in admissions and recruit-ment specifically for the US.

Initially employed jointly by UEA and Beaver College for Education Abroad, Mr Roberts travelled the States promoting the university to a wide audience of American students.

He moved to the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University in 1988 but was still jointly employed by UEA performing a similar role.

In 1994 he returned to Norwich at the international office at UEA, which had been developed during his years spent in America.

Despite his Norfolk base, he still spent an enormous amount of time in America promoting UEA, which resulted in a large increase in students in a 20-year period.

The numbers of fee-paying study-abroad students grew from about 100 in the early 1990s to nearly 200 this year.

From America, Mr Roberts concentrated his efforts on Canada and more recently Australia and New Zealand, further increasing and developing the number of exchange partners. This programme has enabled hundreds of students the opportunity to study at UEA and also the reverse.

Mr Roberts, known as an enthusiastic, thoughtful, caring and courteous man, was on holiday in Greece when he was taken ill and died after a short period in the cardiac unit at the Onassis Hospital in Athens.

The funeral is likely to take place in Newport, in his home country of Wales, at the end of this week. Friends who wish to attend should contact Mark Barlow on 01603 592654 for information.