John Charles Cater CBE DL (born 3 February 1953) is the Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University. Appointed in 1993, he is the longest-serving head of a United Kingdom higher education institution and is the Chair of the Universities UK Teacher Education Advisory Group. Cater was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to Higher Education and Teacher Training.