2
2
Cambridge trailblazers
2.1 Cambridge spotlight Professor Graham Virgo
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2.2 College profiles Christ’s College
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Churchill College
048
Clare College
050
Clare Hall
052
Corpus Christi College
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Darwin College
056
Downing College
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Emmanuel College
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Fitzwilliam College
062
Girton College
064
Gonville and Caius College
066
Homerton College
068
Hughes Hall
070
Jesus College
072
King’s College
074
Lucy Cavendish College
076
Magdelene College
078
Murray Edwards College
080
Newnham College
082
Pembroke College
084
Peterhouse
086
Queens’ College
088
Robinson College
090
Selwyn College
092
Sidney Sussex College
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St Catharine’s College
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St Edmund’s College
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St John’s College
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Trinity College
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Trinity Hall
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Wolfson College
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the individual approach to learning that’s just the job Professor Graham virgo Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education, University of Cambridge
“Young people shouldn’t jump to decisions,”
that’s because we are competitive, so we get
says Professor Graham Virgo, Cambridge
excellent students coming in with a great deal
University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education.
of potential. We then focus on ensuring the
Rather, he says, it’s important to take time at
educational provision is the best we can possibly
university to explore a range of career options.
produce. Employers respect that and place high
“Employability” has become a buzzword
regard on what we do.”
in recent years, as universities—from former
In fact, the national Destination of Leavers
polytechnics to venerable redbricks—vie to
from Higher Education survey indicates that, six
convince students of the value of a degree.
months after graduating, 97 per cent of Cambridge
The double whammy of recession in 2009
graduates were engaged, with 58 per cent in
and massively increased tuition fees from
employment, 34 per cent in further study and
2010 onwards prompted young people to
5 per cent taking a year out. This marks a 3 per
question the currency of higher education in
cent graduate unemployment rate, compared
the job market. Institutions have been working
to a 7.3 percent national average.
closely with employers ever since to ensure
Furthermore, according to the QS World
that they’re producing work-ready graduates.
University Rankings 2013/14, Cambridge has
Part of Graham’s role is to maximise students’
the second best reputation with employers in
chances of employment—and he says that it’s
the world.
the university experience, as much as the letters after their name, that makes them desirable
JOLLY GOOD FELLOWs
candidates. “Enjoy Cambridge for Cambridge,” he
University support services further bolster
says, “and take advantage of all the opportunities
academic excellence. “Providing support is
it provides, having an open mind throughout.”
crucial,” says Graham. “We try to ensure there’s as much information out there as possible.”
042
Broad horizons
The collegiate system also helps. “Every student
This is sound advice even when studying a
is linked to a college with particular Fellows
course that seems to have a logical destination.
who look after them,” he says. “They have one-
“Medical students don’t have to be doctors,”
on-one conversations where advice can be given.
says Graham, “and law students don’t have
I think, here at Cambridge, we’re very good at
to be lawyers.” This is especially true at
getting to know our students and helping them
Cambridge, he says, where such programmes
work out what they want to consider as a future
have an academic rather than a vocational focus.
career.” Another aspect is in-built flexibility.
“What I really hope we do at Cambridge is help
“One of the advantages of Cambridge,” adds
people see all sorts of different things on the
Graham, “is that you can change course once
horizon they may never have thought of before.”
you’re here.”
First and foremost in this is a quality
Added to this, the Careers Service has very
education. “We have very good statistics for
close contacts with employers, including its
students getting into jobs,” he says, “and I think
network of over 1,200 alumni. “A lot of firms
CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
CHAPTER 2.1 | CAMBRIDGE SPOTLIGHT
043
“What I really hope we do at Cambridge is help people see all sorts of different things on the horizon they may never have thought of before”
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
However, universities must also maximise employability for students on non-vocational programmes—and, across all faculties, Cambridge offers more than 1,500 internships and holiday work placements to students annually. Then there are the extracurricular opportunities. “If someone who’s reading English wants to go into the film industry or theatre, there are all sorts of opportunities,” says Graham. “By engaging with extracurricular activities, students can get real hands-on experience—and will come into contact with people who may give them career insights. Professional actors who have been at Cambridge might come in to give advice and support, so it’s not always done through the course.” Involvement in some of Cambridge University’s 780 student clubs and societies can thereby help come to Cambridge, and the Careers Service
students develop not only career-related skills and
puts students in touch with them and provides
contacts, but also important “transferable skills”,
advice,” says Graham. “Students can also have
such as team-working, entrepreneurship and
a very detailed interview with a careers adviser,
commercial awareness.
looking at CVs, helping with writing applications, but also discussing the really big things, like
Rounded development
what jobs may be available to them both
A university experience, says Graham, is about
outside academia and within.”
developing the whole person. “I want to make sure
There are also the vacancy lists, which
that the students who graduate from Cambridge
advertise more than 7,000 graduate-level
are well equipped for their future lives. That means
opportunities and internships every year.
picking up skills that are relevant for future jobs,
Over 21,000 Cambridge students and alumni
but also developing themselves as people.
use this free Careers Service on an annual basis,
“Personally, studying at Cambridge gave me
including 90 per cent of final-year students.
confidence,” he concludes. “For all new students, it’s a pretty pressurised experience. But, when
LEARNING TO WORK
you are meeting new people, engaging with your
Some courses get involved too, with employability
fellow students and academics, you realise your
woven in. “For example, engineering programmes
potential and you start achieving it. That helps
have very close research links with engineering
you be ambitious and take risks. And that, coupled
industries, and very strong encouragement to
with being very well taught and keeping your
get work experience,” says Graham. “That’s also
options open, is an incredibly important thing
true of quite a few of the science areas.”
to take to the world of work.”
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Charles darwin’s former college remains a natural selection to this day Christ’s College Founded 1505 | www.christs.cam.ac.uk
Charles Darwin, the man who developed the theory of evolution, now has one of the university’s postgraduate colleges named after him, but attended Christ’s College before boarding HMS Beagle for the five-year scientific journey around the globe that ultimately led to his theories about natural history. By providing strong tutorial support for today’s students, Christ’s aims to ensure that its alumni will also be able to leave their mark upon the world. Situated in the heart of the city, it was first established as God’s House in 1437, and received its founding charter 11 years later. However, it was refounded as Christ’s College in 1505 after being extended by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, who has since been honoured as the college’s founder. Charles Darwin’s achievements are regularly commemorated at Christ’s, which still boasts many of its oldest buildings from the 15th century. There is even a life-sized bronze sculpture of the natural historian in the college’s Darwin Garden. This statue was created by sculptor and fellow Christ’s alumnus Anthony Smith who, incidentally, studied Natural Sciences at degree level. Having graduated in 2002, Anthony actually re-sailed Darwin’s HMS Beagle voyage for a documentary in 2009/10, and in January 2013 he was in the news again when he was commissioned to design a new £2 coin for the Royal Mint.
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Leading lights Sacha Baron Cohen History, BA, 1990–93 A former Footlights member, Baron Cohen is now a comedian, Golden Globe-winning actor and Oscarnominated writer. Charles Darwin BA, 1828–31 The natural historian and author of On the Origin of Species was encouraged to pursue his passion during his time at Cambridge. John Milton BA, 1625–28 “A poet second only to Shakespeare”, the writer of Paradise Lost was also the official propagandist for Oliver Cromwell’s regime. Robert Oppenheimer Physics, 1925 The “father of the atomic bomb” only completed two terms but made significant strides in theoretical physics.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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leading by example— A National treasure inspired by its towering namesake Churchill College Founded 1960 | www.chu.cam.ac.uk
One of Cambridge’s relative newcomers, Churchill College was founded in 1960 as a permanent memorial to former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He’d been hugely impressed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) while visiting the USA and wanted to create a similar institution in Britain. However, this grand plan soon morphed into the rather more modest proposal of setting up a new Cambridge college that specialised in science, technology and engineering. To this day, the college still has a strong emphasis on this area, but it is also home to many arts and humanities students. Churchill has an enviable academic record in both of these spheres, with 29 Nobel Prize winners among its Fellowship. Awards aside, Churchill is also well known for being one of the university’s most progressive colleges—a reputation it first gained in 1972, when it took the groundbreaking step of becoming the first all-male Cambridge college to decide to accept female students. Churchill students and
Register. This means that the collection will now
staff—along with other Cambridge colleges—
appear on the UK National Register, highlighting
still commemorate this landmark each year.
its particular importance to Britain’s heritage.
Churchill is one of the university’s largest
Churchill College’s archive was one of 11 notable
colleges—students can, if they so wish, complete
British collections to be added to the UNESCO
a two-mile run without ever leaving the grounds
register in 2013 alongside the likes of Hitchcock’s
—and boasts impressive facilities and striking
silent movies and the Domesday Book.
modernist architecture. The site has all the usual
In 2013, it was also announced that the
amenities, plus a theatre, music suite, gym, tennis
college’s Møller Centre, which already provides
courts and the Churchill Archives Centre, which
first-class residential and conference facilities, is
is home to the papers of Sir Winston Churchill
to receive £6 million of investment. The money will
and Baroness Thatcher. The centre contains more
be used to extend the main building and create 21
than a million items—including originals of
new bedrooms along with space for state-of-the-
Churchill’s best-known speeches—and celebrated
art meeting and conference rooms. The building
its 40th anniversary in July 2013, when it was
project began in December 2013, and the new
also included on UNESCO’s Memory of the World
facilities are set to open in the spring of 2015.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Michael Green Natural Science, BA, 1964–66 One of the pioneers of String Theory, physicist Green succeeded Stephen Hawking as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 2009. Andrew Sinclair English, 1961–63 Writer, director and one of Churchill’s founding members. Directed the film version of Under Milk Wood starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Geoff Travis Philosophy, BA, 1974–76 The founder of Rough Trade Records opened the original Rough Trade store in Notting Hill in 1976 and set up the record label two years later. Roger Tsien Medicine, PhD, 1972–77 The Nobel Prize-winning biochemist was awarded the prize in 2008 for his discovery, with two other chemists, of the green fluorescent protein (GFP).
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Steering the history of Folk into the digital age and navigating the Amazon Clare College Founded 1326 | www.clare.cam.ac.uk
The second-oldest college in Cambridge, Clare
to help him repair the boat that carried him and
College has the distinction of being one of only
Dr de Rond down the Amazon. In return for their
three colleges with grounds that span the River
help, Anton will teach them how to row and lead
Cam. This geographical reach is to some degree
them in an attempt to row the entire navigable
reflective of the college’s scope and influence
length of the Thames.
in the wider world.
The college strengthened its commitment
Over the past few years, Clare College Archive
to women’s health by welcoming Dr Jason Carroll
has been involved in a collaborative project with
—a specialist in breast cancer research—to the
the British Library and University College London,
Fellowship recently. The Principal Investigator
as well as libraries and collections in Glasgow
at the Carroll lab at the Cancer Research UK
and Wiltshire. The project, called The Full English,
Cambridge Institute, Dr Carroll won the American
is the world’s largest digital archive of English
Association for Cancer Research’s Outstanding
folk dance and song. To celebrate its launch,
Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research
an 11-date Full English national tour took place
award in 2013. He and his team investigate
in autumn 2013, featuring performances and
the role played by the Estrogen Receptor (ER)
interpretations of traditional songs and dance
in breast cancer development and treatment.
found in the archive. Other events on the Full English calendar included a Folk Song in England Study Day, which was held at Clare College’s Gillespie Centre in November 2013. The modern English folk song It’s a Long Way from Clare to Here may well have received an impromptu airing in the Amazonian rainforest in autumn 2013, as that October, Clare College boatman Anton Wright and his teammate Dr Mark de Rond of the Judge Business School became the first people in history to row the entire length of the Amazon. Beginning their journey in Peru in September, over the course of the following 31 days the pair rowed more than 2,000 miles in aid of the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity. In the wake of his success, Anton has launched an outreach project designed to introduce local youngsters to rowing. He is aiming to recruit youngsters who have struggled at school or, for whatever reason, have had limited opportunities,
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading Lights Sir David Attenborough
Allison Pearson
Natural Sciences, 1945–47
English, BA, 1978–81
Pioneering broadcaster, author and naturalist. Author and newspaper columnist. Pearson’s In 2002, Attenborough was voted among
2002 novel I Don’t Know How She Does It went
the 100 greatest Britons of all time.
on to be made into a Hollywood movie in 2011.
Charles Cornwallis,
Siegfried Sassoon
1st Marquess Cornwallis
Law, 1905
c.1755
The poet, writer and soldier attended for
A leading British General in the American
a single term. Famed for the poetry he
War of Independence who played a key role
wrote from the frontline during the First
in bringing the conflict to an end.
World War.
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Arts engagements, fine Fellows and a new global leadership initiative Clare Hall Founded 1966 | www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Clare Hall is known for its commitment to the arts, and in October 2013 the college
Leading lights
launched a new series of literary talks for the
Kim Dae-jung
academic year. The two events each term are
Visiting Fellow, 1993
intended to introduce the audience to the very
President of South Korea from
best in contemporary British writing. Also in
1998 to 2003. He won the Nobel
the arts, Intimate Engagements at Clare Hall
Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts
returned for another year of informal and
to engage with North Korea.
illuminating performances by gifted musicians. One highlight of the 2013/14 series was a
Phyllis Starkey
performance by top British soprano Emma Kirkby
Physiology, PhD, 1972–75
and Swedish lutenist Jakob Lindberg in which
As a female Labour entrant to
they presented their interpretations of the works
Parliament after the 1997 general
of the 17th-century English composers John
election, Starkey was part of the
Dowland and Henry Purcell.
intake dubbed the “Blair Babes”.
As a graduate college, Clare Hall’s primary focus is on advanced study and, across a range
Ivar Giaever
of disciplines, its fellows and students strive
Visiting Fellow, 1969–70
to produce world-class research. In May 2013,
A physicist who shared the Nobel
college Fellow Professor Maria Grazia Spillantini
Prize for Physics in 1973 and has
was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
since become notable for his
Working in the field of neurodegenerative disease,
sceptical stance on global warming.
her groundbreaking research has transformed our Now in its 50th year, Clare Hall occupies a
understanding of such challenging conditions as
Budiman Sudjatmiko
site to the west of the city where many of the
Parkinson’s and dementia. Another college Fellow,
International Relations, MPhil,
university’s newer colleges are located. As both
Dr Barbara Sahakian, was elected President of the
2003–05
a young institution and a mature graduate
International Neuroethics Society. A Professor of
Indonesian activist and politician.
community, the college combines energy and
Clinical Neuropsychology at the Department of
In 1996, he founded the People’s
wisdom to create a proactive environment in
Psychiatry, she is also a co-inventor of the CANTAB
Democratic Party and led street
which big ideas can emerge and take shape.
computerised neuropsychological tests.
demonstrations in Jakarta.
The college welcomed a new president in
Clare Hall announced the launch of its
2013 in the form of Regius Professor of Civil Law,
Global Leaders Scholarship programme in 2014,
David Ibbetson. Professor Ibbetson came to Clare
which aims to increase the number of fully-
Hall by way of Corpus Christi where he was the
funded international master’s students at the
Warden of the graduate community, Leckhampton,
college. Beginning with confirmed scholarship
for several years. He took up his new post at Clare
opportunities in South Africa, Malawi, Zambia,
Hall in August 2013, keen to advance the college’s
Zimbabwe, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Iraq and
position at the forefront of the university’s rapidly
Macau, it will welcome its first community of
growing graduate community.
Global Leaders scholars in autumn 2015.
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An age-old setting, the modern environment and a stellar cast Corpus Christi College Founded 1352 | www.corpus.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights
Corpus Christi College is one of the 16 ancient
Simon Heffer
It was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus
English, BA, 1979–82; Modern
Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and bears
History, PhD, 2009
the distinction of being the only Oxbridge college
Prominent British journalist,
founded by its townspeople. Situated in the heart
columnist and author who has
of Cambridge, between the 11th-century tower
worked for the Daily Mail and
of St Bene’t’s Church—the city’s oldest structure
The Daily Telegraph.
—and the laboratory where DNA was discovered,
colleges within the University of Cambridge.
the college has offered world-class teaching Christopher Isherwood
and research for more than 660 years.
History, 1924–25
In September 2013, Corpus Christi engineering
British novelist best known for
student Andrew Zhao and his Cambridge teammates
his 1939 semi-autobiographical
entered Resolution, an aerodynamic solar car they’d
work Goodbye to Berlin, which was
designed and built, in the Bridgestone World Solar
adapted into the musical Cabaret.
Challenge. This biennial 3,000 km race across the Australian outback sees the most advanced,
Kevin McCloud
energy-efficient electric vehicles on the planet battle
Philosophy and History of Art,
it out for first place, and the Cambridge team had
1978–81
the honour of being Britain’s only entrant that year.
British designer, writer and television
Sadly, they were forced to withdraw from the race
presenter best known for his work on
just days before it began due to safety concerns.
the television series Grand Designs,
The team went on to successfully drive across the
which he has presented since 1999.
continent in Resolution nonetheless, and is in good shape in its preparations for the 2015 competition.
Christopher Marlowe
In other environmental-related news, Corpus
Divinity, BA, 1580–84; MA, 1587
Christi students have embraced the NUS’s energy
Elizabethan dramatist and poet.
and climate-change awareness initiative Student
A contemporary of William
Switch Off. The project was launched in 2012, and
Shakespeare, his works include
out of the 23 Cambridge colleges that took part in
Doctor Faustus and The Jew of Malta.
2012/13, Corpus finished a respectable fourth, and is aiming to top the table by the end of 2014/15. It’s not only science and the environment that are high on the agenda at the college, however. It is also renowned for its theatrical talent—from Christopher Marlowe to Hugh Bonneville—and
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
its famous Corpus Playroom is host to some of Cambridge’s best comedy and drama. Firmly established as the city’s most important alternative venue, the Playroom has been extensively refurbished over recent years. It is now managed by the university-wide ADC theatre, but the artistic direction remains firmly in the hands of the Fletcher Players, Corpus’s drama society (so-named after John Fletcher, the Jacobean playwright and college alumnus). The Corpus Playroom is committed to showcasing new writing, acting and directing talent, and this intimate space has played a key role in launching the careers of the likes of Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Sam Mendes, among others.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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Celebrating a half century and the broadening of educational horizons Darwin College Founded 1964 | www.dar.cam.ac.uk
As the first college in Cambridge established exclusively for graduate students, Darwin was created as a centre for the advancement of education, learning and research among graduate and research students. Established through the combined efforts of Gonville and Caius, St John’s and Trinity College, Darwin celebrates its 50th anniversary in the 2014/15 academic year. Demonstrating the strength of the college’s international profile and its ever-expanding global alumni network, anniversary events have taken place around the world, including in Africa, the USA, Australia and the UK. A blue plaque dedicated to the memory of educational pioneer Henry Morris was unveiled at Darwin in October 2013. Morris served as Cambridgeshire’s Chief Education Officer from 1922 to 1954. He took up his post at a time when the county was the poorest in England and had no separate secondary schools outside the city. By the time he retired, he had established the county’s successful village college system. A commitment to educating the wider community is by no means a thing of the past at Darwin. In the second term of every academic year since 1986, the college has organised a popular public lecture series based around a single theme. In 2015, the series will focus on the theme of Development, with speakers such as Olympian Dr Katherine Grainger, Professor Dame Julia Slingo from the Met Office and Professor Sir John Gurdon of the university’s Gurdon Institute. Darwin fellows met with considerable acclaim over the past year. Professor Karalyn Patterson and Professor Vladimir Markovic were elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Professor Carol Brayne was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in May, and that same month Dr Emily Shuckburgh was presented with the Rosenthal Award in Miama—a prize that recognises scientists for their contribution to marine science. In addition, Professor Ron Laskey was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research Prize by Cancer Research UK.
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Leading Lights Elizabeth Blackburn
César Milstein
Natural Sciences, PhD, 1971–75
Biochemistry, PhD, 1958–61
Biological scientist who shared the Nobel
A biochemist who worked in the field of
Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for
antibody research, Milstein shared the Nobel
her work in molecular biology.
Prize in Physiology for Medicine in 1984.
Dian Fossey
Sir Ian Wilmut
Zoology, PhD, 1970–74
Agriculture, PhD, 1967–72
American zoologist who studied gorillas
The leader of the research group that
in Rwanda for 18 years. Best known for
first cloned a mammal—Dolly the sheep
her 1983 book Gorillas in the Mist.
—from an adult somatic cell.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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New facilities, a new face and new green credentials Downing College Founded 1800 | www.dow.cam.ac.uk
Downing boasts beautiful classical buildings set in spacious grounds. It was founded through a donation left by Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, whose grandfather Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet, built the houses on the street where the Prime Minister resides. Although the college’s benefactor died in 1749, the college wasn’t actually built until 1800 due to legal challenges against his will. Its architectural development continues to this day, and in October 2013 it celebrated the end of a major refurbishment project when the student accommodation in Lensfield Road was completed. Earlier that month, Downing also welcomed its latest Master, Professor of Mathematical Statistics Geoffrey Grimmett, while the outgoing one, Professor Barry Everitt, became Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust, one of the world’s most prestigious scholarship programmes. Established through a $210 million donation (the largest ever made to a UK university) from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the trust supports 90 outstanding international postgraduate students each year. Bill Gates welcomed Professor Everitt’s appointment, saying: “This high-profile appointment reinforces our confidence in the future of this prestigious international scholarship programme and its capacity to nurture future leaders who will improve the lives of others.” Among Downing’s teaching staff, Professor Graham Virgo made the news in January 2013, when he was nominated for Oxford University Press’s 2013 OUP Law Teacher of the Year award. In the same month, the illustrator Quentin Blake was knighted. The Downing alumnus and former President of the Downing College Alumni Association is still strongly connected with the college in his capacity as an Honorary Fellow and as the Patron of its arts and humanities network, the Blake Society. Ever aware of its environmental responsibility, Downing was honoured with a Gold Award for its outstanding performance as a Green Tourism site in August 2014. The college was assessed by the Green Tourism Business Scheme, and was particularly praised for a number of areas of excellence including its use of a ground source heat pump with heat recovery, toilets fed by rainwater, provision of electric vehicle charge points on site and its local, organic, vegetarian and Fair Trade catering options.
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Leading lights Sir Quentin Blake English, BA, 1953–56; MA, 1960 The cartoonist, illustrator and children’s writer illustrated many of Roald Dahl’s books and was the inaugural Children’s Laureate. John Cleese Law, BA, 1960–63; MA, 1968 Having worked as a teacher before attending Cambridge University, Cleese found global fame as an actor, writer and Python. Thandie Newton Archaeology and Anthropology, BA, 1992–95 A successful screen actor who starred in the film Mission: Impossible II and won a Bafta for her role in Crash. Sir Trevor Nunn English; BA, 1959–62 The world-renowned theatre director is the former artistic director of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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The starting point for success stories old and new Emmanuel College Founded 1584 | www.emma.cam.ac.uk
Emmanuel College is situated in the heart of Cambridge, from where its influence extends far and wide. It is particularly well known for its remarkable contribution to colonial North American history, and counts John Harvard, after whom Harvard University is named, among its alumni. As a pioneering institution, Emmanuel has produced a number of world-class thinkers since its foundation in 1584, and this legacy continues unabated. In June 2013, a Fellow of the college, Professor Keith Richards, was awarded the Founder’s Medal by the Royal Geographical Society. This medal is awarded annually for excellence in geographical research and fieldwork, teaching and public engagement. One of the college’s many outstanding graduate students also made the news that same year. John Gallagher—currently a PhD student at Emmanuel, whose work focuses on foreign languages in 16th- and 17th-century England—was chosen by BBC Radio 3 as one of its New Generation Thinkers. Gallagher was one of only 10 young academics to be selected for
060
the scheme, which aims to find the academic
No doubt inspired by the Tour de France
broadcasters of the future.
peloton passing by the college earlier in the year,
The honours kept coming, and in September
a team of six Emmanuel students completed a
2014, Fellow Dr Lara Moretti was elected Secretary
cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in
of the European Association of Japanese
September 2014, raising funds for charities Mind
Studies—the largest association of its kind in the
and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
world, which delivers a triennial conference and
And another band of the college’s students
annual workshops for PhD students, and awards
—members of its chapel choir—made a similarly
scholarships for graduate studies. In addition,
notable, if somewhat shorter, journey; to the Royal
Emmanuel’s Professor David Maxwell was named
Albert Hall. There they performed Britten’s War
President of the African Studies Association of
Requiem alongside the BBC Proms Youth Choir
the UK the following month.
and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Sebastian Faulks
Maggie O’Farrell
English, BA, 1971–74
English, BA, 1990–93
Writer and broadcaster whose novels include Award-winning author of contemporary Birdsong, Human Traces and Devil May Care
fiction. Her novels include After You’d Gone
—a James Bond continuation novel.
and The Hand That First Held Mine.
John Harvard
Griff Rhys Jones
BA, 1627–32; MA, 1635
History and English, BA, 1972–76
Emigrated to America in 1637. His bequest
Comedian, writer and television presenter.
to a new college was so appreciated that it
Best known for Not the Nine O’Clock News
was named Harvard University.
and his comedy partnership with Mel Smith.
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061
Widening student access and engineering major global breakthroughs Fitzwilliam College Founded 1869 | www.fitz.cam.ac.uk
Fitzwilliam College is a relatively new addition to Cambridge, though its origins date back to 1869 as a non-collegiate institution with the aim of providing education to students with the ability but not the financial means to attend the university. Though it continues to honour its original ideals, it is now fully integrated into the university’s collegiate system. An example of this is its commitment to widening participation by collaborating with Kent Academies Network and the Sutton Trust to develop a new scheme to help young people from non-selective schools successfully apply to top-ranking UK universities. Students in Year 9 are selected from participating academies, based on their academic potential.
each year (primarily in developing countries)
Those who win a place are then supported and
and their containment has been hampered by
mentored by teachers from Kent Schools and
logistical problems associated with the need to
students from Fitzwilliam for the rest of their
treat them intravenously. This orally administered
school career.
vaccine, however, has the potential to make the
One of the college’s many strengths is in
management and control of these two diseases
the field of engineering, a discipline in which
far more effective.
its fellows, students and alumni frequently
In addition, Fitzwilliam alumnus Dr Andy
distinguish themselves. In 2013, for instance,
Harter and his team were awarded the 2013
Professor Nigel Slater—a Fellow of the college,
Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award
Head of Chemical Engineering and Head of the
for innovation. Through his Cambridge-based
university’s BioScience Engineering Group—made
company, RealVNC Ltd, Dr Harter developed
an important medical breakthrough. Working in
Virtual Network Computing, a technology
partnership with a biotechnology company called
that makes it possible to access computers,
Prokarium, he and his team developed an orally
smartphones and other devices remotely from
administered live-bacteria vaccine against typhoid
around the world. VNC has had an enormous
and enterotoxigenic E. coli. Between them, these
global impact and is estimated to be used in
diseases cause more than half a million deaths
more than a billion devices.
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Leading lights DR Vince Cable Economics, BA, 1962–65 Former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats and current Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. Nick Drake English, BA, 1967–69 Having received little recognition during his lifetime, singer-songwriter Drake has won considerable posthumous acclaim. Arran Fernandez Mathematics Tripos, 2010– At the age of 15, Fernandez became the youngest Cambridge entrant since 1773, and later its youngest ever Senior Wrangler. David Starkey History, BA, 1964–67 Historian, author and broadcaster. As famous for his outspoken television appearances as his numerous books on Tudor history.
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Levelling the playing field for women in higher education girton College Founded 1869 | www.girton.cam.ac.uk
As the UK’s first residential college for women
the prestigious Whitfield Prize from the Royal
offering a degree-level education, Girton College
Historical Society in July 2013. Other Girtonians
has a proud history of being a leader with regard
who gained recognition during the year include
to equality and inclusion. Founded in 1869
alumna Patricia Cumper, who was awarded an
by suffragist Emily Davies, feminist and artist
MBE for services to Black British Theatre, and
Barbara Bodichon, and campaigner for the
Professor Dame Ann Dowling—the first female
education of women Lady Stanley, Girton was
professor in Cambridge’s Engineering Department
also the first Cambridge women’s college to
—whom BBC Radio 4 named among the 100 most
become mixed, welcoming its first male fellows
powerful women in the UK.
in 1977, followed by male graduate students
However, by a hair’s breadth, the most
a year later and undergraduates in 1979.
recent groundbreaking development at Girton
Not long before that, in 1975, Sarah
was arguably Fellow Dr Colm Durkan’s discovery
Springman joined Girton to read Engineering.
about the quality of shampoos. His company
A tremendously talented sportswoman, she
CambridgeNano used the advanced Atomic Force
was awarded Blues (given for competing at the
Microscope he had developed to study a wide
highest level of university sport) in six different
range of the products, imaging features on hair
sports and went on to represent Great Britain
with a resolution of below a billionth of a metre,
in the triathlon for 10 years, starting in 1983.
and made the news because it proved that the
Thirty years later—by which time she was
most expensive shampoos are not necessarily
Professor Sarah Springman CBE and a Fellow
the best.
of the Royal Academy of Engineering—she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sunday Times & Sky Sports Sportswomen of the Year Awards in December 2013. A month earlier, current Girton MPhil graduate student Lottie Birdsall-Strong also made her mark in the world of sport when she gave evidence to the Government Select Committee inquiry into Women and Sport. Continuing Girton’s distinguished tradition of breaking new ground for women, the former member of Arsenal’s junior elite squad spoke to the committee in her role as an advocate for equality in sport, which is linked to her work on her MPhil in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. Gender studies was also the theme of Girton historian Dr Ben Griffin’s book The Politics of Gender in Victorian Britain, for which he received
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Leading lights Elsie Bowerman
Arianna Huffington
Modern and Medieval Languages,
Economics, BA, 1969–72
BA, 1908–11; MA, 1927
Writer and co-founder of the Pulitzer
Lawyer, suffragette and Titanic survivor,
Prize-winning website The Huffington
Bowerman was also the first female
Post, she is also a former President of
barrister at the Old Bailey.
the Union Society.
Dame Rosalyn Higgins
Sandi Toksvig
Law, BA, 1955–59; MA, 1962
Archaeology and Anthropology, BA;
The former President of the International
MA, 1984
Court of Justice, Dame Higgins also
The broadcaster and comedian returned
advised the British Government in the
to academia in 2012, when she became
Iraq Inquiry.
Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.
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The home of Nobel Laureates and leading archaeologists alike Gonville and Caius College Founded 1557 | www.cai.cam.ac.uk
Leading Lights Harold Abrahams Law, BA, 1919–32 Olympic athlete who won the gold medal for the 100 m in 1924 and is immortalised in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Alastair Campbell Modern and Medieval Languages, BA, 1975–79 A journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known as Tony Blair’s former Director of Communications and Strategy. Jimmy Carr Social and Political Sciences, BA, 1992–95 Comedian and television presenter whose stand-up tours have been seen by more than 1.5 million people. Sir Howard Florey Biology, PhD, 1927 Co-discoverer of penicillin who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Ernst Boris Chain and Alexander Fleming.
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The relationship between Caius and the world beyond its gates expanded in an unexpected way during the course of the 2013/14 academic year. In August, British television viewers were given a glimpse of life behind the college walls when Caius featured in the 2013 series of the BBC’s enormously popular cookery programme Celebrity Masterchef. The show’s prominent semi-finalists were challenged to cook a three-course dinner in the college kitchens for 150 fellows, students and parents. Moving from the small screen to the ancient arena, among the college’s many achievements of late was the groundbreaking archaeological work of Caius Fellow Dr Alessandro Launaro. Heading up Founded as Gonville Hall in 1348 by Edmund
a team of Cambridge archaeologists, Dr Launaro
Gonville and refounded—and renamed—by John
used geophysical analysis and imaging to unearth
Caius in 1557, Gonville and Caius College is now
a fascinating Roman ruin in the Italian countryside.
one of the largest and wealthiest in Cambridge.
Along with his fellow team leader Professor Martin
With the exception of its close neighbour Trinity
Millet of Cambridge University’s Faculty of Classics,
College, it also boasts more Nobel Laureates than
Dr Launaro and his team mapped a large ancient
any other Oxbridge college.
town near Rome, believed to have been abandoned
In April 2013, Caius unveiled a memorial
1,500 years ago. Among the discoveries made
to one of its 12 Nobel Prize winners: the co-
was a richly decorated theatre, the finding
discoverer of DNA, Francis Crick. Set into the
of which calls into question our previous
paving inside the Great Gate, the memorial was
understanding of the town’s economic and
officially opened by Dr James Watson, who is
cultural status.
credited with discovering DNA along with Crick
Dr Launaro was not the only Caius fellow
and Maurice Wilkins, and shared the 1962 Nobel
to make the news this year. In a remarkable
Prize with them. Remarkably, the memorial at
achievement, the college’s fellows won two of
Caius is the first such monument to Crick in
the three British Academy Medals awarded in
Cambridge, and its imagery captures both the
2013. Professor David Abulafia received a medal
helical structure of DNA and the structure of a
for his book The Great Sea: A Human History
chromosome, while at the same time suggesting
of the Mediterranean, while Honorary Fellow
the flow of information between the college
Dr Noel Malcolm FBA won a medal for his
and the wider world.
2012 edition of Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan.
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a former east ender that is Educating the educators Homerton College Founded 1730 | www.homerton.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights Olivia Colman 1994 Bafta-winning actress. Auditioned for Footlights in front of David Mitchell and Robert Webb, whom she went on to work with many times. Dame Leah Manning 1907 British educationalist, social reformer and Labour MP who organised the evacuation of Basque children during the Spanish Civil War. Jan Ravens BEd, 1976–80 Actress and impressionist, best known for her work on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers. The first female President of Footlights. Efua Sutherland Education, BA, 1947–50 A playwright, director, children’s author and poet, Sutherland was instrumental in establishing the study of African theatre at degree level.
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Homerton College moved to Cambridge from
gymnastics clubs, she has worked tirelessly
London’s East End in 1894 and almost immediately
throughout her career to safeguard children in
became women-only, having previously gone
the sport and has judged gymnastics at three
through various guises and locations in the
Olympics, 11 World Championships and 11
capital since its foundation in 1730. Men were not
European Championships.
allowed to join again until 1976, and Homerton
But Spriggs wasn’t the only Homertonian
has only offered Cambridge’s full range of subjects
to feature in the 2014 Queen’s New Year
since 2001, before gaining its Royal Charter as a
Honours list. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, an
self-governing college of the university in 2010.
Honorary Fellow of the college and one of Britain’s
Combining a mix of old and new architecture,
most important contemporary composers, was
Homerton is an attractive college, and a large
appointed a Member of the Order of Companions
one—with around 1,200 students, it has more
of Honour. This award is made to those who have
than any other Cambridge college. One of its
distinguished themselves in the arts, sciences,
alumni, retired head teacher Avril Spriggs,
medicine or government, and Sir Peter received
received an MBE in 2014 for sustained services
his award in recognition of his services to music.
to gymnastics. As well as being responsible
There are now more than 40 companions,
for founding one of Britain’s most successful
including fellow Cambridge alumni Stephen Hawking and Sir David Attenborough. In addition, a book on Caribbean poetry was launched at Homerton in October 2013. Entitled Teaching Caribbean Poetry, it was edited by Professors Beverley Bryan and Morag Styles, and features contributions by Homerton Fellows Georgie Horrell and David Whitley. The book is the outcome of the Caribbean Poetry Project, which has been running at the college since 2010. Guests at the launch included the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, who is both an Honorary Fellow and Patron of Homerton, and Sir Andrew Motion, Director of the Online Poetry Archive. Two months later, in December 2013, Dr Robin Bunce, Homerton’s Director of Studies for Politics, launched his book Darcus Howe: A Political Biography. Co-authored with Paul Field, the biography not only tells the story of Howe’s life, but also that of the British Black Power movement.
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New leadership and bridging the worlds of research and industry Hughes Hall FOUNDED 1885 | www.HUGHES.CAM.AC.UK
Leading LIGHTS
Hughes Hall started life as an informal institution
Andrew Murrison
evolving into the Cambridge Training College in
Health, DIPPUHL, 1994–96
1885. Having existed in a number of guises over
A doctor and Conservative Party
the years, it was formally incorporated into the
politician. At the 2010 general
University of Cambridge in 1949, a year after the
election Murrison won the newly
university first granted degrees to women students.
created seat of South West Wiltshire.
The college’s founder, Elizabeth Phillips Hughes,
dedicated to educating women graduates before
was an advocate of co-education, and the presentAndy Ripley
day Hughes Hall is the realisation of her dream,
Management Studies, MPhil,
boasting as it does a mix of female and male
1997–98
graduate and mature undergraduate students.
Rugby union international who
The college has experienced considerable
represented England from 1972
changes in its lifetime, not least in September 2014
to 1976 and the Lions on their
when, after eight years at the helm, Sarah Squire
unbeaten 1974 tour of South Africa.
retired from her role as President. Her successor was Hughes Hall City Fellow Dr Anthony Freeling,
Roxana Saberi
a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company
International Relations, MPhil,
and Chair of the Development Committee for the
1999–2000
Open University. Elected in December 2013, Freeling
US journalist who gained much
assumed office on 1 October 2014. One of several
attention after being imprisoned in
strengths that he hopes to build upon during his
Iran as a suspected spy and writing
presidency is the college’s “research and teaching
a book about the experience.
oriented towards the professional world”. One such researcher is PhD student Christos
Netta Syrett
Tsirogiannis, who received the 2013 award for Art
1885–86
Protection and Security from the Association for
Victorian novelist and playwright.
Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA). The award
It is reputed that Syrett completed
recognised his extraordinary success while working
her three years of coursework in a
as a forensic archaeologist at the Greek Ministry
single year.
of Culture, the Greek Ministry of Justice and the Greek Police Art Squad. His work has resulted in the withdrawal from auction and return to their rightful owners of valuable antiquities. Tsirogiannis’ professional work forms the basis of his academic research, and he has since completed his PhD
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
thesis on the subject of the international illicit antiquities network he helped to thwart. Another Hughes Hall PhD student to successfully combine industry knowledge with an aptitude for academic research is Computer Science student Raoul-Gabriel Urma. Having worked for a number of years as a software engineer for Oracle, Google, eBay and Goldman Sachs, Urma collaborated with senior software engineer Mario Fusco and Cambridge Professor of Computer Science Alan Mycroft to produce a book called Java 8 Lambdas in Action, which teaches advanced programming to industry professionals. Bridging the gap between the university and the wider Cambridge community is central to the aims of Hughes Hall Fellow Tony Lemons, who received an MBE for his services to university sport in June 2013. The university’s Director of Physical Education since 1983, Lemons is the driving force behind its world-class sports centre, which opened in 2013.
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A happy blend of tradition, the arts and innovation Jesus College Founded c. 1496 | www.jesus.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1791–94 Poet, literary critic and philosopher whose notable works include The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. Geoff Hoon Law, BA, 1973–77 Labour politician and former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons and Labour Party Chief Whip. Nick Hornby English, BA, 1976–79 Novelist and screenwriter whose books include High Fidelity and About a Boy. Also wrote the screenplay for the 2009 film An Education. HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex History & Archaeology, BA, 1983–87 The fourth child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip is patron of a number of arts and sporting bodies, including Paralympics GB.
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In addition, an online archive of so-called “Sterneana” (Sterne-related material) was set up in partnership with Cambridge University Library. Also in November 2013, one of Jesus’s many science alumni, Professor Sir Bruce Ponder, the first Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, received a lifetime achievement award. Sir Bruce, who is now the head of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Oncology, received the accolade at the National Cancer Research Institute’s annual Cancer Conference in Liverpool. He was honoured for his dedication to making Cambridge’s cancer research facility a worldclass centre of excellence and, more specifically, for his work on identifying the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Jesus College was established between 1496 and
sculpture exhibitions by contemporary artists for
After winning the prestigious Cyber Security
1516 on the site of a 12th-century Benedictine
more than 20 years. Its sprawling gardens are now
Challenge UK in 2012, Jesus Computer Science
nunnery whose ruins—which included a huge
home to an impressive permanent collection that
student Jonathan Millican was invited to give a
church—were adapted to house it. Today, these
includes works by Antony Gormley, Sir Eduardo
talk and demonstration at a conference of MPs,
buildings remain at the college’s centre.
Paolozzi and Barry Flanagan.
entitled Parliament and the Internet 2013, in
Accommodation for students and fellows is set
Jesus also has a great literary heritage, and
October of that year. And yet more evidence of the
around five spacious, three-sided courts, and
November 2013 saw the 300th birthday of one
college’s happy blend of tradition and innovation
beyond them 24 acres of gardens and playing
of its most notable alumni, Laurence Sterne.
comes in the form of its Quincentenary Library.
fields surround the nuns’ cloisters.
Sterne is best known for his satirical novel The
Opened in 1996 by Her Majesty the Queen, it
Although steeped in history and tradition,
Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman,
commemorates Jesus’s 500th anniversary and
Jesus is a forward-thinking college that admits an
which had a huge influence on modernist and
has space for more than 50,000 books in
equal number of science and arts students each
postmodernist writers alike. To celebrate his
architecturally stunning surroundings, with
year. There is a strong interest in and support for
tercentenary, events took place at the college,
a computer centre that is one of the most
the visual arts at the college, which has hosted
around Britain and in Sterne’s native Ireland.
advanced of any Cambridge college.
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A long-standing hub of progressive ideas and high achievement King’s College Founded 1441 | www.kings.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights Sir Salman Rushdie
Alan Turing
History, BA, 1965–68
Mathematics, 1931–34
The Best of the Booker prize-winning
Heralded as the father of computer science,
novelist probably best known for his
Turing was key to the Enigma code-breaking
1988 novel The Satanic Verses.
programme of the Second World War.
Zadie Smith
Sir Robert Walpole
English, BA, 1994–97
1696–98
Novelist whose works include the award-
Regarded as the first Prime Minister of Great
winning White Teeth. Featured in Granta’s
Britain, Walpole was a Whig who served
list of best young authors in 2003 and 2013.
during the reigns of George I and George II.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
One of the most architecturally and historically significant colleges in Cambridge, King’s is also known for its progressive outlook. Founded by King Henry VI, the college was one of the first in Cambridge to admit women undergraduates and, in contrast to its magnificent environs, has long since dispensed with some of the more traditional aspects of Cambridge life. As a forward-thinking and outward-looking institution, the college consistently produces fellows, students and alumni who are determined to make their mark on the world. In October 2013, King’s Fellow and cosmologist Professor George Efstathiou was awarded the Nemistas Prize for research in the field of physics. Worth €50,000, the prize is administered by the Takis & Louki Nemistas Foundation, which cited Professor Efstathiou’s leading role in the Planck Satellite project as a major factor in influencing its decision, as well as the project’s subsequent use in identifying structures in the universe. That same month, the Financial Times cited Dr Suchitra Sebastian as one of 10 physicists likely to be “the next big names” in the field. Dr Sebastian, who is a Junior Research Fellow at King’s, had already won a L’Oréal Women in Science Fellowship and a five-year Starting Grant from the European Research Council earlier in the year. King’s is also renowned for its music, and in 2013 alumna Errollyn Wallen won the Ivor Novello Award for Classical Music. Wallen also received the Best Music Award for a TV Series at the Festival International des Programmes Audiovisuels for her first score for a television drama. Combining the college’s strengths in music and sport with its well-developed sense of social responsibility, September 2013 saw three members of the College Choir complete a gruelling 1,200-mile bike ride from the college chapel to the Royal Palace in Oslo in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The three choristers—Feargal Mostyn-Williams, Dave Bagnall and Phil Barrett—exceeded their sponsorship target by raising more than £12,000 for the trust.
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A young college with great strength in depth Lucy Cavendish College Founded 1965 | www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk
Lucy Cavendish is not only Cambridge’s first postgraduate college for women, but also the latest, and therefore possibly last, all-female college to be founded in the UK. Established in 1965 in response to the fact that women were not allowed to become Cambridge fellows at the time, it was initially a collegiate society for women graduates. As it grew, Lucy Cavendish welcomed its first 20 undergraduates in 1972. These women had a wide range of professional backgrounds, and to this day the college still caters for a diverse mix of undergraduates and postgraduates, offering a route into the University of Cambridge for those who may not have followed the traditional educational path. This diversity is reflected in the achievements of those affiliated with the college. Its President, Professor Janet Todd, for instance, was awarded an OBE in 2013 in recognition of her groundbreaking work in the fields of literature and the education of women. College Fellow Dr Fiona Walter, on the other hand, was part of a team that showed that GPs have a higher success rate in detecting suspicious skin cancers when using best-practice guidelines with a medical history and naked-eye examination, rather than a digital assessment tool. This important discovery won the team a Royal College of General Practitioners’ Research Paper of the Year Award. Former Lucy Cavendish student and current London School of Economics lecturer Orla Lynskey was also recognised for her work when she received the university’s Economics Teaching Prize—a remarkable achievement given her relatively young age. These accolades are the result of the college’s dedication to transforming women’s lives by helping them seize academic opportunities at the time they consider right for them. This approach keeps attracting more and more students; as such, a Student Centre (featuring 56 en suite study bedrooms, a social area with an outdoor space, and eight flats for students with families) opened in autumn 2014, ready for the start of the 2014/15 academic year.
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Leading lights Noeleen Heyzer Social Science, PhD, 1972–79 The Singaporean was the first female Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific between 2007 and 2014. Cate Muther Social Anthropology, BA & MA, 1973–80 The founder of the Three Guineas Fund, which tries to create economic opportunity for women, and Astia, which supports female entrepreneurs. Marcia Schofield Clinical Medicine, MA, MB & BChir, 1992–97 The former keyboardist with The Fall went on to train and practise as a doctor after parting company with the post-punk band. Janet Todd College President, 2008– An internationally renowned scholar of early women writers and General Editor of the nine-volume Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen.
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Commemorating A world statesman and his legacy of reconstruction Magdalene College Founded 1428 | www.magd.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights C S Lewis Chair of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature, 1954–63 Writer, academic and literary critic whose works have been translated into more than 30 languages and include The Chronicles of Narnia. George Mallory History, 1905 Mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Everest. He and his climbing partner both disappeared close to the summit in 1924. Samuel Pepys BA, 1651–54; MA, 1660 Senior naval administrator and MP who is now best known for the diaries he kept for almost a decade, chronicling life in London in the 1660s. Alan Rusbridger English, BA, 1973 Editor of The Guardian newspaper since 1995. He worked as an intern at the Cambridge Evening News during the holidays and accepted a job there after graduation.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
The origins of the college of St Mary Magdalene stretch back to 1428, when it was known as Monk’s Hostel, a temporary home for Benedictine monks who came to study Canon Law at Cambridge. Since then an eclectic mix of buildings and facilities has gradually been added to the site, which sits alongside the River Cam and has the longest river frontage of any Cambridge college. It now boasts a thriving sports scene, a 142-seat auditorium and the ability to house all of its students within its attractive grounds. In 2013, the college said goodbye and paid tribute to arguably its best-known Honorary Fellow, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Dr Mandela visited Cambridge in 2001 to accept this honour and to meet “his” scholars—those who had won a Mandela Magdalene Scholarship, which enables graduates from South Africa to pursue one-year, taught postgraduate courses in subjects relevant to the ongoing reconstruction of the country. Recipients are expected to return to South Africa after their year in Cambridge, armed with skills and knowledge that will help shape the country. In a letter in which Dr Mandela agreed to give his name to the initiative, he wrote: “Our country is in dire need of skilled men and women to service our new democracy. We are deeply grateful that Magdalene College took the initiative to assist.” The college, with the help of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Commonwealth scholarship funds, has sponsored up to three Mandela Scholars every year since 1995. However, as the cost of study for overseas students has risen and Commonwealth funding has become increasingly stretched, the current model is no longer sustainable. With this in mind, and as part of its tribute to one of its greatest Honorary Fellows, Magdalene now intends to expand the scope of the Mandela Foundation at the college and fully endow the scheme. And, in addition to seeking funding to secure the future of the existing scholarships, the college will be supporting the university’s goal of establishing a Professorial Chair in African Archaeology in memory of Dr Mandela.
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079
Distinguished alumnae and Influential thinkers receive acclaim Murray Edwards College Founded 1954 | www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk
Founded as New Hall in 1954, Murray Edwards
Georges Dumézil by the French Academy.
and advisor to Government on the development
was the third Cambridge college for women and
In addition, that July, Dame Barbara Stocking,
of low carbon technologies and businesses;
was set up at a time when the institution had
the former Chief Executive of Oxfam GB and one
Josie Rourke, Artistic Director of the Donmar
the lowest percentage of female undergraduates
of the college’s most distinguished alumnae,
Warehouse; and Deborah Saunt, founder of the
of any UK university. Since then, the college—
was officially admitted as Murray Edwards’ fifth
award-winning architectural practice DSDHA.
which was renamed in 2008 in honour of its
President, having been elected in March 2013.
In February, alumna Clare Briegal was appointed
first President, Dame Rosemary Murray, and
The following year also proved highly
as CEO of the International Netball Federation (INF)
alumna and benefactor Ros Edwards (née Smith)
successful for the college. In January alone, three
and in June, Dr Serena Nik-Zainal was awarded
and her husband Steve—has produced many
of its alumnae were named in Debrett’s 500 Most
the William Bate Hardy Prize by the Cambridge
notable, high-achieving graduates.
Influential People in the UK—Professor Dame Julia
Philosophy Society in recognition of her work
Described as innovative, liberal and quirky
King, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University
on mutations in breast cancer genomes.
by former students, Murray Edwards prides itself on its imaginative and enthusiastic responses to academic, cultural and environmental developments. With its world-class art collection by women artists and main buildings designed by the architects of London’s Barbican, the college fosters creativity among its students. Cases in point include concert pianist Joanna MacGregor, comedian Sue Perkins and Academy Awardwinning actor Tilda Swinton, all of whom are among the college’s distinguished alumnae. On the academic front, a paper produced by Murray Edwards’ Dr Rebecca Simmons was named Research Paper of the Year at the 2013 British Medical Journal Awards in May that year. The following month, her college colleague Professor Wendy Bennett was elected as President of the Philological Society, the UK’s oldest learned society devoted to the scholarly study of language and languages, while her book Remarques et observations sur la langue française: Histoire et évolution d’un genre was awarded the 2013 Prix
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Radio Astronomy, PhD, 1965–69 As a student, Bell Burnell observed the first radio pulsars. Controversially, her supervisor received the Nobel Prize for the discovery. Mishal Husain Law, BA, 1992–95 Husain went on to become a BBC newsreader and was appointed as a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in 2013. Tilda Swinton English, BA, 1980–83 The star of films such as The Beach and The Chronicles of Narnia received an Oscar in 2008 for her supporting role in Michael Clayton. Claudia Winkleman History of Art, BA, 1990–93 The television presenter, film critic and travel writer is perhaps best known for her work on Strictly Come Dancing.
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From simple origins to world-class facilities and visionary research Newnham College Founded 1871 | www.newn.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights Clare Balding English, BA, 1991–93 Television presenter, journalist and former amateur jockey who received an OBE for services to broadcasting and journalism. Mary Beard Classics, PhD, 1982 Renowned for her hit historical television documentaries, her “A Don’s Life” blog and her often outspoken political opinions. Dame Jane Goodall Ethology, PhD, 1965 Having spent 45 years studying chimpanzees in Tanzania, Goodall is widely considered to be the world expert on the great apes. Germaine Greer Elizabethan Drama, PhD, 1968 Author, academic, journalist and the leading feminist voice of the 1970s, Greer was also a member of the Footlights while at Cambridge.
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nurtured many sporting successes. The most highprofile of the college’s many sporting achievements include Newnhamite Anna Watkins and her crewmate Katherine Grainger’s sensational gold medal in the women’s double sculls at the London Olympics in 2012. And more recently, current PhD student Sarah Leiter started training with the GB goalball team alongside her studies, with a view to participating in the 2016 Paralympics. Newnham also has an impressive—and beautiful—library. As the college library was originally the only source of reference for Newnham stands out as the only Cambridge
Newnham students (women were not allowed
undergraduate college to have an all-female
into the University Library), it was always well
fellowship. It began life in a house for five students
stocked, and to this day it remains one of the
in Cambridge’s Regent Street in 1871. Lectures for
largest college libraries in Cambridge, with
women had started in Cambridge a year earlier,
a collection of some 90,000 volumes and an
and such was the demand from those who could
annual purchase of more than 1,000 new
not commute on a daily basis that Henry Sidgwick,
titles in all subject areas.
a philosopher and organiser of these lectures,
In December 2013, a team of researchers
rented a house in which young female students
including Newnham Fellow Dr Barbara Lorber
could reside. Demand continued to increase, and
published the remarkable results from a study in
the supporters of the enterprise formed a limited
which they used 3D inkjet printing technology to
company to raise funds, lease land and construct
successfully print cells from the eye for the very
a purpose-built building on it. Newnham Hall
first time. The researchers used an inkjet device
opened its doors in 1875, the first building on
to print living retinal cells of adult rats, which
the site where Newnham stands to this day.
could be built up and used to create replacements
Newnham is situated among acres of
for defective eye tissues. This groundbreaking
stunning, landscaped gardens and is now a
proof-of-principle work is set to pave the way
far cry from its humble five-roomed beginnings.
for grow-your-own therapies for people with
The college boasts on-site accommodation for
retina-damage conditions such as glaucoma
all, a performing-arts building, art room and dark
and macular degeneration, the two biggest
room, tennis courts and a games field that has
causes of blindness in the UK.
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A treasure trove of talent and medical research excellence Pembroke College Founded 1347 | www.pem.cam.ac.uk
Pembroke is Cambridge’s third-oldest college, and its stunning 17th-century chapel was the first to be designed and completed by Sir Christopher Wren. A consistently strong academic achiever, Pembroke also has a firm tradition of extracurricular activities. Perhaps most notable among these is the college’s renowned drama society, the Pembroke Players, which at one time counted Peter Cook, Eric Idle, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Clive James among its number. The college and its alumni have been involved in a number of high-profile events in recent times. The famous Pembroke Hoard, for instance, featured in an exhibition of Cambridge treasures at the Two Temple Place gallery in London. Discoveries: Art, Science and Exploration from the University of Cambridge Museums was on display from January to April 2014. The hoard comprises 41 Tudor and Stuart gold coins, which were uncovered in the late 19th century, when the medieval hall and the south side of Old Court were demolished. It’s thought that the coins were
ensured that his research impacts directly on
most likely hidden by a college fellow who left
patients, by establishing a national specialist
to fight with King Charles I’s army at the start
service for those with severe insulin resistance.
of the English Civil War. Pembroke supported
He was the first person to show that a change in
the Royalist cause during the war, and the owner
genetic factors can lead to serious obesity and
obviously never returned to reclaim the coins.
the first to cure the life-threatening obesity of
In June 2013, Pembroke Fellow Professor
congenital leptin deficiency”.
Stephen O’Rahilly was awarded a knighthood in
In September 2014, current Pembroke PhD
the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to
student Peter Dudfield successfully completed
medical research. This followed his appointment
a 30,000 km round-the-world bike ride to raise
as Director of the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit,
money for the British Red Cross International
a development that was announced just a week
Disaster Fund. Lasting 380 days, the ride took
earlier. According to the citation for his knighthood,
in five continents, as well as a variety of tough
Professor O’Rahilly’s research has “changed the
conditions and landscapes. To date, Peter has
way we think about obesity and diabetes. He has
raised £14,000 for the Disaster Fund.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Peter Cook
William Pitt the Younger
Modern and Medieval Languages,
MA, 1773–76
BA & MA, 1957–60
Pitt became Britain’s youngest ever
Comedian, actor and writer whose
Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24.
breed of satire shaped a generation
Famed for leading the country in the wars
of performers.
against France and Napoleon.
Ted Hughes
Sir George Stokes
English & Archaeology and Anthropology,
Mathematics, BA & MA, 1837–41
BA & MA, 1951–54
Mathematician, physicist, politician and
Poet and children’s author, Hughes was
theologian, Stokes was President of the
Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death
Royal Society and Lucasian Professor of
in 1998.
Mathematics from 1849 to 1903.
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The small college that’s been making a big impact for centuries Peterhouse Founded 1284 | www.pet.cam.ac.uk
Founded in 1284, Peterhouse is the oldest college in Cambridge. It is also the smallest one in terms of number of fellows and students. Despite its diminutive stature, however, the college has produced more than its fair share of illustrious innovators and has had a huge impact on the way we live today. Located centrally but off the tourist trail, Peterhouse is able to house all of its students within its grounds. The college is just a two-minute walk from the University of Cambridge’s main site for sciences and less than a 10-minute walk from most other major faculties. Throughout its more than 700-year history, Peterhouse has played host to important events and developments. It was there, for instance, that many discussions about religion and the Protestant Reformation took place. And the college was also the first place within the University of Cambridge to have electric lighting, which its alumnus Lord Kelvin provided for its hall and combination room to celebrate Peterhouse’s 600th anniversary in 1884. More recently, in 2013, another former
with three other Petrean Nobel Chemistry
student, Michael Levitt, added to Peterhouse’s
Laureates [Max Perutz, Sir John Kendrew and
record of outstanding achievement when he took
Sir Aaron Klug].”
its tally of Nobel laureates up to an impressive five.
Levitt’s work focuses on theoretical,
Having studied for his PhD at the college before
computer-aided analysis of the protein, DNA
gaining a research fellowship at Gonville and Caius
and RNA molecules responsible for life at its
College, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
most fundamental level. Mapping the precise
his team’s work on “the development of multiscale
structures of these molecules is a huge step
models for complex chemical systems”.
towards understanding how they work and in
“The college is very proud of this wonderful
designing drugs that can alter their function.
achievement,” Peterhouse’s Master, Professor
In this way, he continues Peterhouse’s proud
Adrian Dixon, commented. “Michael’s research
tradition of having an immensely positive
studentship brought him into very close contact
impact on wider society.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Charles Babbage Mathematics, BA, 1812–14; MA, 1817 Mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer. Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer. Michael Levitt Molecular Biology, 1968–70 Levitt shared the Nobel Prize in 2013 for his team’s work on “the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems”. Sam Mendes English, BA, 1984–87 Renowned stage and movie director whose films include American Beauty, Road to Perdition and the 2012 James Bond outing Skyfall. William Thomson, Lord Kelvin BA, 1841–45 Instrumental in the mathematical analysis of electricity and the formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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Spanning the access gap and raising funds for future success Queens’ College Founded 1448 | www.queens.cam.ac.uk
Queens’ is one of only two Cambridge colleges that span the river Cam, the other being St John’s. Its two halves—referred to by students as “The Dark Side” and “The Light Side”—are joined by the famous Mathematical Bridge, which, despite the oft-retold story, was not designed or built by Sir Isaac Newton. The college has an outstanding academic record, with over 26 per cent of its undergraduates achieving firsts in 2013. The college also prides itself on its fantastic sports, music and drama facilities. Indeed, Queens’ is home to one of the university’s best-known theatre groups, The Bats, which has been going strong since the 1940s and performs at The Fitzpatrick Hall —one of Cambridge’s best-equipped small theatres—and at the college’s stunning Cloister Court on its hugely popular open-air outings. Queens’ is committed to improving access for all, and its students are actively involved in Cambridge’s Area Links Scheme, an initiative that sees current students visit schools and colleges across Britain to share their college experiences
Since 2010, the appeal has already raised more
and knowledge of the application process with
than £10 million. This money has enabled the
pupils. The team at Queens’ works across the
college to establish three new fellowships, set
Kent and Medway areas.
up three new student bursaries and invest
The college also works hard to achieve the
£5.8 million into teaching and research, plus
goals of its 575 Forging the Future Appeal. In 2023,
a further £600,000 into student support.
Queens’ will celebrate its 575th anniversary, and
Queens’ is a particularly beautiful college,
to mark this milestone the college hopes to raise
where medieval cloisters and new architecture
a total of £45 million—£30 million from donated
sit side by side within extensive and attractive
income and £15 million from the college’s own
gardens. This tradition of well-kept grounds is
efforts based on management of its endowment.
now being spread further afield by Queens’ Fellow
Due to the cuts affecting all UK universities,
Dr Beverley Glover, who, in July 2013, was named
Cambridge colleges are now, more than ever
as the latest Director of Cambridge University
before, responsible for raising their own funds.
Botanic Garden.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Simon Bird
Stephen Fry
English, BA, 2003–06
English, BA, 1978–81
Comedian and writer best known
“National treasure” and a former member
for playing Will McKenzie in the Bafta-
of the Footlights, where he met future
winning sitcom The Inbetweeners.
comedy partner Hugh Laurie.
Michael Foale
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford
Natural Sciences, BA, 1975–78
Classics, 1870–73
The astrophysicist and former NASA
Composer, music teacher and conductor
astronaut is a veteran of six space
who was one of the founding professors
shuttle missions and is the first Briton
of the Royal College of Music, where he
to have completed a space walk.
taught composition.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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Inspiring surroundings, expanding facilities and a welcoming approach Robinson College Founded 1979 | www.robinson.cam.ac.uk
Set within a vast, attractive garden, Robinson is the only Cambridge college that was, from its inception, intended for both undergraduate and graduate students of either sex. Founded in 1979 and formally opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1981, it is less formal and traditional than many of the university’s older colleges, allowing, for instance, its members to walk and sit on the grass. The college was named after Sir David Robinson, a businessman who was born in Cambridge and educated at Cambridge High School for Boys. Having already contributed financially to several worthwhile causes in the local area, he donated a large amount of money to the University of Cambridge to establish a new college. Robinson’s main building is a red-brick structure that The Daily Telegraph named as one of “the 50 most inspiring buildings in Britain”
gardens—is now Robinson’s central feature,
in 2008. According to the newspaper, its “castle-
offering a diverse environment that is as much
like presence” distinguishes Robinson from the
a haven for wildlife as it is a beautiful spot of
common college architecture of “the classic
cultural interest.
quad or the campus of freestanding buildings”.
Since Robinson was also always intended
Visit England backed up that view in 2013,
to be a centre for national and international
when its Quality of Tourism assessment service
conferences, it not only provides students with
awarded the college a four-star campus rating.
the usual college recreational facilities, such as
Quality in Tourism’s glowing report
a café and a bar, but also boasts access to two
highlighted the convenience of Robinson’s
excellent auditoria during term time. And, in July
location, good transport links, the range of
2014, work started on a new £5 million seminar
nearby amenities and, above all, its extensive
building at the college.
grounds with formal gardens and wild woodland.
Set for completion in late summer 2015,
When designing the college, the architects
the construction will provide a self-contained,
decided to retain the site’s gardens and build
multi-use space, and will address the growing
around them. As a result, the garden—which,
demand for medium-capacity conference
in fact, is a combination of 10 pre-existing
facilities in Cambridge.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Joe Ansbro Natural Sciences, MA, 2004–07 The former professional rugby union player was the first person of African origin to represent Scotland at test level. Nick Clegg Social Anthropology, BA, 1986–89 The Leader of the Liberal Democrats has been the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister since 2010. Konnie Huq Economics, BA, 1993–96 Since moving on from presenting Blue Peter, Huq has undertaken a wide range of television work, including hosting The Xtra Factor. Robert Webb English, BA, 1992–95 The comedian, actor and writer is one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, stars of such television programmes as Peep Show.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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An established academic performer with strong media credentials Selwyn College Founded 1882 | www.sel.cam.ac.uk
Leading lights Tom Hollander English, BA, 1985–88 While at Cambridge, the star of films such as In the Loop and Pirates of the Caribbean featured in a play directed by fellow student Sam Mendes. Hugh Laurie Archaeology and Anthropology, BA, 1978–81 One half of comedy duo Fry and Laurie, the Golden Globe-winner was named the world’s most watched leading man on television in 2011. Malcolm Muggeridge Natural Sciences, BA, 1920–24 An often controversial media personality, journalist and satirist, Muggeridge helped make Mother Teresa famous around the world. Sir Peter Wall Engineering, BA, 1975–78 Having graduated from Sandhurst and served around the world, Sir Peter was the British Army’s Chief of the General Staff until September 2014.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Although situated at the heart of the University
The college’s beautiful Old Court boasts
of Cambridge, Selwyn College offers a sense
several striking red-brick Victorian buildings that
of seclusion and scholarly calm thanks to its
are Tudor Gothic in style, and includes a tower
beautiful buildings set in tranquil gardens.
and gateway, as well as an impressive chapel.
The college takes its name from George
Most of these structures were designed by Sir
Augustus Selwyn, who, as an undergraduate at
Arthur Blomfield, who also designed numerous
St John’s College, participated in the very first Boat
churches in England and abroad, and restored
Race against Oxford in 1829 and later became
parts of the cathedrals at Canterbury, Salisbury,
the first Bishop of New Zealand. Selwyn was an
Lincoln and Chichester.
influential figure who, in helping to set up the
When the building of the college began in
Church in New Zealand, played a pivotal role in
1880, many considered the site too far removed
establishing the country’s identity. He wanted
from the centre of Cambridge. However, due to
university education to be extended to people
the subsequent growth of the university, Selwyn
who were not able to afford it, so it was appropriate
is now situated in the midst of the action. On a
that the idea to name a college after him was first
social level, it is also right at the heart of things
mooted soon after his death in 1878. Four years
every winter, when it hosts the University of
later, Selwyn College was opened.
Cambridge’s only winter ball, the Selwyn Snowball, where famous bands such as Mumford & Sons and The Who have played in the past. Selwyn not only hosts, but has also educated many famous artists and media personalities, with Hugh Laurie, Clive Anderson and Tom Hollander all being among its alumni. Fittingly, the college’s Master Roger Mosey—who took over from his predecessor, Professor Richard Bowring, in October 2013—comes from a strong media background, having previously spent almost his entire career at the BBC as one of the corporation’s most senior executives. Having overseen the Beeb’s acclaimed coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, he held the position of Editorial Director before taking the decision to shape the future direction of Selwyn.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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An inclusive atmosphere of quality dining and good chemistry Sidney Sussex College Founded 1596 | www.sid.cam.ac.uk
Founded in 1596 by Lady Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex, Sidney Sussex is one of the less sizable, more classical Cambridge colleges and as such is well known for its strong sense of community. Oliver Cromwell was among its first students, and his head is buried in a secret spot beneath the college’s ante chapel. Sidney’s reputation for having an inclusive, communityminded atmosphere is reinforced by its students, fellows and staff eating together on a regular basis, and the regular candlelit formal halls are always popular. Indeed, the college has become famous for the quality of its food, and has won the Cambridge Culinary Competition several times over recent years. In 2013, Sidney became one of four Cambridge colleges to achieve a Gold Award for environmental improvements to its catering services, with the award being given at a presentation event held at Emmanuel College. The awards are sponsored by Transition Cambridge and the environmental charity Cambridge Carbon Footprint, and the environmental assessment is based on a review of college menus, use of local and sustainable produce, and the efficient recycling of food waste and refuse. The catering team’s winning initiatives included reducing the amount of frozen produce in favour of daily deliveries of fresh food, and recycling waste oil into biodiesel. The judges were particularly impressed by the use of meats from the Denham Estate—less than 25 miles from Sidney—and the college’s own home-grown herbs. In the same year, Professor Martin Karplus, former John Wilfrid Linnett Visiting Professor of Chemistry and Visiting Fellow at Sidney Sussex, received what is arguably an even greater accolade: the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shared the prize with Michael Levitt, who completed a PhD at Peterhouse College, and Arieh Warshel from the University of Southern California for their work on the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems. This has enabled researchers around the world to model, understand and predict chemical processes on a computer.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Oliver Cromwell 1616 Parliamentarian, and military and political leader. In a 2002 BBC poll, Cromwell was named one of the 10 greatest Britons of all time. Chris Grayling History, BA, 1981–84 Following an early career in television, the Conservative Party politician went on to become Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. John Herivel Mathematics, BA, 1937 Science historian and Second World War codebreaker. Herivel worked on the Enigma project and was instrumental in cracking the code. Carol Vorderman Engineering, BA, 1978–81 Television personality, best known for co-hosting Channel 4’s perennially popular game show Countdown for 26 years.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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The old-timer that’s still making its mark on the modern world St Catharine’s College Founded 1473 | www.caths.cam.ac.uk
St Catharine’s, or “Catz”, as it is affectionately known, started out as an academic trinity— a community of three consisting of a Master and two fellows. In the mid-16th century, the college began to expand, admitting undergraduates in ever-increasing numbers—and expansion is still the order of the day at Catz. In June 2013, the college’s McGrath Centre was officially opened by the Chancellor of the University, Lord Sainsbury of Turville. The centre is a modern, multipurpose building funded entirely by the college’s alumni and named after Harvey McGrath, its most generous benefactor. It adds significantly to the college’s facilities, including as it does a lecture theatre, bar and student common room. As well as contributing to the expansion of the college’s infrastructure, St Catharine’s alumni have continued to make their mark in the wider world. In the arts, Annie Liebovitz’s portrait of one of the college’s most famous alumni, Sir Ian McKellen was selected for inclusion in Vanity Fair’s Year in Photographs, 2013. Sir Ian returned to the college in 2014, on the day he received an Honorary Degree from the university. Similar 2013 highlights included Professor
honour those long dead or to regard only academics
Chris Clark’s book The Sleepwalkers making it
and researchers as true scientists—the list is
onto The New York Times’s top 10 books of 2013.
divided into categories of scientific achievement
According to the newspaper, Clark’s book gives
that are often overlooked, such as entrepreneur,
“a comprehensive, highly readable survey of
policy maker, teacher and developer. In addition,
the events leading up to World War I”.
in June 2014, Dr Worthers was made an MBE in
Another college Fellow to feature on such
the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
a list was Dr Peter Wothers, who was included on
Another Catz Fellow to achieve recognition
the Science Council’s list of the top 100 practising
in 2014 was Dr Sriya Iyer, who was awarded one of
scientists in the UK for his work as a “Teacher
the annual Pilkington Prizes—given to a number
Scientist”. Intended to challenge the UK’s old-
of “inspirational” academics within the university
fashioned view of science—its tendency to either
for their “outstanding quality of teaching”.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Richard Ayoade
Sir Ian McKellen
Law, BA, 1995–98
English, BA, 1958–61
Comedian, actor, writer and director.
Film and stage actor Sir Ian’s hugely
While at Cambridge, Ayoade won the
successful career has seen him play
Martin Steele Prize for play production
everything from Hollywood superheroes
and was President of Footlights.
to Shakespearean leads.
Joanne Harris
Jeremy Paxman
Modern and Medieval Languages,
English, BA, 1969–72
BA, 1982–85
Journalist, broadcaster and author known
Award-winning author, best known
for his forthright interviewing style.
for her novel Chocolat, which was later
Paxman was the editor of Varsity during
adapted into an Oscar-nominated film.
his time at Cambridge and went on to
In 2013, she was awarded an MBE.
present Newsnight for 25 years.
CHAPTER 2.2 | COLLEGE PROFILES
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A mature environment that nurtures innovation and achievement St Edmund’s College Founded 1896 | www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk
St Edmund’s is one of the most diverse Cambridge colleges, with members coming from more than 50 different countries. One of the university’s five graduate colleges, it was founded in 1896 and caters for postgraduates and some undergraduates who are over 21. Many of them are second-time learners studying for a degree after a break from education, which makes for a mature environment characterised by the fact that, unlike at most other Cambridge colleges, students and fellows mix over dinner and at other social occasions. At the end of the 2013/14 academic year, Professor Paul Luzio stepped down after a decade as Master, having joined as a fellow in 1987. In the intervening years, student numbers have more than quadrupled, and St Edmund’s facilities have expanded as well, with new accommodation, a library, a gym and a music room among the many additions. Older facilities have also been updated,
innovation. Dr Harter developed the software
and there are plans to develop the campus yet
that allows computer screens to be controlled
further through the Master’s Development Fund,
by remote devices, and the MacRobert Award wasn’t
which was established to mark the retirement of
the only accolade for his company in 2013, with the
Professor Luzio. His successor, Matthew Bullock,
firm receiving a third Queen’s Award for Enterprise
took over the reins in October 2014.
in as many years in recognition of its outstanding
In 2013, two of the college’s Fellows achieved
achievements in international trade. The firm’s
outstanding success. In July, Professor John
blend of innovation and international outlook
Loughlin—the Director of the Von Hügel Institute,
epitomises perfectly the ethos of the college
a research institution dedicated to the study
where Dr Harter works.
of the relationship between Christianity and
Past students of St Edmund’s have also been
society—was elected a Fellow of the European
honoured recently. In 2014, Mildred Yuan-Crotaz—
Academy of Sciences and Arts, an interdisciplinary
who graduated from the college with a BA in English
learned society of top scientists and artists.
in 2006—was shortlisted in the media category for
The same month, RealVNC, the company
the 2014 Asian Women of Achievement Awards,
co-founded by Dr Andy Harter, won the Royal
which celebrate the “Asian heroines of British life”
Academy of Engineering’s MacRobert Award,
in areas such as business, entrepreneurship, and
the UK’s most prestigious prize for engineering
social and humanitarian work.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Edward Acton Modern History, PhD, 1971 Emulating his renowned ancestor, Lord Acton, by becoming a historian, he is now the Vice-Chancellor of the University of East Anglia. Shannon Bohle History & Philosophy of Science, NOTAF, 2011 A world-respected librarian and archivist, primarily in scientific and medically driven research libraries, Bohle is also a writer and lecturer. Georges Lemaître Astronomy, 1923 The Belgian priest, astronomer and professor of physics was the first person to propose the Big Bang theory. Tony Underwood Land Economy, BA, 1990 The former rugby player is one of several St Edmund’s alumni who went on to become full England internationals.
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A new scholarship, students in voice and a web-wise project St John’s College Founded 1511 | www.joh.cam.ac.uk
With more than 800 students, St John’s College is one of the largest in Cambridge. It is also one of the wealthiest, and is therefore able to offer generous funding and benefits to its undergraduate and graduate members. The college was founded in 1511 after Lady Margaret Beaufort made provision for it in her will. Since then, it has enjoyed the patronage of a succession of notable benefactors. In an exciting development in 2013, the renowned Hong Kong writer and philanthropist Dr Louis Cha established a college scholarship for graduate students. The Cha Scholarship, which was awarded for the first time in October 2014, supports graduate research on the literature, history and culture of early and dynastic China. The prestigious award is open to all students who secure a place at St John’s to read for an MPhil or PhD in a relevant subject.
singing group receive a choral award worth £100,
Few patrons can be as familiar with the
as well as singing lessons worth an additional £300.
challenges facing their beneficiaries as Dr Cha.
The previous year saw the completion of the
Not only has he enjoyed a successful career
Samuel Butler Project, which had been running at
writing Chinese historical fiction—often under
the college library since 2011. Butler, who numbers
the pen name Jin Yong—but also in 2010 he
among the college’s many distinguished alumni, is
completed a PhD at St John’s on the topic of
famous for the novels Erewhon (1872) and The Way
imperial succession during the Tang Dynasty.
of All Flesh (1903). The finished Samuel Butler
With the establishment of a scholarship in his
collection comprises the author’s personal papers,
own name, Dr Cha has ensured that his graduate
a library of more than 600 books, and an archive
successors at St John’s will have all the support
of his many paintings and photographs.
they need to produce world-class research.
More recently, in April 2014, founder of the
In addition, St John’s is home to one of the
“Everyday Sexism Project”, Laura Bates—who
most admired collegiate choirs in the world: the
graduated from St John’s with an MA in English
male-voice Chapel Choir. Last year, the college
Literature—was named in the top 10 of BBC Radio
announced the launch of a mixed-voice choir
4’s Woman’s Hour Power List 2014. Bates’s website
called St John’s Voices, which performs choral
aims to document women’s daily experiences of
evensong in the college chapel every Monday
gender inequality, and has received more than
night during term. Up to six members of the
50,000 entries from women worldwide.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Douglas Adams
William Wilberforce
English, BA, 1971–74
BA, 1776–81
Creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
A politician, philanthropist and leader
the Galaxy—originally a comic series
of the movement to abolish the
for radio and later adapted into a
slave trade, Wilberforce was one of
much-loved collection of novels.
Britain’s great social reformers.
Sir Derek Jacobi
William Wordsworth
History, BA, 1957–60
1787–91
An acclaimed actor, director and
Poet who helped to launch the
founder member of the Royal
Romantic Age of English literature
National Theatre, Sir Derek has
and held the position of Poet
also enjoyed silver-screen success.
Laureate between 1843 and 1850.
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A distinguished and sustained record of global leadership Trinity College Founded 1546 | www.trin.cam.ac.uk
The largest and most cosmopolitan of all Cambridge colleges, Trinity College perfectly epitomises the university’s global appeal and impact. From Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton in the 16th and 17th centuries to Professor Shankar Balasubramanian in 2013, Trinity Fellows and alumni have significantly improved our understanding of the world, while former students, including six British prime ministers and India’s first, Jawaharlal Nehru, have shaped society. More than a third of the University of Cambridge’s record 89 Nobel Prize Laureates are affiliated with Trinity, and in January 2013 Professor Balasubramanian and his team added to the groundbreaking achievements of the college when they announced that some human cells have four-stranded DNA. Since this might be indicative of certain cancers, the discovery could lead to the development of new ways to fight the disease. Two months later, the Master of Trinity College, Sir Gregory Winter, was recognised for another cancer treatment-related breakthrough when he received a prestigious Canada Gairdner International Award for engineering humanised monoclonal antibodies in 1989, which led to the development of many of today’s cancer treatments. Also in March 2013, two Trinity engineering PhD candidates— Marijke Fagan from South Africa and George Gordon from New Zealand—were invited to present their respective research related to specialist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and data increase in optical fibres at the House of Commons. Trinity’s high-achieving students continue its distinguished history, which stretches back to 1546, when Henry VIII founded the college as an educational institution that would underpin the recently formed Church of England. Since then, it
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has grown in both stature and size, most recently acquiring Dunsfold Park, a property in Surrey
Leading lights
that consists of an airfield and land allocated for
Francis Bacon
a solar farm and an anaerobic digestion plant.
BA, 1573–76
However, Trinity’s main site is located in the heart
Bacon pioneered the scientific
of Cambridge. It consists of a number of historic
method and became Lord Chancellor,
buildings and is centred around a large court
as well as one of Britain’s most
that hosts the famous annual Great Court Run,
distinguished philosophers.
which was immortalised in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire.
Sir Isaac Newton
Trinity’s impact on the wider world of sport has
BA, 1661–65
been significant, too. The initial rules of football,
One of the world’s most celebrated
for instance, were drawn up at the college, while
and influential scientists, Sir Isaac
cricketer Ranjitsinhji—one of the greatest batsmen
formulated the laws of motion and
of all time—first developed a serious interest in the
universal gravitation.
sport during his studies there in the late 1800s. More recently, in April 2014, four students at
Jawaharlal Nehru
Trinity College triumphed in the final of the latest
Natural Sciences, BA, 1907–10
series of University Challenge, beating Somerville
Nehru became India’s first Prime
College, Oxford, by 240 points to 135. The win
Minister in 1947. His daughter, Indira
marks the third time the college has been victorious
Gandhi, and grandson, Rajiv Gandhi,
in the history of the quiz show.
followed in his footsteps. Bertrand Russell Mathematical Tripos, BA, 1890–93 Considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy, Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950.
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A natural beauty with a formidable reputation for the study of law Trinity Hall Founded 1350 | www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk
The University of Cambridge’s fifth oldest college was founded to promote the study of canon and civil law, and although Trinity Hall is now home to students of many different subjects, it still maintains a strong tradition in the study of law. The college has been on its current site for almost 700 years and boasts a beautiful river setting that prompted Henry James to say: “If I were called upon to mention the prettiest corner of the world, I should draw a thoughtful sigh and point the way to the gardens of Trinity Hall.” As well as outstanding architecture and natural beauty, the college has a long list of affiliates who have made their mark around the world. In January 2013, for instance, former student Andrew Sparkes was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Nepal. Closer to home, Trinity Hall alumnus and Honorary Fellow Sir John Thomas was named as the new Lord Chief Justice. Having been involved in high-profile court cases including those of Abu Hamza and Julian Assange, he took up his new position as the head of the judges of England and Wales in October 2013.
medallist and winner of three yellow jerseys on
Also in 2013, Trinity Hall Fellow Jane Clarke
the Tour de France had recently stepped down as
was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical
head of the so-called Secret Squirrel Club, British
Science and won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s
Cycling’s highly successful team for technical
RSC Interdisciplinary Prize, while alumnus David
development, which is now led by Trinity Hall
Eyton was appointed Fellow of the Royal Academy
Fellow Professor Tony Purnell. And September
of Engineering. And among the college’s current
2014 saw a further cycling-related triumph,
students, the women’s football team won the
when former Trinity Hall student Emma Pooley
Plate for the second year running, beating a team
won the world duathlon title at the Powerman
that was playing two divisions above them on
World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland.
their way to retaining the trophy.
Having retired from professional road cycling
In another sporting development, former
just a month before, Pooley broke the Powerman
professional cyclist Chris Boardman visited
course record and finished more than half an
Trinity Hall in November 2013. The Olympic gold
hour ahead of the second place finisher.
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Stanley Bruce Law, BA, 1903–06 As well as launching wide-ranging reforms, Australia’s eighth Prime Minister oversaw the government’s transfer to the new capital of Canberra. Stephen Hawking PhD, 1962 One of the most famous scientists of our time, Hawking has made significant contributions to our understanding of quantum mechanics and black holes. J B Priestley Modern History and Political Science, BA, 1919 Writer Priestley became famous with his novel The Good Companions and made morale-boosting BBC radio broadcasts during the Second World War. Rachel Weisz English, BA, 1988 After co-founding a theatre group at Cambridge, the actor went on to win an Academy Award for her role in The Constant Gardener.
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An anniversary drive to fund opportunity and excellence Wolfson College Founded 1965 | www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk
One of Cambridge’s newest colleges, Wolfson was
towards scholarships and bursaries, providing
founded as University College in 1965 and only
excellent students from around the world with
changed its name in 1973 after receiving generous
the opportunity to study at Wolfson by removing
funding from the Wolfson Foundation. The majority
the financial barriers that many face. And £300,000
of the diverse student body at Wolfson is carrying
is to be set aside for prizes and grants. It is hoped
out research towards postgraduate degrees, in
that this money will help stimulate academic
particular PhDs and MPhils, but the college is also
excellence, support students on their ongoing
home to a number of mature undergraduates and
career paths, ensure that they are able to fulfil
students studying for taught master’s degrees.
their potential and, crucially, enable them to
As Wolfson is one of the more modern colleges
share their expert knowledge at conferences.
in Cambridge, it does not follow the time-honoured
Also in recognition of its milestone anniversary,
traditions of some of the university’s older colleges.
Wolfson has asked members past and present
For example, since the college’s founding, there
to participate in its Wolfson in 50 Words project,
has never been a High Table reserved for fellows at
which has so far produced touching, funny and,
formal hall dinners. Instead, students and fellows
at times, poetic submissions. The entries can be
mix and dine together. Wolfson was also the first
read on the college website.
college in Cambridge to admit men and women as both students and fellows. The college is celebrating its half century in 2015, and to mark the occasion has launched a 50th Anniversary Campaign, which aims to raise £5 million by the end of 2017 to support its students. Wolfson’s mission is to be “the college of choice for postgraduate and mature undergraduate students in the University of Cambridge”, and it is working hard to raise funds from a wide range of sources. The money will primarily fund the following three areas: accommodation and facilities; scholarships and bursaries; and prizes and grants. A total of £3.3 million is earmarked for improving accommodation and facilities, enabling the college to offer appropriate, environmentally sustainable, modern facilities and accommodation to meet the varied needs of its cosmopolitan and mature students. Around £1.4 million is to go
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CAMBRIDGE: INSPIRING LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION
Leading lights Song Sang-Hyun
Zhang Xin
Comparative Legal Studies, Diploma, 1969
Development Economics, MA, 1992
President of the International Criminal Court A Chinese business magnate. Working in who was professor of law at Seoul National
property, Zhang has become one of the
University Law School for over 30 years.
world’s richest self-made women.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Ken Yeang
Economics, MA
Architecture, PhD, 1971–75
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and
Yeang is a renowned architect and
Minister for Finance who previously held
ecologist, known for what he terms
the position of Minister for Education.
“ecoarchitecture” and “green urbanism”.
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