Photo Credit: Phillipvn Photography
To mark its 25th anniversary, Cambridge in America hosted an unprecedented gathering of the four living former Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge with the current Vice-Chancellor, Deborah Prentice—the first time such a panel had ever convened.
The evening opened with the Sidney Sussex Choir performing holiday songs and a traditional grace. Then, seated in a semicircle on a riser, the five leaders who have shaped Cambridge's direction for more than two decades compared notes on everything from COVID response to student fees, sharing candid concerns about the future of higher education and noting areas of successful change.
Vice-Chancellor Prentice, who moderated the discussion, noted the rarity of her position: while she is Cambridge's 347th Vice-Chancellor, she is only the sixth to serve full-time—a structure that was first introduced during the tenure of the late VC David Williams.
"We're going to explore how university leadership adapts to global change, reconciles academic and business priorities, and shapes the future of higher education," Prentice said, opening the conversation.
Stephen Toope, whose tenure from 2017 to 2022 encompassed the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected on the University's response to that unprecedented challenge.
"It was an absolutely overwhelming set of challenges," he said. "But the willingness of people to just step up and make things happen when they had to was really wonderful. It was also a marvelous moment of collaboration with the wider community, and particularly with the health system."
The introduction of student fees emerged as one of the more controversial issues discussed. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, who served from 2010 to 2017, recalled the difficulty of implementing them.
"It was tough, because deep down, I had a lot of sympathy with where the students stood on this issue," Borysiewicz said. "The alternatives were that we were going to be subjected to severe cuts in the budget of the University."
Dame Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor from 2003 to 2010, offered a different perspective: "I actually happen to believe that students should contribute to their education because it's an enormous privilege. I also believe deeply in needs-blind admissions."
The composition of Cambridge's student body proved another focal point. Richard noted that when she became Vice-Chancellor in 2003, only 55 percent of students came from state schools, despite 91 percent of UK students being educated in them—"a huge gap."
The concerted effort to expand access has created a measurable shift. "Now that number is about 75 or 76 percent," Prentice said. "So, it's changed a lot."
Lord Alec Broers, who served from 1996 to 2003, recalled the cultural resistance he encountered when trying to build philanthropic support for Cambridge.
"In my day there were still quite a few [people] who thought it was behavior in very bad taste to ask anybody for money," he said.
The panelists praised Cambridge in America's success in professionalizing development efforts in North America—work that has not gone unnoticed by other institutions.
"Imitation is the greatest form of flattery," said Borysiewicz, who now sits on the Imperial Council at Imperial College London. "Guess what they want to do? They want to have an Imperial CAm equivalent because they've actually seen how successful you are."
Photos from the event can be found here.
A video of the highlights of the panel discussion will be available in the coming weeks.