When Catherine Arnold became the 15th Master of St Edmunds College in October 2019 she brought the tally of female heads of colleges across Cambridge University to 50 percent. An impressive statistic, considering women weren’t even allowed to become full members of the 800-year-old university until 1948. One of Oxbridge’s most diverse and international colleges, St Edmund’s was founded over 120 years ago to house Catholic students, previously excluded from the university for centuries. As such, inclusion was at its core from the start – and it became the first male Cambridge college to accept women in 1969. As the college celebrates ‘50 years of women at St Edmunds’ this year, Catherine discusses female role models, the structural and perceptional challenges of inclusion around an Oxbridge education and how St Edmund’s continues to focus on creating a space for academic excellence without barriers.
Recording notes:
00:35 – Progress of gender equality
01:58 – Cambridge’s challenges on diversity
04:25 – Oxbridge perceptions
07:07 – St Edmund college mindset
10:25 – Collegiate differences and diversity
14:22 – Role models
22:40 – Value of alumni
17:55 – Most pressing issue of diversity, and where do we start
24:03 – Essential qualities of leadership
30:16 – What kind of legacy would you want for St Edmunds.
