Subject
The Masters of Cambridge
Location
Cambridge, England
Date
Sep 2022 - Jul 2023
Equipment
Nikon D800, 28mm, flash and softbox
Organisation
Independent Photojournalism
The Masters of Cambridge - Part I
Leaders shape our perception. Their actions define what is right and what is wrong. To be a leader carries a heavy responsibility and to be a great leader is certainly not an easy task – politics in particular has shown us in recent years how much leaders can affect the place we live in. In Cambridge there are 31 Colleges, each with their own leader, giving the College a direction while carrying an historic educational system into the future. In this two-part article series, you get to explore where the different Heads of Houses (as they call themselves as a collective) come from, how they shape their College, and what they aspire to achieve during their time in Cambridge. This first part focuses on nine Masters who like to stir up things a little. Individuals who like to do things differently. Cambridge, 2023
Elisabeth Kendall
The first College on this tour is Girton College. This College is what people might consider an outlier. Located about 4km outside of the city centre, the students of Girton have their own little oasis from the chaos of the city, explains its Master, Elisabeth Kendall.
Well accustomed to the Oxbridge system, she was elected the new Mistress of Girton College in 2022. With her, she brought a lot of energy and a welcoming attitude. “For me, the reason this job was such a great job is because it's not a job. I get the opportunity to be a cheerleader, a listener, a doer, a firefighter. There are lots of different ways to lead, but I think that keeps it really interesting.”
For Elisabeth success can come in many more forms than just academic performance. “We want them to reach their potential and that's certainly a little bit different […], because we do care about academic performance, but we care much more about the whole person, rather than whether or not they get a 1st. We hope they do. But if they don't, they don't. We'd much rather they were sane and rounded and having a good time as well.” This means giving students more than just academic support but also a chance to grow professionally to better prepare the students for life after Cambridge.
With her 11 years left in the post, Elisabeth is determined to further nourish an atmosphere which prioritises happiness and remembers the importance of the present “It's more about how the people feel, and because sometimes with those big institutions, I feel like people focus too much to create something that is lasting rather than looking at the people who are there.”
Her favourite place in College: “I like the orchard. We have a heritage orchard with over 100 different types of fruit. But my favourite thing to do is I jog around the perimeter [of Girton]. Every morning. 3 or 4 loops.”
Her favourite College: “Probably Pembroke, Oxford. I have an honorary fellowship there and that's my previous College.”
Her favourite secret place in Cambridge: “I don't really know Cambridge yet and I never leave. So I actually don't, although I would say that I feel like the perimeter run is my secret, but it isn't. Remarkably few people share it.”
Previously an Academic in Arabic and Islamic Studies, elected in 2022 until pres. 2034
Alma Mater, Pembroke College, Oxford
Dorothy Byrne
Cycling towards the city centre from Girton you come past a few Colleges, including Murray Edwards, one of the last two women-only Colleges. Dorothy Byrne is the President of Murray Edwards and is a unique figure among the Heads of Houses in Cambridge. After a long and outspoken career with Channel 4, she carried the same energy with her to this new role.
As a true leader and role model, her ambitions for Murray Edwards go much wider than just College and University affairs. “I wanted to help Cambridge University change because we need our leading universities to change in order to bring a more diverse group of people into key leadership positions in our country because the United Kingdom is going down the pan and we need bright young people from all backgrounds to save our nation.”
For Dorothy, the main goal is to create and nurture a welcoming environment for women to thrive. “Sometimes people say to me: ‘Why do you still need a women's College in this day and age?’. And I say: ‘Oh my goodness, I must have been having my legs waxed when equality was brought to women all over the world and I never noticed it. And of course, while we still have such inequality for women. There is a great role for a women's College.” Commitment to equality also means that Murray Edwards welcomes trans and non-binary students.
Celebrating women is what defines Murray Edwards'. With the generous donations of female artists and alumnae from all over the world, the College has curated an extensive art collection, the biggest of its kind in Europe. “It's just such a wonderful idea because here at this College, one of our messages is there is no one way to be a woman. There are billions of ways to be a woman. Every woman should decide for herself what being a woman and being a human being mean to her. And whereas most art collections were formed by the collections of one man, this art collection is 550 visions of what it’s like to be a woman.”
Her favourite place in College: “I love the library - and I'm ashamed to say I don't love the library for its books. Marvellous as they are, I just think it's strangely based on Baroque church architecture mixed with modernist ideas, but it actually has the feel of a really calm and beautiful mosque.”
Her favourite College: Queens’ College. “I love them all, but my mentor […] was Mohammed El-Erian. And I just think he's the most wonderful person, and I love going to visit him in his College.”
Her favourite secret place in Cambridge: “Well, I really like having exactly the same sandwich every time in Kettle’s yard down the road, in the café. And I go and hide behind a corner there. And sometimes the director comes in for his lunch, and he says, ‘I see you're hiding your face.’”
Previously Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, elected in 2021 until pres. 2027
Alma Mater: University of Manchester
Pippa Rogerson
Coming towards the city centre, I met Pippa Rogerson, the Master of Gonville and Caius College. There is a stark contrast between Caius and Medwards. Caius is a very old and tradition-heavy College. While traditions can, for some, contribute to a feeling of continuity and belonging in a place, they can equally contribute towards feelings of alienation in. Being a fellow at Caius for many years, Pippa was aware of this double-edged sword. “It's an important job to lead the College. I mean, you can't make any decisions. You chair the Council. It's not an executive role. It's a way of helping a group of self-governing academics decide where they think they should go for the College.”
She decided to apply to become the next Master because of “the possibility of making a good difference, the possibility of ensuring that this institution, 674 years old, would move a little bit more into the 21st century. For me, the future is for the young, and therefore that's the direction of travel. So it's to try and make sure that we're not too reactive and to try and also keep true to principles like dialogue, and treating each other fairly.”
She, like Dorothy Byrne, understands that there is still a long way to go to diversity and inclusion:. “People go: ‘Oh, you're the first woman…” And I said, ‘Well, that's not really very diverse. Being a white woman from an English professional family in the late 20th century.’”
I left Pippa’s office that day realising for the first time that while the Master is a central figure in a College, it’s also very much about the fellowship and the community as a whole that carries the responsibility of creating an inclusive environment. Before I depart, she also shares a piece of advice:“The best advice I was ever given,...is when you start to work, put 5% of your income into a separate account on payday, until you have six months living expenses. It's called the fuck-you account, because then you have a cushion against something going wrong. It could be you fall out of a relationship, you get ill or you don't want to do this job anymore and you can actually just say fuck you.” Her fuck-you account allowed her to leave a well-paid job and instead go back to university to do a PhD.
Her favourite place in College: “My favourite space in College is actually the first bit on the right in the Cocker building, in the library on the ground floor. That's where I wrote my PhD. It’s where I spent a lot of my undergrad because it was the university's law library before it became Caius’ library. So that has great resonance for me.”
Her favourite College: “For me it would have to be Newnham, which is my undergraduate College. It's an extraordinarily special institution.”
Her favourite secret place in Cambridge: “It's not so secret to say. It’s the walk behind the town rugby club between here and Haslingfield. It's really where I go with the dogs. That's my special place. It's walking out that way."
Previously Professor of Private International Law, elected in 2018 until 2028
Alma Mater: Newnham College, Cambridge
Mohamed El-Erian
Walking down King’s Parade and turning right just before Fitzbillies is where you find Queens’ College. Mohamed El-Erian came here in 1977 to study Economics not knowing that he would return more than 40 years later to give back to the place that so strongly defined his early life. “Because I was a foreigner. I was given quite a hard time [in school]. Queens’ was completely contrary. I was embraced. It was a very inclusive place. And I often say that I owe a lot of my career success to Queens.” He explains his understanding of the role of President: “I often think of the role of the President at Queens’ is to be an enabler. To enable people to fulfil their considerable potential”.
When talking to Mohamed, it became apparent that it is critical for him to listen and learn from the students. To learn about their aspirations, their goals and about their sorrows. Just because an institution managed to persist for hundreds of years doesn’t mean it will be resilient enough to be there for years to come. “What we try to find is where's the institutional failure and how do we correct it. We realise that the last thing you want is for someone who's worked very hard to come to Cambridge, who was incredibly promising and bright, to be tripped up by either financial issues or mental health issues.”
In some Colleges, change is an upward battle fought on many fronts between students, fellows, staff and the Master. It might be Mohamed’s successful time at Wall Street that demonstrated that he knows how to listen to people, find problems and react accordingly. Ultimately, it’s the way he leads by example that brought him the trust of the fellows and the students. He is aware that his job comes with a big responsibility. “I think if you don't have a passion for improving the student experience, this is not a job for you. And ultimately it goes back to the question, do you listen to your students or not?”
Mohamed very much enjoys spending time with the students and giving back to the community. Whenever I see students wandering around, especially if they have their family and I have time, I say ‘Why don't you come see the lodge?’. When I was here, I never set foot in the lodge. And I think the President's lodge is something that belongs to the whole College.”
His favourite place in College: “So the space that I find most inspiring is Old Court, the first part of the College. Because in a very compact space, you see everything that's needed for a College: a library, a tower, accommodation and a dining room.”
His favourite College: Obviously Queens’. “But I like quite a few of them. I like how different they all are.”
His favourite secret place in Cambridge: “I love the walk from Cambridge to Grantchester. Not just along the path, but when you go down along the river - that I absolutely love.”
Previsouly CEO of PIMCO, elected in 2020 until pres. 2025
Alma mater: Queens’ College, Cambridge
Sonita Alleyne
Sonita Alleyne, the Master of Jesus College, shares similar values to Mohamed, despite coming from a completely different background. She is a very friendly and open person still sparking with loads of energy. For Sonita the Mastership is very much about showing empathy, asking the right questions and actually listening. “It’s a little bit like in the Emperor's new clothes. These are things we think we're good at. But are we really? Have we asked the students? What are the bits that are really special to you?”.
Speaking to students is part of her daily bread. “I need like 10 or 15 minutes to get to places in College because I like to chat.” She also takes the time out of her schedule to talk to all third-year students for 15 minutes. “It's 150 of them and that starts in January. I look forward to it because it's a really good time to sort of find out what people are thinking.”
It is also important to her that the students at Jesus get a chance to develop personally and use their time in Cambridge to explore themselves. Music and sports are obviously big in this grand College, like everywhere in Cambridge. But Jesus also has its reputation for arts and creativity and, coming from a media background, Sonita is just the right person to further nurture this culture. “We’re doing a lot more in terms of looking at creativity across Jesus. We have an art club which I expanded - You don't have to be brilliant at it, ou just have to come along. We also have filmmaking as well. We have poetry and photography competitions.” In addition to that she also likes to provide hands-on support for her students. “We have our Creative Industries Club. Quite a lot of students want to do it. I'll try and have breakfast and meet people one to one. It's quite hard to kind of fit that into the diary, but I try to make sure I can do that.” Jesus is a place to get creative, no matter your talent.
Her favourite place in College: “There's a time and a space which is when you're sat in the master's chair for dinner and there's a moment when you can just hear all the conversation around you. I love that.”
Her favourite College: Fitzwilliam, this is where she did her undergraduate. “But I also like all the plants and pots outside of Murray Edwards. It's just like loads and loads of pots as you go into Murray Edwards. I like that. Lots of plants there and the architecture. It’s quite modern. It's kind of cool.”
Her favourite secret place in Cambridge: "I like the path along the river as you're going out towards Stourbridge Common there's the Technology Museum. It's really, really great. It's like a big industrial plant."
Previously Journalist and BBC trustee, elected in 2019 until 2029
Alma mater: Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Richard Heaton
Richard Heaton is the Master of a not-so-average Cambridge College. Robinson is the newest addition to the collegiate system of Cambridge. Being new in the business the red brick castle often receives less attention than all the older Colleges. However, when meeting Richard, he made a strong case for why Robinson is actually more than you think.
Located at the western border of Cambridge, Robinson is an oasis of modern values with a large green garden at its centre. For Richard, it is the entrepreneurial and inclusive emphasis that defines the College. “The College can genuinely claim to have an unstuffy, unpretentious and unsnobby culture.” he explains. “We quite like the entrepreneurial spirit and the zeal, the sense of doing things differently and taking risks is something we instil as much as we can, ”
Don’t understand Richard wrong, he isn’t against traditions, rather he finds that: "...the joy is that we're allowed to choose our traditions and we're allowed to discard them as well. As long as you don't feel beholden to someone else's version of how you should be behaving, then you have freedom to write your own story.”
Doing a one-year graduate diploma in History of Art at the London University during COVID (just before taking up his role as Master) also informed his empathy for the challenges of the modern student. Richard, like many of the Masters we have visited so far, also emphasises that Cambridge is about more than just academic success: “It's wonderful watching people come to Cambridge and trying things out, discovering their voice and finding forms of expression which complement their academic work. ”
As with every College, Robinson is focusing on sustainability - both environmentally and financially. “It would be fabulous if you couldn't tell the story about Cambridge and the reference to the red brick College on Grange Road, which is just a bit funky, a bit innovative, a bit different and people just queue for miles to join in.”
His favourite place in College: "I think the theatre, we call it the auditorium, but it's a theatre because it's amazing. It's a full 250-seat theatre which is unusual in Cambridge.”
His favourite College: "I think I’ll be loyal to the modernist tradition and say Fitzwilliam College. As a as a sort of benchmark College for Cambridge buildings in the modernist and postmodern tradition, Fitz is my exemplar."
His favourite secret place in Cambridge: "Not Kettle's Yard itself. It's the it's the yard, it's the it's the pathway that goes through Kettle's Yard that takes you out to the grassy bank on the other side. So it's the back way into Kettle's Yard."
Previously Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, elected in 2021 until 2028
Alma mater: Worcester College, Oxford
Alan Short
A little further down the road is where you find one of the smallest Cambridge Colleges, Clare Hall. As one of the smallest Colleges, it only admits post-graduate students. Alan Short is an unusual Head of House to an unusual College. He is one of the few who was elected from within the College rather than from outside the University. He is also the first Head coming from the field of Architecture, at both Oxford and Cambridge.
Initially, Clare Hall functioned as the graduate arm of Clare College before they separated. Alan promotes the egalitarian style of the College. “The students are everything. To further promote exchange between all members of the College, they have special interest groups encompassing many disciplines where fellows and students have the chance to meet. The egalitarian approach is also reflected in the everyday life of the College, “…and anybody can sit next to anybody at lunch and dinner”. This was a deliberate decision to create a true community.
As a post-graduate College, Alan is also aware that his students’ needs can be very different to those of undergraduates. Many fellows and postgraduates also have families, so at Clare Hall everyone is welcome - “you can bring your family, you can bring your children”. His mission is to support the students as best as possible so that they can reach their goals and progress with their careers.
Alan already knows that he will dearly miss this place that has been his home for the past 20 years. “I wake up every morning, I make a little mark on my bedhead. Another day has gone past, so I'm slightly dreading the end of the four years.”
His favourite place in College: The common room. “All the spaces flow together and from the top balcony you can see everybody in a discreet way”.
His favourite College: Trinity. “This really goes back to where my friends were. But I love Magdalene, actually, because I had great friends at Magdalene and I got a special affection for Peterhouse.”
His favourite secret place in Cambridge: “Rifle Range Road, which is the little track that sets off across the south side of the College, over the horizon. And I discovered it in my second year [of my undergraduate]. I found it very calming. I had such a bad sense of direction. I thought I was walking towards the North Sea. I wasn't. I was walking completely opposite direction.”
Previously Professor of Architecture, elected in 2020 until 2027
Alma mater: Trinity College, Cambridge
Jane Clarke
Almost in Grantchester Meadows is where Wolfson College is found, one of the few mature Colleges of Cambridge. Jane Clarke, the President of Wolfson, could not be a better fit for the College. “I started my PhD at 40. I joined Lucy Cavendish, as it was for older women and I was an older woman. But it hadn't been part of my plan. In some ways, my career has been very unplanned. I was a schoolteacher, became Head of Biology, then Head of Science and went part-time when the kids were young.”
Jane had the chance to experience many Colleges over the years, but none of them lived up to the values of a true community the way Wolfson does. Similar to Clare Hall, Wolfson has a very egalitarian approach to College life. “Here we have a single student association. We don't have a senior common room. We don't have a junior common room. We don't have an MCR.”
Over the course of the last 6 years, Jane together with the College worked hard to create focus groups to bring people from the whole community together. “At Wolfson, we don't have barriers. So in our interdisciplinary research hub, we have students, we have staff - the gardeners, the kitchen staff, we have fellows and we've got alumni, all working together in this space.” In the end, her goal has always been to give the Wolfson student a place to feel welcome and home. “I think in equality, diversity and inclusion, the word ‘inclusion’ is the most important one. Yeah, we give people the opportunity to get here and then we make sure they're included.”
Her favourite place in College: “There's a winter garden. It's a peaceful, beautiful space, so it's got to be the gardens. And what's so lovely about walls and gardens, unlike other Colleges, all gardens are open to everybody. So it's got to be the garden.”
Her favourite College: “It could have been Lucy Cavendish, cause I was at Lucy. It could have been Hughes, cause I was a Hughes. Trinity Hall is also a beautiful College. It's right by the river. But a College is not about the buildings. A College is about the students, the staff, the community. And what's so very, very special about Wolfson? Is we are a community.”
Her favourite secret place in Cambridge: “I love the river. If you were a fairy godmother and you give me one wish I’d pick Wolfson up and put it on the river.”
Previously Professor of Molecular Biophysics, elected in 2017 until 2024
Alma mater: University of York
Simon Woolley
At the southern end of Cambridge is where Simon Woolley made Homerton his new home a few years ago. Simon is an activist. He is the type of person who managed to keep a positive spirit despite the fact that politics often doesn’t play nice. He is the joyful kind. The type of person who still bears a big smile despite fighting for equality and diversity for more than 30 years. He is the infectious kind of person, who can bring the best out of people.
During his early years, he spent time in Latin America. “In the 90s, Latin America was on fire. So seeing it in real terms and then coming back to the UK I said: ‘What can I do here? I'm not gonna get shot. I'm not gonna get kidnapped. I have no excuse not to try and change my world.’”
It is also this spirit of empowering people to take matters into their own hands, go out and make a difference that he wants to give to his students at Homerton. “We want students to leave with a mission. To change the world. To forge a fairer world.”
Simon himself only got the chance to go to university in his thirties, which made him realise the importance of education. “I'm a big fan of lifelong education. I'm also a big fan of young people being leaders like my heroes, Martin Luther King, Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Jesse Jackson and the civil rights generation. Most of which were students.”
His favourite place in College: “I love the dining room and I love the walk to the room from my house.”
His favourite College: "Downing I found was very pretty."
His favourite secret place in Cambridge: The secret garden at Homerton. “We have a tropical little garden space. And it's great just to sit there. There are a couple of benches there.”
Previously Member of the House of Lords, elected in 2021 until pres. 2028
Alma mater: Middlesex University
After meeting all these Masters, I realised that Cambridge is much more than pretty buildings and a rich history of success. To be successful after centuries means to adapt to the current times. It is defined by its community, the culture and the values the people share. While all Colleges ultimately serve the same purpose – to create a healthy and thriving community, they are all still very different from one another. All masters chose their College for one reason or another, cause it aligned with their values. Equally, it means that there is also a College for each student and their values coming from all sorts of backgrounds. You just need to find your place to fit in. (And when you are interested in the more ugly side of College politics check out ‘The Masters’ by J.P Snow or The Times podcast series called ‘The Feud’.)