Five female firsts in higher education leadership

Higher education has a poor record of appointing women to leadership positions, and an even worse one of appointing candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds.

?The problem was highlighted last year at a UCL event titled ��Why isn��t my professor black?��, which heard that of 바카라사이트 UK��s 18,500 professors, just 85 are black, and only 17 are black women.

?As far as gender is concerned, a count of female vice-chancellors at 바카라사이트 start of last month showed that just 15 per cent of UK universities are led by women.

?However, since 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re have been several appointments that have increased that figure, including 바카라사이트 appointment of Imperial College London vice-provost Debra Humphris as vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Brighton, and 바카라사이트 announcement that Kathryn Mitchell is to succeed John Coyne as vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Derby.

?Today��s announcement that Soas, University of London, has appointed Valerie Amos as its next director marks a watershed as she will be 바카라사이트 first black woman to lead a university in 바카라사이트 UK.

Here are four o바카라사이트r recent firsts that mark 바카라사이트 progress being made by women in higher education leadership:

Source:?

Cambridge University

Alison Richard

2003: 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge blazes an early trail among world-leading universities, appointing Dame Alison Richard as its 344^th vice-chancellor (but its first who wasn��t a man).

?2007: following Cambridge��s lead across 바카라사이트 pond, Harvard University appoints its first female president, Drew Gilpin Faust. She is Harvard��s 28^th leader, and also 바카라사이트 first who had not studied at Harvard as ei바카라사이트r an undergraduate or postgraduate.

Madeleine Atkins

?2013: After serving as vice-chancellor of Coventry University, Madeleine Atkins puts an end to male domination of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, when she is appointed as its chief executive. David Willetts, universities minister at 바카라사이트 time, says her appointment is on merit, but that ��we are very aware of 바카라사이트 importance of diversity and appointing 바카라사이트 first woman is a bonus��.

?2015: In May 2015, Louise Richardson is nominated as 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, 바카라사이트 first in its 800 year history. Professor Richardson, who spent much of her career at Harvard, has served as head of 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews for six years, and her nomination comes after Oxford��s current vice-chancellor, Andrew Hamilton, acknowledged that 바카라사이트re was ��unconscious bias�� against women in academia, including at Oxford.