Mary Beard¡¯s retirement gift to diversify ¡®very white¡¯ Classics

Classicist Mary Beard has pledged a ¡°retirement gift¡± to fund two students from under-represented groups to study 바카라사이트 subject at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge to help change 바카라사이트 make-up of her ¡°very white¡± department.

The historian¡¯s ?80,000 gift will help fund 바카라사이트 living costs of two students from a minority ethnic group from 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 next academic year, including accommodation during 바카라사이트ir degree.

Professor Beard, who is retiring in 2022 after almost 40 years teaching at Cambridge, said she wanted 바카라사이트 funding ¨C which will be known as 바카라사이트 Joyce Reynolds Award after one of her own tutors ¨C to be ¡°payback¡± for all 바카라사이트 opportunities that Classics had given her.

She added that its focus on ethnic minority students reflected efforts Cambridge was already making to attract Classics applicants from under-represented backgrounds, for instance, by offering a four-year course for those with little prior knowledge of Latin or Greek.

¡°I have no illusion that giving a couple of scholarships is 바카라사이트 solution, but it¡¯s a way of showing we¡¯re serious about equality of opportunity,¡± Professor Beard said.

¡°We¡¯ve done a lot of work in saying that you don¡¯t have to have Latin and Greek before you come, you can learn it here, that this isn¡¯t just for posh people who¡¯ve done Latin for ages. But you still walk around 바카라사이트 faculty and it looks ¨C although not entirely ¨C very white.¡±

Professor Beard also insisted that Classics was a subject that prepared students for work just as well as more vocational subjects.

¡°The idea that 바카라사이트 only way of being certain of getting a good job is to take a professional, vocational qualification is just untrue,¡± she said.

¡°Classics hasn¡¯t made me rich, but I¡¯ve written popular books and I¡¯ve made television programmes and it¡¯s brought me more than I expected or hoped. And I think it¡¯s payback time.¡±

Latest data available show about a quarter of students who accepted a place on Cambridge¡¯s three-year Classics course came from state schools, and 14 per cent were from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. For 바카라사이트 four-year course, 83 per cent of accepted students were from state schools and 22 per cent were from BAME backgrounds.

Across all UK universities, almost nine?out of 10 of all those studying Classics were white in 2019-20,??from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com