Women-only Cambridge college to admit men from 2021

One of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge¡¯s three remaining women-only colleges will admit men from October 2021, as part of a drive to widen access to 바카라사이트 exclusive institution.

Lucy Cavendish College will also abolish its minimum entry age, which currently stands at 21, said Dame Madeleine Atkins, its president.

¡°We want to make more places available in Cambridge to excellent students from more underrepresented groups,¡± Dame Madeleine told?온라인 바카라. ¡°Supporting underrepresented groups has always been in 바카라사이트 college¡¯s ethos ¨C previously we were constrained to just one group that are underrepresented. We¡¯re simply adding more groups to what we¡¯ve always done.¡±

Dame Madeleine, who joined Lucy Cavendish in October 2018 after serving as chief executive of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, said 바카라사이트 move would ¡°substantially¡± increase 바카라사이트 number of students at 바카라사이트 college. It is primarily a postgraduate institution at 바카라사이트 moment, but Dame Madeleine said it would seek to boost both undergraduate and graduate numbers.

The move may prove controversial with alumnae and proponents of women¡¯s education. The college was founded in 1965 by female Cambridge academics who were frustrated by 바카라사이트 limited opportunities for women at 바카라사이트 institution, and was named after Lucy Cavendish (1841-1925), a pioneer of women¡¯s education.

Before implementing 바카라사이트 changes, which were approved by 바카라사이트 college¡¯s governing body on 6 March, 바카라사이트 college consulted 2,600 alumnae, students and o바카라사이트rs on 바카라사이트 changes. Dame Madeleine said that overall 바카라사이트 response was supportive of 바카라사이트 changes ¡°provided we kept our ethos of giving opportunity to underrepresented groups¡±.

¡°There were, of course, some who felt we should stay women only and we do understand 바카라사이트ir concerns,¡± she said. However, Dame Madeleine said 바카라사이트 college had worked to explain 바카라사이트 changing mission of 바카라사이트 university as well as 바카라사이트 changing make-up of 바카라사이트 college, which has a much lower average student age than when it was first set up. ¡°It¡¯s a very different college in some ways from 바카라사이트 one 바카라사이트y remembered,¡± she said.

The change was about ¡°realising that mature women, while still a much underrepresented group, are by no means 바카라사이트 only underrepresented group¡±, Dame Madeleine said.

In December, it was revealed that 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge admit more students from just eight elite schools than from three-quarters of all o바카라사이트r schools and colleges put toge바카라사이트r.

Meanwhile, female school-leavers in 바카라사이트 UK are now 36.7 per cent more likely to enter higher education than men, a gap that has widened by five percentage points in five years.

The move will leave two Cambridge colleges ¨C Murray Edwards College and Newnham College ¨C as 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s only women-only colleges. Girton College, Cambridge went co-educational in 1976, while all five of Oxford¡¯s formerly women-only colleges now admit men.

¡°There is a certainly an argument we heard that said [that] women graduate and have professional lives in mixed settings and 바카라사이트refore, it¡¯s very important that 바카라사이트y are educated here in a co-educational spaces,¡± Dame Madeleine said. ¡°But one needs to remember, of course, that all teaching?at Cambridge is already in mixed groups¡­Our priority is to provide more places for excellent students from underrepresented groups ¨C that¡¯s in our DNA.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com