Cambridge receives £1.2 million donation to support Divinity students

pbh25 — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:32:16 +0000

A new studentship fund for postgraduates in the field of New Testament Studies has been established at the Faculty of Divinity, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge with a £1.2 million donation from the Kirby Laing Foundation.

̽��ֱ��Kirby Laing Graduate Studentships will allow the best and brightest graduate students in New Testament Studies to study at Cambridge, regardless of financial background. ̽��ֱ��fund complements an earlier donation made by the Kirby Laing Foundation in 2007 to secure the future of the Lady Margaret Professorship in Divinity, the oldest Chair in the ̽��ֱ��, which was originally founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, in 1502.

Professor Judith Lieu FBA, the current Lady Margaret Professor, explained that each year a number of highly qualified students are unable to take up the offer of a graduate place at Cambridge because of a lack of funding. “We shall now be able to offer full funding to the best MPhil or PhD applicants in need of support, either from home or overseas, to cover both their fees and living costs”, Professor Lieu said. “New Testament Studies at Cambridge has an international reputation for its breadth and for the excellence of its scholarship and research supervision. We expect keen interest in the Kirby Laing Graduate Studentships, which will be offered for the first time this year”.

̽��ֱ��new Kirby Laing scholars will become part of Cambridge’s diverse research community, and will have the opportunity to develop their ideas as well as draw on each other’s expertise and that of world-class academics to foster creativity and innovative approaches to Biblical studies that will prepare them to be the future generation of leading theologians, scholars and thinkers in their fields.

Cambridge has an 800 year tradition of religious and Biblical scholarship, and continues to take a leading role in academic discussion today. Religion frames many modern debates in politics, society and the media, and Biblical texts are being read and interpreted in new situations across the world, often in the context of social change and flux. Christians and others who address social and moral issues have to ask what these texts, which are seen by many as a source of moral authority and spiritual insight, can bring to contemporary understandings of ourselves and our world. ̽��ֱ��Kirby Laing scholars will be at the forefront of these debates, both within Cambridge and beyond.

̽��ֱ��Kirby Laing Foundation was established in 1972 as part of the Laing Family Trusts, which seek to support religious, cultural, educational and charitable activities both in the UK and overseas.

Cambridge’s fundraising Campaign, which launched on 16 October 2015, is the largest philanthropic campaign for the ̽��ֱ�� to date, and seeks to raise £2 billion to support investment in research, education and resources to ensure that the ̽��ֱ�� continues to have a global impact for generations to come. Support for graduate students, who push forward the boundaries of knowledge and understanding, is a key component. For more information on the Campaign and the initiatives it supports, see www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk

̽��ֱ��Kirby Laing Graduate Studentship will be offered for the first time this year to students who will take up their places at Cambridge in 2016.

̽��ֱ��Kirby Laing Foundation has donated £1.2 million to the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s newly-launched fundraising campaign.

We shall now be able to offer full funding to the best MPhil or PhD applicants in need of support.

Professor Judith Lieu

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Equality champions announced

pbh25 — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 11:28:14 +0000

Professors Anne Davis (left) and Judith Lieu (right) have been appointed gender equality champions for the ̽��ֱ��.

Professor Lieu will cover gender activities for the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences. Professor Davis will have responsibility for STEMM subjects.

They succeed the ̽��ֱ��’s former gender equality champion, Professor Dame Athene Donald, who became Master of Churchill in October.

Professor Davis says that while improvements have been made in gender equality within the ̽��ֱ��, there is still a long way to go. “There are still assumptions and attitudes and not enough women represented at all levels within the ̽��ֱ��. You cannot call yourself a top university if you only utilise the talents of a proportion of the country defined by gender,” says Davis.

Professor Lieu adds: “This is not just an issue for women – it is an issue for the ̽��ֱ��, not just because of equality legislation, but because fostering the best talent is paramount.”

Both professors say the "leaky pipe", which sees so many women leave academia as their careers develop while their male counterparts remain, must be addressed.

New equality champions have also been announced this month for schools and institutions. ̽��ֱ��roles were created in 2009 “to demonstrate senior leadership and support for equality and diversity matters and initiatives”.

̽��ֱ�� welcomes new gender equality champions

This is not just an issue for women – it is an issue for the ̽��ֱ��.

Professors Judith Lieu

̽��ֱ��new equality champions for Schools and institutions are:

Dr Minna Sunikka-Blank, Professor John Rink (Arts and Humanities)
Professor Alison Bashford, Dr Brendan Burchell (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Professor Valerie Gibson, Dr Nick Bampos (Physical Sciences)
Professor Gordon Smith, Professor Fiona Karet (Clinical Medicine)
Dr Tim Minshall, Professor Sabine Bahn (Technology)
Professor Ottoline Leyser, Professor Daniel St Johnston (Biological Sciences)
Geraldine Dufour, Tim Knox (institutions independent of any School).

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Yes

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Judith Lieu

Cambridge receives £1.2 million donation to support Divinity students

Equality champions announced