Farewell to President Professor Jane Clarke

"Farewell Wolfson! I now understand why there are tears of sadness as well as tears of joy on graduation day. The tears of joy to reflect on what we've achieved, and excitement for the future; the tears of sadness as one leaves Wolfson behind to start a new chapter."

Jane—who was appointed as President in 2017—brought a new vision to the College, focusing on an era of strategic planning to imagine the Wolfson of the future. Under her leadership, the College has done significant work on the size and shape of the student body, with diversity, research, and support for mature learners at the core of Wolfson's academic ethos.  

"Wolfson has a more diverse and international body of students than ever before in our history. We are delighted to have partnered with charitable foundations and individuals to ensure that we can offer more opportunities to students from under-represented communities, from the UK and across the world. We also have more returners to learning, mainly because we have an increased number of part-time students. They come to Wolfson for a range of reasons, to engage in professional development, to learn about new disciplines or simply, and to my delight, to follow a passion for knowledge and learning."  

The College celebrated Jane and all she has accomplished during the annual alumni weekend, marking the occasion with a series of Formal Halls, a panel discussion between Jane and other female scientists, and a festive College-wide Garden Party—complete with the unveiling of Jane’s official portrait. You can view photos from the weekend on the College Flickr.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to be President of Wolfson. I thank every member of the College who has walked this walk alongside me – none of what we have achieved would have been possible without you.”

We thank Jane for all she has done for Wolfson and wish her every continued success.
 

Jane Clarke Award for Women in STEM

To recognise the immeasurable impact of her Presidency at Wolfson, the College has established a new PhD student scholarship to honour Professor Jane Clarke FRS FMedSci. As a leading voice in the Cambridge science community over decades, Jane Clarke has been an inspiration to generations of aspiring female scientists. Her Presidency at Wolfson and dedication to scientific thinking applied to all areas of life has cemented the College’s reputation as a destination for top science candidates from around the world.

Read more about how you can make your own gift to honour Jane’s legacy to Wolfson and science and create life-changing opportunities for women in STEM at our world-leading College.

 

Alumni Weekend photography by Ian Olsson