Wednesday 05-05-2021 - 13:00

Congratulations to Professor Karen O'Brien who will be the new Vice Chancellor and Warden of Durham University. From August, Professor Antony Long will provide interim leadership of the University until Professor O’Brien takes up her position in early January 2022.

As President of Durham Students’ Union, I have had the rare privilege of being part of the Vice Chancellor and Warden recruitment process, and I will also get to work with Professor O’Brien next year. As a member of the joint committee of Senate and Council, which was central to the recruitment, I would like to thank my fellow committee members for their rigour and tireless pursuit in bolstering the student voice and keeping student interests at the heart of this decision. I would like to give a special thanks to the Chair of Council, Joe Docherty, for putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the forefront of the recruitment, demonstrating a serious commitment to addressing the University’s cultural issues. I admire the level of professionalism and commitment that colleagues showed during this recruitment process, and it is this commitment that has led the appointment of the phenomenal Professor Karen O’Brien. 

Our university is transitioning into a new phase. With new buildings established and a shifting curriculum, more diverse student populations, divesting and decarbonising, and the changing conversation around our values and culture, my hope is this appointment will also symbolise a forwards movement. All recruitment committee members were incredibly aware of the importance of this appointment in setting a new tone for our university to sustain and thrive. It is the Vice Chancellor and Warden who will lead us into becoming better than we once were, and I have faith that Professor O’Brien is more than up for the challenge.  

This appointment is a historic one too, as Professor Karen O’Brien will become the first female Vice Chancellor and Warden in the University's history. On both a personal and professional level, it is wonderful to see women in positions of power, where they pursue their vision through unapologetic leadership. Professor O’Brien is an inspiration for our womxn students, especially after the past year of social justice discourse in our university. During the recruitment, it was evident that Professor O’Brien will be a formidable leader. I look forward to a collaborative and impactful relationship between Durham Students’ Union and Durham University with Professor O’Brien at the helm.  

Our new Vice Chancellor will be inheriting a university where change is already a major theme. Under the remarkable leadership of Professor Stuart Corbridge, we are igniting a new vision for ourselves. We are stopping Durham being left behind in a changing world. What started under Professor Corbridge, I hope Professor O’Brien will continue. I hope that Professor O’Brien will challenge our status quo and be bolder in her pursuit to make Durham a better institution. Our University is steeped in tradition, but I hope Professor O’Brien and Durham University see this as an opportunity to come into a new phase of innovation and inclusivity for Durham.  

 

Congratulations again, Professor Karen O’Brien!