Hello, I'm Stephen Toope and I'm so proud
to be the new Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge.
I was a PhD
student here back in the 1980's and so
in some ways this feels like coming home
and yet this is also a time of
tremendous change at Cambridge.
The University is expanding dramatically in
its Biomedical Campus and in Northwest
Cambridge.
Its admitting more state-educated
students that anytime in
decades and it's producing research that
has the capacity to change the future of
our planet and our societies.
And yet I'm well aware
that I arrived at Cambridge
at a time of unease both locally and globally.
It seems that our societies
confront complexity and a speed of
change that's hard to manage.
Within the
United Kingdom the university sector is
facing changes to the way it's funded
the way it's governed and evaluated.
All of these can prompt nervousness and yet
Cambridge is an institution that's
thrived from more than 800 years and I'm
completely confident that it has shown
the capacity to manage change and
complexity.
Our generation faces some big issues
and none of them can be addressed
effectively without collaboration across
national borders and disciplinary
boundaries.
Cambridge is a place that can
take a lead in crossing those borders
and boundaries. With its history of
disruptive discovery it is the prime
locus for addressing the issues that
confront not only the United Kingdom but
the entire world.
As I begin my tenure as
Vice-Chancellor I'm asking myself many
"how" questions.
How together can we ensure
a sense of shared purpose across the
collegiate University while recognizing
our diversity.
How do we make sure that
our students
have the very best experience we can
offer.
How do we promote respectful
debate even on issues where there is
deep division allowing for genuine
conversation and dialogue.
These are just
a few of the questions that together
we'll be addressing over the course of
the next few years.
I hope that Cambridge
will remain an unstoppable force for the
promotion of knowledge, for inclusivity
and for the creation of an ever better
world.
