Professor Christine Gerrard was formally installed as Principal of Lady Margaret Hall on Friday 28th November in a Chapel ceremony attended by Fellows, friends, and members of the College community.
In her address, Professor Gerrard expressed her pride in taking up the leadership of an institution that has been central to her academic life. Recalling her arrival at LMH in 1988 as a Domus Fellow, she spoke of how quickly the College became a place of belonging for her, as it has for many generations of students and academics before.
Professor Gerrard also reflected on how her recent work in the central University, particularly as Director of The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH), has shaped her vision for LMH. Immersed in forward-looking, interdisciplinary projects such as the opening of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities and collaborations with entrepreneurship hubs, she has experienced the excitement of innovation and anticipation in spaces designed for experimentation and creativity. She hopes to bring that energy to LMH ̶ connecting students’ ideas, research, and projects with wider opportunities and fostering a culture of collaboration within the College.
Emphasising LMH’s long-standing identity as a pioneering and inclusive college, Professor Gerrard reflected on the College’s history of challenging convention, from its foundation as Oxford’s first college for women to recent initiatives such as the Foundation Year and the launch of the Centre for Research in Outreach and Access (CROA). She spoke of the College as a space that “breaks the mould”, where innovation, inclusion and diversity have always been central. She expressed her determination to build on that legacy by connecting LMH’s rich past with the opportunities offered by its location in Oxford’s emerging northern innovation district.
Professor Gerrard’s closing words looked ahead to LMH’s 150th anniversary, underscoring the importance of this moment and the opportunities it presents for the College’s future: “It is a great honour to help lead LMH towards its 150th anniversary ̶ a milestone we will celebrate not only through a rich programme of events, but also with the launch of a major philanthropic campaign. This campaign will strengthen LMH’s endowment, safeguarding our tradition of outstanding tutorial teaching and the personalised support that defines our community.
“What motivates us always is the generations to come, and the transformative power of education that has defined Oxford for centuries and will, we hope, continue for centuries more.”
