Lucy Cavendish College University of Cambridge Transforming women’s lives and work
What I like most about Lucy Cavendish is how the environment is perfect for doing my research – a mixture of intellectual stimulation and a friendly supportive setting that allows me to work comfortably. Namukale Chintu PhD student in International Business & Strategy
This fundraising initiative was made possible with the generous assistance of the What I See project. A global exploration of what women see when they look in the mirror. www.whatiseeproject.com
The Pink Room by Mary Fedden (1979) Mary Fedden came to Lucy Cavendish College in 1996, when the College gained its royal charter. She enjoyed her visit and was impressed by the friendly atmosphere and the aims of the College. Subsequently Mary Fedden said she wished to give Lucy Cavendish a painting and gave us the large painting of a chair on an oriental kilim carpet which was one of her earlier works and one she had kept for herself, rather than put up for sale.
Lucy Cavendish College is unique as we are the only Higher Education College in Europe for women students aged 21 or over. Part of the University of Cambridge, Lucy Cavendish is where women from every possible background come to study at a time in their lives that suits them. Inclusion is at the heart of Lucy Cavendish; irrespective of background or financial circumstances the College provides an education of the highest quality through small group teaching, academic supervision, support for our students in personal or financial need, living accommodation and meals, library, computing and cultural facilities. Through membership of the College, undergraduate and graduate students experience a great global university at a human scale. The College is dedicated to helping transform women’s lives and work, and Lucy Cavendish students have gone on to be successful lawyers, doctors, vets and academics, while many have joined government departments and major international organisations; they are found in all walks of life and on every continent. Lucy Cavendish has over 350 undergraduate and graduate students from six continents and sixty one countries. The College prides itself on its strong sense of community; and the pursuit of academic excellence is combined with a friendly atmosphere and a warm informality. We are noted for our continued commitment to widening women’s participation in higher education.
I still feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and astonishment that I was given the opportunity to realise my potential at Lucy Cavendish College. I enjoy studying medicine but I don’t get a lot of sleep doing this and having four children! I’m going to continue to aim high. I’d like to be a surgeon. It’s a lengthy process and there aren’t many women in surgery but this is everything to me. Nicky Jecks Medical student
Lucy Cavendish was a welcoming, warm, intimate, comfortable and diverse community to be a student. The friends I made ranged from a Panamanian humanitarian to a Romanian economist to a PakistaniAmerican historian (and avid rower). Tamara Felisa Micner Playwright, Performer, Journalist and Alumna of Lucy Cavendish College
As a married, mature student working in a male-dominated Engineering field, Lucy Cavendish gives me a place to meet up, interact and socialise with other women students. Ketaki Patel PhD student in Electronic Engineering, working jointly with Toshiba Europe.
The supportive and creative environment at Lucy Cavendish has enabled me to realise my potential whilst juggling the challenges of being a single parent. I am deeply grateful for the chance Lucy Cavendish has given me to do both. Kate McComb History BA student
Lucy Cavendish College University of Cambridge Help us build our new student centre
Lucy Cavendish College is a tremendous success story. Over the last fifty years it has provided a route into the University of Cambridge for women over 21 who may not have followed the traditional path into higher education; during this time it has made available opportunities to many wonderful women who have gone on to benefit society, economies, their communities, and families. We are committed to ensuring that the College can continue to give a chance for such women to achieve their academic ambitions and reach their full intellectual potential; to do this we aim to provide them with the best possible environment and facilities in which to study and develop. Professor Janet Todd President Lucy Cavendish College
The exciting development of the new Student Centre has the support of Honorary Fellows of the College, Dame Judi Dench, the actress; the author PD James (Baroness James of Holland Park) ‘No honour which I have received has given me more pleasure. I felt on my first visit that I was in tune with the purpose and spirit of the College and within moments of being welcomed I felt at home. As someone who had to leave formal education at the age of sixteen, I have always been sympathetic to any measure which offers to women of intelligence and ambition, who also had a curtailed education, the satisfaction of acquiring a Cambridge degree. Most, no doubt, will have been prevented either by lack of means or the pressure of personal responsibilities from experiencing these unique years of learning and self-fulfilment. I know from my visits to Lucy Cavendish College how much the students value the opportunities now open to them and how much they appreciate the support from each other and from the academic staff ’; and Sandi Toksvig, the writer, comedienne, and presenter ‘One of the highlights of my life was to be made an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College. It is the alma mater of the mature woman determined to improve her mind and a place where I feel right at home’.
The Lucy Cavendish community is unique in the opportunities it provides, and the new student centre represents a historic development in the history of the College. In providing a purpose built environment and facilities for the specific needs of our students and their families, it will support them in pursuing their academic ambitions at the University of Cambridge. Ruth Cameron Professor of Materials Science, University of Cambridge, Lucy Cavendish College Alumna and Governing Body Fellow
living an d l e a r n i n g Lucy Cavendish has grown significantly, expanding its student numbers by 50% over the last five years to a current total of over 350. This has resulted in an acute shortage of accommodation and facilities for students. At present, the College owns accommodation for less than half of our students. Students have clearly indicated that they would wish to be in more suitable ensuite accommodation on or near the College site, and those in outlying houses would welcome the opportunity to be part of a larger community with spaces to study and socialise. Given the profile of our students a major issue is Lucy Cavendish’s current lack of family accommodation. At present, students with children are often at some distance
Sometimes student life can feel lonely if you do not live on the main College site - just working in a lab or the library. Being able to live in a significant student community such as the new Student Centre will give us, and our families, the opportunity to feel part of Lucy Cavendish, not only to be ‘of College’, but importantly ‘in College’ too. Linda Stone Piggott Scholar in History
from the College, and are therefore more isolated and less able to participate fully in College life, have access to the College library and social areas, and receive regular support from the Lucy Cavendish community. To enable Lucy Cavendish to continue creating opportunities for mature women to achieve their full potential, broaden their expectations, and enhance their contribution to society we need to provide the best possible environment and facilities for them to achieve their academic ambitions. The new Student Centre will consist of 56 ensuite study bedrooms, a social area with an outdoor space for students to relax, and eight flats for students with families, all set within secure private gardens and within ten minutes walk of the main College site.
We need your help to build the new student centre Lucy Cavendish College has been transforming women’s lives and work since 1965, and will continue to do so with your help. Lucy Cavendish provides a real ‘home’ away from home for students coming from all over the world. The college is a perfect example with its combined academic excellence in teaching and research with a vibrant and supportive community. Cise Unleur PhD in Sustainable Development
Please add your support to this exciting opportunity to enrich the lives and shape the futures of so many enterprising women by contributing to the development of this new living and learning environment. With your help we can write a new chapter in Lucy Cavendish College’s inspiring history. Lucy Cavendish is a lean, efficient and prudently managed registered charity, and that will not change, so you can be assured that your support will be adding momentum to an institution with a proven ability to transform lives and contribute to society internationally. If you would like to associate your name with a particular element of the new Student Centre, we are very happy to discuss these opportunities with you. There are a number of ways that you can support the new Student Centre, so please contact: Caroline Sier – Fellow and Development Director Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, Lady Margaret Road, Cambridge, cb3 0bu Tel: +44 (0) 1223 764020 Email: cs554@cam.ac.uk www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk
Lucy Cavendish College Registered Charity Number: 1137875