Madeleine Atkins | |
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![]() Professor Atkins in 2008 | |
President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge | |
Assumed office 2018 | |
Preceded by | Jackie Ashley |
Personal details | |
Born | 2 July 1952 |
Dame Madeleine Julia Atkins, DBE , DL , FAcSS (born 2 July 1952) is a British academic administrator,scholar of education,and former teacher. Since 2018,she has served as the 9th President of Lucy Cavendish College,Cambridge. She was formerly vice-chancellor of Coventry University,and the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (2014–2018).
Atkins was born on 2 July 1952. [1] She studied law and history at Girton College,Cambridge, [2] [3] [4] graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1974. [5] She then trained as a teacher at Lady Margaret Hall,Oxford,completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). [5] She obtained a PhD from University of Nottingham in 1982. [1]
Atkins was a school teacher from 1975 to 1979,before leaving to study for a doctorate. [5] She was then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Nottingham from 1982 to 1983,before joining Newcastle University in 1984 as a lecturer. [5] She was promoted to senior lecturer in 1988,and rose to be pro-vice-chancellor (1998 to 2004). [5] [4]
She was vice-chancellor of Coventry University from 2004 to 2013. [5] She became Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on 1 January 2014. [4] In 2015,Atkins was paid a salary of between £230,000 and £234,999 by HEFCE,making her one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time. [6] In June 2018,it was revealed by the University and College Union that she received a pay package worth £554,648 in 2017,which represents a 96% increase on the £282,354 paid to her in 2016-17. [7]
In July 2018,it was announced that Atkins would be the next President of Lucy Cavendish College,Cambridge in succession to Jackie Ashley. [2] She took up the post in October 2018,becoming the college's 9th president. [8]
Atkins was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to Higher Education. [9] She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours. She is a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the West Midlands. [10]
In 2016,she was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). [11]