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Vladimir Kara-Murza on surviving prison pg.10 No.934 Friday 25th April 2025 varsity.co.uk The Independent Student Newspaper since 1947
Clash for chancellorship Kezia Douglass, Elizabeth Bratton, Anuk Weerawardana, and Wilf Vall News Correspondent, Deputy News Editor, Senior News Editor, and Editor-in-Chief Four figures have declared their candidacy for the role of Cambridge University Chancellor ahead of elections in Easter term. So far, business owner and activist Gina Miller, Queens’ College president Mohamed El-Erian, former BP chief executive Lord Browne, and Cambridge Astrophysicist Wyn Evans have declared that they will be running for the position. The Chancellor is the Head of the University but does not exercise executive authority. However, they do have the authority to call and chair Congregations of the Regent House in addition to deciding on certain contested and unresolved matters on appeal. Miller, the only female candidate announced so far, is hoping to break new ground by becoming the first woman Chancellor in Cambridge’s 800-year history. “Representation matters,” Miller told Varsity, explaining that she wishes to promote a culture where everyone can voice their opinions and concerns. She continued: “Championing inclusion and social mobility would be a key focus for me, drawing on my personal experiences and lifelong work promoting diversity, equity, fairness and justice”. Miller also explained that she would want to serve as a “critical friend” to the University by offering independent insights and working closely with the vice-chancellor and leadership team. She concluded that she would like to inspire “greater public trust in Cambridge” and aims to bridge the gap between the University and society with “accessible communication and principled advocacy”. Reflecting on her previous work, Miller told Varsity that she is a “proven changemaker,” stating: “I have a formi-
Inside
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▼ ALIONA ADRIANOVA
▼ LORD BROWNE
• Queens’ president pledges to protect freedom of speech • Outsider candidate accuses Uni of ‘administrative oligarchy’
dable track record for holding governments and corporations to account, defending democracy through the courts, and leading campaigns for transparency, cultural change and justice,” she said. Miller has previously successfully challenged the UK government on two constitutional accounts. The first case, which was initiated and won by Miller, forced the British government to give Parliament a vote on Article 50. Article 50 is part of the European Union’s (EU) Lisbon Treaty which cites the steps for a country seeking to leave the EU. Mohamed El-Erian, the current president of Queens’ College, Cambridge, is also running for the position. In an interview with Varsity, El-Erian stated that his primary objectives include supporting academic excellence, strengthening the University’s finances, and to support academic freedom and free speech. The protection of freedom of speech is of high importance to El-Erian’s campaign, claiming that he wanted to intensify “the commitment in the face of significant headwinds coming from outside Cambridge”. El-Erian, who read Economics at Cambridge University as an undergraduate, said that he would also be seeking to “boost philanthropic support for the University and reduce [its] current vulnerability to external shock”. He claimed that taking philanthropic donations would not put the University at risk of relying on the fossil fuels industry, claiming that: “We have vast opportunities that are outside […] extractive industries. This is particularly the case in the US, where the tradition of philanthropy is very well established, and Cambridge has less recognition, both in absolute terms and relative to Oxford”. This comes after the University recently accepted a £20 million donation
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Cambridge’s housing crisis pg.13 ● Spring into Spring pg.22 ● Stephen Fry’s Cambridge pg.25