Dame Madeleine Julia Atkins, (born 2 July 1952) is a British

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some ...

, scholar of education, and former teacher. Since 2018, she has served as the 9th President of

Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge Lucy Cavendish College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1965 as a women's college and since 2021 has admitted both women and men. The college is na ...

. She was formerly

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Coventry University Coventry University is a Public university, public research university in Coventry, England. The origins of Coventry University can be linked to the Coventry School of Art and Design, Coventry School of Design in 1843. It was known as Lancheste ...

, and the Chief Executive of the

Higher Education Funding Council for England The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of funding for higher education to universities and further education colleges in Engl ...

(2014–2018).

Early life and education

Atkins was born on 2 July 1952. She studied law and history at

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...

,"Professor Madeleine Atkins CBE, FAcSS appointed as 9th President of Lucy Cavendish College"
lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk, 2 July 2018; retrieved 25 October 2018.Profile
''The Guardian'', 16 December 2003.Profile
hefce.ac.uk; accessed 30 December 2018. graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1974. She then trained as a teacher at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

, completing a

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and South Africa -where it can take up to three years- which provides training in order to allow graduate ...

(PGCE). She obtained a PhD from

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

in 1982.

Career

Atkins was a school teacher from 1975 to 1979, before leaving to study for a doctorate. She was then a

post-doctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary academ ...

at the

from 1982 to 1983, before joining

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

in 1984 as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 1988, and rose to be pro-vice-chancellor (1998 to 2004). She was

from 2004 to 2013. She became Chief Executive of the

(HEFCE) on 1 January 2014. 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. In June 2018, it was revealed by the

University and College Union The University and College Union (UCU) is a British trade union in further and higher education representing over 120,000 academics and support staff. UCU is a vertical union representing casualised researchers and teaching staff, "permanent" ...

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. In July 2018, it was announced that Atkins would be the next President of

in succession to

Jackie Ashley Jacqueline Ashley (born 10 September 1954) is an English journalist and broadcaster. Early life Ashley was born in St Pancras, London. She is the daughter of Pauline Kay () and Jack Ashley, Baron Ashley of Stoke, a Labour MP and life peer. ...

. She took up the post in October 2018, becoming the college's 9th president.

Honours

Atkins was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2012 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2012 were announced on 31 December 2011 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, She was promoted to

Dame Commander ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronetesses in their own right also use the title ''Da ...

of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

. She is a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the West Midlands. In 2016, she was elected a

Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences The Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) is an award granted by the Academy of Social Sciences to leading academics, policy-makers, and practitioners of the social sciences. Fellows were previously known as Academicians and used t ...

(FAcSS).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Madeleine Living people 1952 births Academics of Coventry University Academics of Newcastle University Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Alumni of the University of Nottingham Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Deputy lieutenants of the West Midlands (county) Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge People associated with Coventry University Presidents of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge