28 | <strong>Somerville</strong> Magzine Principal’s retirement There is nothing like a Dame Fiona As readers <strong>of</strong> this <strong>magazine</strong> will be aware, Fiona Caldicott steps down this year after 14 years as Principal. She has also worked tirelessly at a university level. Two colleagues pay tribute to her work.
<strong>Somerville</strong> Magzine | 29 the electricity that seems to crackle through the Hall when Fiona stands up With thanks from <strong>Somerville</strong> by JOANNA INNES Fiona Caldicott took over the leadership <strong>of</strong> a college still adjusting to its new role as a mixed institution; she leaves it a more settled and fl ourishing institution, in good heart for the challenges <strong>of</strong> our times. Perhaps Fiona’s resilience is her most remarkable feature, so essential to all that she has done, and so easily taken for granted in anyone who displays it. She has coped with a multitude <strong>of</strong> commitments with consistent seriousness and unfl agging determination. But the fact that, despite all the pressures upon her, she is always collected, always ready to reason her way through diffi culties, and always – in my experience <strong>of</strong> talking many things over with her – ready to laugh, if <strong>of</strong>ten rather ruefully, shouldn’t be taken for granted; on the contrary, one has to wonder how she manages it. Five other things stand out for me about Fiona Caldicott’s principalship. These are, fi rst, her commitment to and interest in students, generally as young people, but also especially as students, who have assumed academic responsibilities which she encourages them to take very seriously. Second, her commitment to supporting the academic work <strong>of</strong> Fellows, and to fi nding effective ways for the <strong>College</strong> to function as an academic institution in a changing local, national and international environment. Third, her pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism, and desire to see the <strong>College</strong>’s fi nancial, material and administrative infrastructure maintained and managed to high pr<strong>of</strong>essional standards. Fourth, her highly developed sense <strong>of</strong> the duties <strong>of</strong> her position, and her tireless engagement with the many and varied practical and sociable responsibilities the principalship entails. Fifth, the high-pr<strong>of</strong>i le and demanding roles she has willingly taken on within the university. Space doesn’t allow me to develop these themes by more than a few vignettes. I think <strong>of</strong> the electricity that seems to crackle through the Hall when Fiona stands up to address, tease and adjure a packed crowd <strong>of</strong> dining students. I think <strong>of</strong> what all tutors know is her unstinting willingness to grapple with the problems, academic and personal, that some students encounter: to make time for both tutors and students in these cases, sometimes at very short notice. She has been consistently supportive <strong>of</strong> all efforts to disburden fellows and tutors <strong>of</strong> tasks that can more effectively be done by others (despite her dislike <strong>of</strong> the rhetoric <strong>of</strong> ‘burdens’: ‘burdens!’ she says; ‘these are your jobs’). She makes it plain that she values fellows’ academic achievements, and that she sees a role for the <strong>College</strong> in facilitating and encouraging these. She has worked consistently over the years with key administrative staff to develop clear and rigorous procedures and systems <strong>of</strong> reporting, and to promote strategic thinking about all aspects <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong>’s activities. Among her most effective moments have been moments <strong>of</strong> crisis: it is evident how carefully and thoroughly she thinks through the challenges that such moments present, and how assiduous she is in making sure that lines <strong>of</strong> action agreed are followed through. She never hesitates to take a bull by the horns. The university duties she has taken on could have been a distraction, but she has never thought that there is any part <strong>of</strong> the Principal’s job that she can properly devolve. Her engagement with the <strong>University</strong> has enhanced her understanding <strong>of</strong> the wider environment within which academics and students move; we hope and believe that what she has learned about the daily realities <strong>of</strong> life in the university from her close knowledge <strong>of</strong> the college setting has informed her university work generally, and most specifi cally her work heading the Task Force on Academic Employment. Most recently, the network <strong>of</strong> contacts she’s developed within the governing councils <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> and in university administration have helped the <strong>College</strong> collaborate effectively with these bodies in relation to our new building project on the Radcliffe Observatory site. It’s characteristic <strong>of</strong> Fiona that, as she prepares to complete her term as Principal, she should have taken on a major new challenge in the National Health Service. Never could it be said <strong>of</strong> her that she relishes an easy life. Nonetheless, she’s not incapable <strong>of</strong> relaxing. Let’s hope that the future will provide her with pleasures both at work and at play. With thanks from <strong>Oxford</strong> by STEPHEN GOSS To begin at the beginning, I fi rst met Dame Fiona at one <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong>’s annual suppers for its out-<strong>of</strong>college tutors. I had been giving tutorials to <strong>Somerville</strong> medics, as I had to medics at many other colleges, and I was pleasantly surprised to be invited: other colleges had never made the gesture. I was also delighted to discover just how well informed the Principal was about developments in the Medical School (I suspect I need not add that I found her well informed too about the individual progress <strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong>’s medical students!). This was a time when a new divisional structure was being proposed for the <strong>University</strong> and there was much discussion about the possible integration <strong>of</strong> the Department <strong>of</strong> Experimental Psychology into what would become the new Medical Sciences Division. Given her background and the GMC’s concern that prospective doctors should be taught the psychology relevant to medical practice, it will be no surprise that Dame Fiona supported the possibility. It was not much
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