Appointment of a Master
Magdalene College is pleased to announce that Professor Sir Christopher Greenwood has been appointed as Master from 1 October 2020, in succession to Dr Rowan Williams (Baron Williams of Oystermouth) who will be retiring after seven and a half hugely successful years as Head of House.
Sir Christopher was a judge at the International Court of Justice, on which he served from 2009 to 2018. Before his election to the ICJ, he was Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and a barrister who regularly appeared as counsel before many tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights and the English courts. He is co-editor of the International Law Reports and an Honorary Fellow of the Lauterpacht Institute for International Law (Cambridge). A graduate of Magdalene College where he was also a Fellow and more recently Honorary Fellow, he was the first person in his immediate family to go to university.
The Mastership of Magdalene College is an appointment made by the Governing Body. It is a fixed term appointment for seven years and the Master takes up residency within the precincts of the College. The Master is the head of the College, and has a role in creating a positive environment in which all members of the community can flourish, and also in maintaining the unity of the College membership, including the fellows, students and both academic and support staff.
The President, Dr Jane Hughes, says: “Christopher Greenwood is a person of great distinction, intelligence and commitment. Combining academic excellence with public service, he will take a lead in the College’s firm commitment to the value of education for all, a belief which benefits the individual and the wider community. Professor Greenwood has been a staunch supporter of the right to justice for all peoples in whatever part of the world through his work on the International Court of Justice, and is an advocate for the power of co-operation between nations -- however difficult that might be -- for the good of those who have been damaged by war, oppression and injustice.”
The Senior Tutor, Dr Stuart Martin, comments: "Professor Greenwood's appointment to the Mastership is invigorating news for Magdalene, as we head towards our seventh century. He joins us as we aim to sustain our academic renaissance with the completion of an ambitious new library project and a major enhancement of our hardship funds for undergraduates as well as postgraduate scholarships to allow the brightest young people to pursue their studies regardless of background; and I know that Fellows, students and staff will look forward to working with the new Master to ensure that Magdalene continues to thrive and that we can offer the very best environment for teaching, learning and research."
Christopher Greenwood adds: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the next Master. I very much look forward to working with everyone in Magdalene, building on the excellent legacy of Rowan Williams to ensure that the College goes from strength to strength. I want the College to flourish as a centre of excellence open to all talented people, regardless of background, in which the highest academic standards are combined with a strong sense of community. My wife and I want to make the well-being of everyone in that community our top priority.”