We are delighted to announce that our former principal Baroness Jan Royal has been awarded an honorary fellowship of Somerville College.
Somerville’s Governing Body made the decision to elect Jan as an honorary fellow in recognition of her extraordinary service to College and her sterling record of achievements during her eight years as principal. An honorary fellowship is the college’s highest recognition for associates of Somerville who have achieved distinction in public or professional life.
Jan Royal at the House of Lords
Jan was principal of Somerville College from 2017-25. During this time, she was an unstoppable champion of higher education and of all the students and academics that make up our community. Driven by her belief that “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not”, Jan led initiatives that drove social mobility across Oxford. She paved the way to Somerville becoming a College of Sanctuary, and supported Somerville in creating scholarships for students from BAME, Working Class and Marginalised backgrounds, with the result that 1 in 5 students of all backgrounds now receive financial support during their time at Oxford.
Alongside social mobility, Jan championed academics’ research and entrepreneurship, working closely with colleagues from all disciplines across initiatives from medical spin-outs to community partnerships tackling child malnutrition. She led on initiatives for decarbonising the college, was an active champion of greater ties between the university and city of Oxford and served as Chair of Conference of Colleges during the most tumultuous period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our warmest congratulations to Jan on this highly deserved recognition of everything she has done for Somerville. The college community looks forward to welcoming Jan back to Somerville as an honorary fellow.