St Edmund’s College was pleased to celebrate the admission of four distinguished individuals as Honorary Fellows at a special ceremony on Friday 24 May 2024.   

Honorary Fellowships are awarded by the College’s Governing Body to exceptional individuals, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to society and as leaders in their specialist fields.  

Drawn from academia and industry, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge formally admitted four distinguished individuals as Honorary Fellows: Professor Edward Acton, Dame Kate Barker DBE FAcSS, Professor Francis Campbell and Rev. John I. Jenkins C.S.C. 

Catherine Arnold OBE, Master of St Edmund’s College, said:  

“St Edmund’s College is a truly global college within the University of Cambridge. With over 75 nationalities represented each year and offering all University degrees to our mature students, there are few places in which so much can be learnt about so many from so few. 

In a rapidly changing world, St Edmund’s vision is to ’empower global talent to shape the future’ helping to form thinkers and leaders who have the ability to create positive and shared futures for people and planet.  

To do this we have always welcomed talented individuals from outside the University and the UK into our community as Honorary Fellows. I am delighted formally to welcome four of our Honorary Fellows.” 

The Vice-Master, Dr Gemma Burgess, spoke about the College’s THRIVE community framework in her ceremonial speech. THRIVE which stands for Trust, Higher Purpose, Resilience, Imagination, Voice and Enjoyment guides all members of St Edmund’s College and forms the basis of all our connections, collaborations and wider partnerships. 

Those admitted this year join a prestigious group of Honorary Fellows celebrated for their distinguished service, leadership and contribution to St Edmund’s College’s vision and values.

About the Honorary Fellows 

Professor Edward Acton 
Professor Edward Acton is an eminent historian of Russia and the USSR. He was brought up in Africa and educated at York and Cambridge. He lectured in History at Liverpool and Manchester before taking up a chair at the University of East Anglia where he served as Vice-Chancellor from 2009 until his retirement in 2014.  

Dame Kate Barker DBE FAcSS
Dame Kate Barker has spent most of her career as a business economist or economic policy advisor. Dame Barker is presently chair of the trustee board at the Universities Superannuation Scheme.  She is also chair of the Jersey Fiscal Policy Panel, and of the Governing Council of the Productivity Institute.  Since 2023, she has been a Church Commissioner for the Church of England.    

Professor Francis Campbell
Professor Francis Campbell has for many years worked in academia, firstly as Vice-Chancellor for St Mary’s University, London and currently for The University of Notre Dame Australia. He also holds the position of Professor, International Relations. He is currently serving as a Trustee of Forward Thinking (London), a Governor of the Forrest Research Foundation, member of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Board of Directors and is a founding member of the International Council on Human Trafficking at St Thomas University, Miami, School of Law. Previously, Professor Campbell served in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as HM Ambassador to the Holy See, 10 Downing Street, United Nations Security Council in New York, the European Union, Amnesty International and is the UK’s former Ambassador to the Holy See. 

Rev. John I. Jenkins C.S.C.
Elected in 2005 as the University of Notre Dame’s 17th president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., has devoted himself to fostering the University’s unique place in academia, the Church, the United States, and the world.  

While pursuing academic distinction, he has brought renewed emphasis to Notre Dame’s distinctive mission, rooted in the tradition of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the University’s founding community, to educate the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—to do good in the world. The University has dramatically increased financial aid over the last 15 years, providing more than $200 million in aid for undergraduates, and, in partnership with local civic and industry leaders, has played a leading role in a regional strategy that has secured over $130 million in grants for economic development activities. In 2022, the University attracted more than $281 million in external research funding and is among the fastest-growing research universities in the United States.

In 2023, under Father Jenkins’ leadership, the University was invited to join the Association of American Universities.  

The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that sponsors and produces all US presidential and vice-presidential debates, cited Fr John’s leadership in promoting civil discourse in electing Father Jenkins to its board of directors in 2011, a leadership role he continues to hold.  

A philosopher trained in theology and a member of Notre Dame’s Department of Philosophy since 1990, Fr Jenkins earned undergraduate and advanced degrees from Notre Dame, a doctorate of philosophy from Oxford University, and a master of divinity and licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology.