The University of Cambridge officially inaugurated its new Vice-Chancellor this morning.

At 9.30am Fellows and eminent members of the University gathered in the Senate House for the formal admission of Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz to the Office of Vice-Chancellor.  Professor Borysiewicz will be the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University.

The ceremony began with a valedictory address from the Emeritus Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Alison Richards, which brought an end to her seven year office.  In this speech she spoke of the importance of a mutual trust inherent in the post, acknowledged the great privilege it was to serve this collegiate university and admitted that it had been “from time to time fun”.

As she concluded her speech, which was met with at least a minute of loud applause at its close,  she spoke of her successor as “a splendid Vice-Chancellor” who she knew  would be “deeply committed” to the role.

In Professor Borysiewicz’s address, which followed the Second Congregation for the admission of the Proctors, he addressed four main topics: the importance of the University’s collegiate success, the need to sustain a faithful but flexible education system in the current economic climate, the need for research to operate according to a ‘bottom-up’ model and the challenges faced by the University’s global reputation.  

His focus was, unsurprisingly, on maintaining the excellent reputation of the University during a time of changing financial and educational governmental policies.

When acknowledging the imminent Lord Browne report he said, “These events will define the growing debate about the shape and role of higher education in this country”.

He also stressed the importance for the University to remain financially independent in order to be able “to take risks, to invest for the long term, to maintain the supervision system and to provide exemplary levels of financial support for students who need it”.

Before coming to Cambridge Professor Borysiewicz  was Chief Executive at the UK Medical Research Council, a position he has held since 2007.  His connection to Cambridge began in 1988 when he came to Cambridge as a Lecturer in Medicine, and was a Fellow of Wolfson College (where he is now an Honorary Fellow).

At the ceremony Professor Borysiewicz was also awarded with a Master of Arts degree from the University.