St Mary’s wins university status

The largest Catholic higher-education college in England and Wales, St Mary’s, Twickenham, has been granted full university status. The college, in south-west London, was awarded the title by the Privy Council on 23 January following a series of setbacks in its campaign to be upgraded.

The development coincides with the high-profile appointment of Francis Campbell, the former British ambassador to the Holy See, who takes over the running of St Mary’s in April. He was appointed as principal but will now take the title of vice chancellor.

Mr Campbell, 43, is expected to oversee a period of diversification of subject choice, with the university offering more professional and part-time courses. The new status is likely to boost the college’s profile internationally and attract more overseas students.

“These are exciting times for St Mary’s and the granting of a university title will facilitate its development both at home and abroad,” said Arthur Naylor, the interim principal. Bishop Richard Moth, chairman of the governors, added: “This is excellent news for St Mary’s and recognises all that the university offers to students and staff alike.”

Founded in 1850, St Mary’s becomes the country’s newest university just a year after acrimonious divisions culminated in the resignation of its former principal in January 2013. Professor Philip Esler cited “friction” and negative attention from the Catholic press after rows over his plan to merge the school of theology, philosophy and history with the school of communication, culture and creative art.

Dr Naylor, a former principal, returned to run the college on an interim basis following Professor Esler’s resignation. Mr Campbell will shadow Dr Naylor until the end of the current academic year.

In November 2012, Newman University College in Birmingham and Leeds Trinity University College were granted full university status, becoming the first Catholic colleges since the Reformation to do so. St Mary’s was in the process of applying when, in August 2012, it was criticised by the higher-education standards authority over its failure to manage a course on hypnosis, following complaints from students.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) found that the diploma of higher education in clinical hypnosis was not properly examined or validated and was poorly taught. The course was run in partnership with the Brief Strategic Therapy and Clinical Hypnosis Foundation (BST). The QAA said St Mary’s had “not exercised sufficient oversight” of its partnership with BST, resulting in “procedural irregularities”. The investigation also found that a student on the course had “acted in a teaching capacity”. The college abandoned the course in September 2012.

St Mary’s, now to be known officially as St Mary’s University, Twickenham, enjoys a close relationship with the bishops of England and Wales. Benedict XVI met children from Catholic schools and other faith leaders at the college during his 2010 visit to Britain.

n St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, which has a uniquely Catholic heritage among Oxbridge colleges, has elected a new master, Matthew Bullock, whose background is in finance.

Mr Bullock recently served as a director and chairman of the audit and business development committees of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

St Edmund’s is the only post-Reformation college with a Catholic chapel and a Catholic dean, Fr Alban McCoy, whose role is enshrined by statute. The chapel will celebrate its centenary in November 2015.