Institutions like Cambridge University only survive if they change, often very radically over time, the head of the Gates Cambridge Trust will argue at a talk this week.

The talk by Dr Gordon Johnson, provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust, president of Wolfson College and a leading historian, will be given at 6pm on Wednesday in The School of Pythagoras, St. Johns College. It is part of a series of events organised by the Gates Scholars Council this week to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the University.

The events, which are open to everyone at the University, began with a screening of Chariots of Fire on Monday. The Oscar-nominated film is about two Olympic athletes, one of whom, Harold Abrahams, went to Cambridge and succeeded in completing the Trinity Great Court run, which involves running around the court before the clock finishes striking 12.

On Tuesday night the Vice Chancellor Professor Alison Richard will give a talk at 5.30pm in the Hicks Room at the University Centre about how Cambridge interacts with the environment. The talk will be followed by a wine reception which is open to all.

Dr Johnson’s talk is a reflection on how Cambridge has changed over the centuries. It will touch on Cambridge’s 800th anniversary and will show how Cambridge has evolved in response both to internal dynamics and external social, political, economic and cultural pressures.

He will focus particularly on the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, showing how in the 16th century the University made tremendous strides as it allied itself with the changes associated with the creation of the Tudor state; in the 19th century, he will demonstrate how the University was pushed into becoming more like the institution we know it as today – “a place,” says Dr Johnson, “where people are professionally taught useful things, and where research is a key part of the agenda”.

He will also look at the challenges ahead. He says: “The 800th anniversary is an occasion for some stock-taking, in the hope that this will allow us to think sensibly about the future.”

Ian Ralby, external officer for the Gates Scholars Council, said: "It is a great honour for the Gates Council to present two speakers this week who, better than anyone, can inform us about Cambridge's institutional history and current trajectory. It is rare that any entity--in academia or otherwise--gets to celebrate 800 years of successful progress. Consequently, we look forward to hearing from the leaders of the University about how Cambridge has managed this feat--in a scholarly, rather than parochial fashion--and how it intends to proceed with confronting new challenges."
 

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