First woman vice-chancellor of Oxford University ‘flattered’ to be made dame
Louise Richardson was honoured by the Queen for services to higher education.
The first woman vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford has been made a dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Louise Richardson said she was “deeply flattered” by the honour for services to higher education.
Professor Richardson took up her role as vice-chancellor in 2016 and has been instrumental in a number of significant changes across the university.
She also helped to secure the agreement with AstraZeneca to produce and market its Covid-19 vaccine.
As the first woman principal and vice-chancellor of St Andrews University she led it to its highest rankings both within the UK and worldwide.
Prof Richardson said: “I’m deeply flattered for this honour which I am delighted to accept on behalf of the extraordinary colleagues with whom I’ve had the great good fortune to work.
“It is wonderful to see higher education, the essential engine of so many aspects of our economy and society, recognised in this way.”
She said that “people are seeing that they haven’t gone to university and yet their taxes are paying for these utterly over-privileged students who want all kinds of protections that they never had and I think we have to take this seriously”.
