Moving in the right direction
We’re celebrating our progress towards gender equality with the recreation of an iconic image taken 150 years ago, but this time with women as the focus rather than men.
In 1870, the University moved from the High Street to its current location in the west end of Glasgow. Ahead of the move, a picture of 26 male professors was created using the University’s iconic Lion and Unicorn staircase as a backdrop.
Given that 2020 is the 150th anniversary of the move, it felt the right moment to restage the Lion and Unicorn photo to offer a new snapshot (as the first one did) in the University’s long history.
This new photo, which was released in time for International Women’s Day on 8 March, features more than 60 of our 200+ women professors and senior leaders.
Professor Jill Morrison, Clerk of Senate and Vice-Principal, is also the University’s Gender Equality Champion. “On the occasion of the first image being created, there were no women leaders, academics or students at the University. We felt it was important to reflect how far we, as an institution, have come, while also acknowledging that we still have a way to go on our journey to gender equality.”
“I hope that this photo will inform discussions and reflection on gender equality both on International Women’s Day and throughout the year.
Then and now
Today at the University, 31.3% of our senior leaders – professors and senior professional services leads – are women.
Of the 14 people who sit on the University’s Senior Management, half are women; almost 60% of our 30,000 students are female.
In 1870, the University’s records show that all the academics were men including its senior leaders, made up of 26 professors. All the University’s 1,279 students in 1870 were men – it was another 24 years before the first four women graduated.
In 1908 the first women teaching staff members – Janet Spens and Agnes Picken – were appointed. In 1919, Theodora Keith became the University's first woman lecturer. In 1973, Delphine Parrott became the first woman to hold a titular Chair at the University and in 1978, Rona Mackie was the first woman to be appointed to an established Chair when she became Professor of Dermatology.
Professor Andrea Nolan became the University's first woman Dean in 1999 when she was appointed Dean of Veterinary Medicine. She was appointed Vice-Principal in 2004 and became Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2009.