HMC elects Professor Beth Breeze, OBE, as next Principal
The Governing Body is pleased to announce the election of Professor Beth Breeze, OBE, as the next Principal of Harris Manchester College. Professor Breeze will take up office on 1 October 2025, in succession to Professor Jane Shaw.
Beth Breeze is Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the University of Kent, and the founding Director of the Centre for Philanthropy. Following a career as a fundraiser in the voluntary sector, Beth undertook a PhD in Sociology as a mature student, graduating in the year she turned 40. While at Kent, she pioneered the study of philanthropy as an academic discipline in the UK, founding the Centre for Philanthropy in 2012. Beth was also the Director of Kent’s Global Challenges Doctoral Centre. She was awarded the OBE in the 2021 New Years Honours list, for services to philanthropic research and fundraising.
Of her election, Beth said: “Being elected principal of this extraordinary college sparks feelings of joy, gratitude and optimism. Joy to be joining a happy community that values academic excellence and inclusivity in equal measure. Gratitude for the talent and hard work of every member of staff and for the generosity of all the College’s many supporters. Optimism that together we can continue providing a unique university education that unlocks the potential of mature students taking the brave step to start or return to study in later life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve the College’s mission, and look forward to supporting every student and working closely with my new colleagues in and beyond the College.”
Incumbent Principal Jane Shaw said: “I am delighted to hear of Beth’s election as the next Principal of Harris Manchester College. HMC is a wonderful community, and I wish Beth all the very best for her time in office.”
George Hudson, Presiding Fellow for the election, said: “My colleagues and I are delighted to be able to make this appointment. Quite apart from her invaluable scholarly and professional experience, Beth brings a strong sense of affinity with the College’s mission as Oxford’s college for mature students, and a keen understanding of what it takes to build and nurture an academic community. We look forward to working with her to take Harris Manchester into the next phase of its history.”
Harris Manchester College was founded as a dissenting academy in 1786 to provide higher education to Nonconformists when they were excluded from Oxford and Cambridge due to religious tests. It became a full College of the University of Oxford in 1996. The College continues its radical tradition of inclusion and openness today through its unique mission of admitting and supporting mature students (aged 21+) at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
