Interim Vice-Principal for St Cuthbert's Society, St Mary's, Ustinov College or Stephenson College
The Role and the Department
Durham University is seeking interim Vice-Principals for four of its Colleges for the academic year 2026/27.
St Cuthbert's Society, founded in 1888, is Durham's third oldest college and retains a distinctive independence from its origins as a student-led association; this is reflected today in a vibrant charitable JCR. Now a maintained college, Cuth's continues to embody an inclusive, pioneering ethos: the first in Durham to become mixed sex in 1969 and, in 2025, the creator of Evergreen, an outdoor and heritage-based enrichment programme. Operationally complex, with two geographically distinct accommodation sites, the Society is supported by a highly skilled staff team and seeks creative, empowering, collaborative leadership that welcomes new ideas and enables all to achieve their potential.
St. Mary's is a traditional, catered college integrating four key groups: the JCR and MCR for students, a vibrant SCR and active alumni and donor communities. Set in beautiful grounds, it has a proud history: recently celebrating its 125th anniversary, it remains a pioneering college. Its strategy focusses on increasing the proportion of students from lower income households and maximising engagement with the wide-ranging student experience created by our common rooms. Most recently, it won college of the year for volunteering and has a well-balanced diet of activities including music, arts, drama and sport. It even has a wizarding society!
Ustinov College is Durham University's sole postgraduate-only college. The College has a highly diverse community of taught and research postgraduate students drawn from over 90 countries. The College's vision is to create an environment that actively nurtures global citizenship, in which difference is respected, celebrated, and used as a foundation for enhanced intercultural communication and understanding. This ethos is realised through the College's well-established Global Citizenship Programme, encompassing academic, community-focused, and volunteering activity. During the 2026-2027 academic year, a key priority will be to maintain an excellent student experience during significant planned works at the Sheraton Park site.
Stephenson College is a modern, values-led College which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026/2027. Our College values are curiosity, inclusivity, responsibility, courage and kindness, and our ethos is change starts with us. We are a vibrant community of around 1,300 students from across the UK and around the world, of which 460 reside in our self-catered accommodation across our Howlands Farm and Ernest Place sites. We are the proud recipients of the Volunteering College of the Year 2024 and Global College Award 2025.
The Vice-Principal will be a member of the College senior management team and will have a strong strategic and developmental emphasis. The post holder will be involved in a wide range of activities aimed at furthering the College and University strategy, especially in relation to the personal development of students, embedding the wider student experience, and the future development of the College.
Working as a part of a close-knit team, the Vice-Principal will support the College Principal (a) in ensuring the College offers a supportive and stimulating environment for academic study, cultural and developmental activities, and social interaction which engages students, staff, Senior Common Room members, Fellows, visitors and alumni; and (b) in promoting and enabling intellectual curiosity, personal effectiveness, wellbeing and resilience, and a sense of community and responsibility among all students. Balance and focus of responsibilities will be agreed with the College Principal.
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