The Whitelands College team extends its warmest congratulations to Dame Sarah Mullally on her appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. News of the appointment has particular resonance for the college, which was founded by the Church of England in 1841, and which has a long and proud history as a pioneer in providing education for women, and empowering women for leadership roles.
Dame Sarah was appointed the 106th person to hold the office, and the first woman to do so in the church’s long history. Speaking of the appointment, Dr Nick Mayhew-Smith, Head of Whitelands College, wished Dame Sarah a successful and productive time in office.
“Dame Sarah is a role model to anyone with a passion to pursue their vocation in life, and has her own passion for educating and inspiring others to make the most of their abilities and interests. As Bishop of London she regularly spoke to young women in schools, and is well aware that her example and experiences will inspire others to fulfil their dreams. As she prepares to take up her church leadership in the near future we in the college team will be praying for and wishing her success at every step of her new ministry.”
Nick also noted that her training for the priesthood had taken place in the area around the University of Roehampton. “I am also mindful of the fact that Dame Sarah began her ordained ministry in south London, serving her curacy in Clapham and becoming team rector in Sutton, and taught ethics to ministers in the diocese of Southwark. People at our university, in our area and the wider church community have personally benefitted from her wisdom and her teaching.”
Close also to the heart of the Whitelands community is the fact that Dame Sarah previously worked in the nursing profession, rising through the ranks to become the Chief Nursing Officer of the NHS in England in 1999. Whitelands is one of the university’s two colleges that are home to the School of Life & Health Sciences, which is a leading provider of nursing degrees. A range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses are taught at the university’s Digby Stuart College, another institution which originally began as a teacher training college for women, founded in 1874 by the Roman Catholic Church. Dame Sarah has twice risen to the most senior job in her two vocations, nursing and now church ministry.