Edith Clara Batho
Encyclopedia
Dr Edith Clara Batho was Principal
of Royal Holloway College, University of London (RHC) from 1945-1962.
, London. She then went on to University College, London (UCL) and graduated in English in 1915.
, returning to UCL in 1921 as an Assistant in English. She was appointed Reader
in English Literature
and awarded DLit
in 1935.
She was appointed Principal
of RHC in 1945 and chose Dr Constance West as her Vice-Principal. Her first task was to restore the college following disruption of the war years and expand the residential space as post-war demand for university places increased. In the academic year 1946/7 numbers rose by almost 50% and almost 30% in the year following (to 330) which included eight male postgraduates for the first time (men were not admitted as undergraduates till 1965).
The Royal Holloway College Act (1949) abolished the Board of Governors replacing it with a College Council chaired by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
. Under the terms of the Act the Principal still had to be female but during Batho's term of office men became in authority in most other areas. In 1945/6 there were 8 men out of 34 in the whole academic community. By the end of her term this had changed to 35 out of 76. By the end of the 1950s there were 389 student and the decision to take men undergraduates was taken in 1960 when many universities in the country were planning expansion. RHC planned expansion at that time to 1,000 students split equally between men and women. The responsibility for putting the plans into being was down to Batho's successor, Dame Marjorie Williamson
.
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of Royal Holloway College, University of London (RHC) from 1945-1962.
Education
She was educated at Highbury Hill High School, now Highbury Fields School in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London. She then went on to University College, London (UCL) and graduated in English in 1915.
Career
After the First World War she taught at RoedeanRoedean School
-Roedeanians in fiction:* Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward * Dawn Drummond-Clayton * Emily James...
, returning to UCL in 1921 as an Assistant in English. She was appointed Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and awarded DLit
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
in 1935.
She was appointed Principal
Principal (academia)
The Principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.-Canada:...
of RHC in 1945 and chose Dr Constance West as her Vice-Principal. Her first task was to restore the college following disruption of the war years and expand the residential space as post-war demand for university places increased. In the academic year 1946/7 numbers rose by almost 50% and almost 30% in the year following (to 330) which included eight male postgraduates for the first time (men were not admitted as undergraduates till 1965).
The Royal Holloway College Act (1949) abolished the Board of Governors replacing it with a College Council chaired by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the longest-lived Princess of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family and the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria...
. Under the terms of the Act the Principal still had to be female but during Batho's term of office men became in authority in most other areas. In 1945/6 there were 8 men out of 34 in the whole academic community. By the end of her term this had changed to 35 out of 76. By the end of the 1950s there were 389 student and the decision to take men undergraduates was taken in 1960 when many universities in the country were planning expansion. RHC planned expansion at that time to 1,000 students split equally between men and women. The responsibility for putting the plans into being was down to Batho's successor, Dame Marjorie Williamson
Marjorie Williamson
Dame Elsie Marjorie Williamson, DBE was a British academic, educator, physicist and university administrator.-Education:...
.