We’re thrilled to welcome the new interim Director of the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), Dr Kirsty Allen. As the academic year began, we sat down with Kirsty, a Fellow of Wolfson College, to let her introduce herself.
It’s fair to say that Kirsty Allen arrived in the world with higher education already running through her blood. Born and raised in Glasgow, both her parents and grandparents were esteemed academics, meaning scholarship and learning were regular parts of family dinner-table chat. Kirsty’s own formative path drew her to English Literature at the University of St Andrews, where she gained her PhD studying the work of lesser-known Scottish writer and translator Willa Muir.
Despite her academic breeding, Kirsty chose not to follow an academic career, quickly recognising that there are many important components to delivering the best learning experience. “I knew early on that academia wasn’t for me,” she recalls. “But I absolutely value education as a power to change lives. I felt I could help great academics do what they were doing even better.”
Building an extensive Cambridge network
True to her word, Kirsty has since forged a successful career in higher education leadership. Her time in Cambridge began in 1998 as Faculty Administrator and Secretary of the Faculty Board in Law, after which she progressed to Head of Governance and Compliance and, most recently, the first Chief Operating Officer for Cambridge University Libraries. (Fun fact: among the artefacts the 36 libraries care for is an archive of Spitting Image puppets.)
All of which, as the University’s Academic Secretary Dr Michael Glover points out, has made Kirsty “adept in navigating her way around the complex University ecosystem.”
“In all those roles I’ve absorbed a lot about how the central University operates,” reflects Kirsty. “Working in a faculty helped me appreciate the nuts and bolts of the delivery of teaching and research. That’s something I’ve never lost. I want to work alongside academic and professional services colleagues to get the best working experience and learning outcomes for everyone.”
Factfinding and facing forward
As a new Director, one of Kirsty’s primary – and most relished – tasks has been meeting with the staff and learners who make up PACE’s unique community of peers.
“We’ve just held our induction and also welcomed participants to the inaugural Better Futures programme,” says Kirsty. “One of the things that’s absolutely lovely about this job is going with PACE colleagues to meet learners as they begin their journey with us. It’s a real opportunity to directly gauge the impact of what we offer.”
Kirsty also acknowledges that it’s an exciting time to be steering PACE as it looks to the future and embraces its new name. “This is the next chapter in a proud 150-year story, and that feels charged with opportunity,” she notes. “I’m here to bring a fresh pair of eyes and ensure that we’re able to stay focused on delivering Cambridge-quality professional and continuing education for all.
“For at least the next two months I intend to spend my time listening and learning, and I’ll take forward the work that Dr Jim Gazzard and his team were already doing. I want to make sure that PACE sits at the heart of the collegiate University and attracts a wider appreciation of the awe-inspiring work colleagues are doing here.”
Michael Glover is confident in Kirsty’s ability to do exactly that, calling her “a team builder with a pragmatic, consultative and open approach to problem-solving and long experience of engaging with a vast range of stakeholders.”
“I don’t have all the answers, or even all the questions,” adds Kirsty, “But I know this place is a democratising force, welcoming people from all different educational roots. It helps a diverse range of people achieve their very best selves through learning that fits around real lives.
“PACE is the face of the University of Cambridge to the widest community around the world. Let’s see what’s possible together.”