Dame Lillian Penson, DBE (1896-1963) was a professor of modern history at the University of London, and the first woman to serve as vice-chancellor of the university. A full professor at the age of 34, Lillian Penson served as a member of the University of London senate for 20 years. She was a member of the University Court, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the Academic Council before being elected in 1948 as Vice-Chancellor of the University.

PropertyValue
dbpprop:abstract
  • Dame Lillian Penson, DBE (1896-1963) was a professor of modern history at the University of London, and the first woman to serve as vice-chancellor of the university. A full professor at the age of 34, Lillian Penson served as a member of the University of London senate for 20 years. She was a member of the University Court, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the Academic Council before being elected in 1948 as Vice-Chancellor of the University. Her accession to this office was put into perspective by a writer who said: "It was not the fact that she was the first woman to become chancellor of a University in the Commonwealth which attracted attention, but rather her vigorous, purposeful, and clear-headed approach to the many problems which the University of London faced. " In addition to her contribution to the University of London, Dame Lillian made an outstanding contribution to the development of higher education in the then colonial territories and she maintained a close interest in those university colleges overseas which, with her wholehearted support, had entered into special relationships with the University of London. Honours flowed to her after she became Vice-Chancellor - honorary degrees from many universities including Cambridge and Oxford, a DBE, and even an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons.
dbpprop:hasPhotoCollection
rdf:type
rdfs:comment
  • Dame Lillian Penson, DBE (1896-1963) was a professor of modern history at the University of London, and the first woman to serve as vice-chancellor of the university. A full professor at the age of 34, Lillian Penson served as a member of the University of London senate for 20 years. She was a member of the University Court, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the Academic Council before being elected in 1948 as Vice-Chancellor of the University.
rdfs:label
  • Lillian Penson
owl:sameAs
skos:subject
foaf:page
is owl:sameAs of