News archive 2003

Desmond Tutu joins King’s as Visiting Professor

23 Nov 2003, PR 78/03

The Most Revd Desmond Tutu will join the staff of King’s College London in the New Year when he becomes a Visiting Professor in Post-Conflict Societies for the spring term.

For the first time the former Archbishop of Cape Town will hold a post at a UK University. While at King’s he will teach students, give a major public lecture and preach at the Beginning of Term Service.

A priest first and foremost, he is regarded as one of the great civil rights activists for his leadership in the fight against the South African apartheid system, and his many years of experience are reflected in this special post.

In the 1960s Desmond Tutu came to the UK with his wife Leah from a profoundly traumatised society to study for his Master of Theology at King’s. He says of this time: ‘I have wonderful, happy memories of my time at King’s. My experience was one of great encouragement and support in my academic studies and an acceptance and warmth from my fellow students. Study opened up a whole new world to me, I was excited by the accessibility of books, the freedom to question and to debate and the opportunity to listen to the wisdom of minds whose experience and learning left me eager to discover more.’

He went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches to end apartheid and has established himself as a respected peace activist, and a passionate orator who commands the respect of world leaders.

Next year marks the 175th Anniversary of King’s College London and the role ties in with the beginning of a series of events to celebrate its great history. During his term he will lead the traditional Commemoration Oration on 22 January 2004, an event that died out nearly twenty years ago but is being resurrected as a one off to celebrate the anniversary.

He will also teach students on the Associateship of King’s College (AKC) course which is unique to King’s and provides lectures on aspects of ethics, philosophy and theology.

Professor Barry Ife, Acting Principal of King’s College London says: ‘We are very much looking forward to welcoming Desmond Tutu back to King’s. His stay with us will provide a unique opportunity for students and staff to learn from one of the great figures of our time.’

Notes to editors

King's College London
King’s College London is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the University of London with some 13,400 undergraduate students and some 5,000 postgraduates in ten schools of study. The College had 24 of its subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5* and 5 for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level. It is in the top group of five universities for research earnings and has an annual turnover of £320 million and research income from grants and contracts of some £90 million (2001-2002). King’s is a member of the Russell Group, a coalition of the UK’s major research-based universities.



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