Many people are surprised to find out that UCL has a Chaplain. You may have heard the famous quotation from the historian Thomas Arnold, who once described UCL as “that Godless institution in Gower Street”. Prior to UCL’s
Many people are surprised to find out that UCL has a Chaplain. You may have heard the famous quotation from the historian Thomas Arnold, who once described UCL as “that Godless institution in Gower Street”. Prior to UCL’s inception in 1826, a university education was restricted to male members of the Church of England. UCL led the way to making education available to all, regardless of race, class or religion, and it was the first university to welcome female students on equal terms with men.
It is true that UCL is a secular institution which upholds a deep seated commitment to equality and diversity, and which has no religious affiliation and does not endorse any particular denomination or faith. However, UCL is also committed to providing an inclusive learning and working environment where students and staff of all religions, and none, can thrive. At UCL you will find a rich mix of students and staff from a wide variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. This creates a diversity within the UCL community that is one of the contributing factors to UCL being a world-class institution.
The Chaplain is here to provide pastoral support and to foster diversity and cohesion amongst staff and students of all religious backgrounds and none in UCL.