King’s College, Cambridge, is confronting troubling issues related to sexual harassment within its academic community, John Gillian Tett, the college’s provost, has acknowledged. Since taking up her role three years ago, Tett has encountered reports of inappropriate behavior involving senior academics, prompting both internal investigations and efforts to reform college culture.

In April, an external inquiry found that Simon Goldhill, a professor of Greek culture and literature aged 69, had sexually harassed a student in her twenties, admitting to an unsolicited kiss described as “over-exuberant” and “no doubt slobbery.” Goldhill resigned in June last month, and the college continues to investigate the matter. Goldhill is not the only senior figure implicated. Herbert Huppert, an 82-year-old former professor of geophysics, was stripped of his college fellowship last year following multiple complaints of harassment, including inappropriate touching and sexualized language. Although university restrictions on Huppert were put in place as early as 2018, the transmission of this information to King’s was reportedly ineffective.

Tett, who had a previous career as a Financial Times journalist and holds dual American and British citizenship, expressed surprise at discovering such misconduct within the institution. “I did not imagine for a millisecond that I’d be dealing with unseemly behaviour when I arrived,” she said in a recent interview. Having witnessed the impact of the MeToo movement in New York, she had expected a different environment in Cambridge.

While emphasizing that incidents involve a very small minority of individuals, Tett recognized that a longstanding culture has often minimized inappropriate conduct. She noted that students frequently developed “coping strategies” to manage advances from academics described euphemistically as “handsy.” This normalization, she said, has perpetuated behavioral patterns that the college now seeks to change.

To address these issues, King’s has appointed a senior barrister to conduct an independent review of its institutional practices and culture. Additionally, Tett highlighted that students are pursuing their own inquiry, an initiative she supports. Changes in governance are underway as well, including plans to integrate academics more fully under the college’s human resources framework, a move that has met with some resistance.

Reflecting on the broader challenges within Oxbridge colleges, which operate as loosely connected entities with separate governance, Tett pointed to structural silos that hinder communication and accountability. Drawing from her academic background in social anthropology, she linked this fragmentation to difficulties in addressing misconduct and fostering transparency. She expressed a commitment to promoting accountability, responsibility, and openness within King’s and beyond.

Tett also addressed the complexity of cultural change. She recounted her own experiences with inappropriate behavior during her years as a journalist, acknowledging that privilege allowed her to resist unwanted advances that younger women may not have been able to confront. She stressed the importance of empathy and collective learning over blame or “cancel culture,” emphasizing the goal of shifting social attitudes rather than seeking retribution.

While the focus has primarily been on women facing harassment, Tett reminded that men can also be victims, though rarely by female academics. Despite the challenges ahead, she conveyed cautious optimism, pointing to the increased willingness of individuals to speak out as a sign of progress. “It often just takes one or two brave people to stand up and speak and suddenly it’s like a snowball starting an avalanche,” she said.

As King’s College continues its efforts to address misconduct and improve its environment, the outcome of ongoing investigations and cultural shifts will be closely watched within Cambridge and the wider academic community.