A message from the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 2020

The Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, has recorded a message in which he acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of the entire collegiate University in its response to the pandemic. Describing the the breadth of the University's activities – from those involved in COVID-related research to others working to ensure the safety of students during the new academic year – the Chancellor thanks and praises the University community for its work at a time of unprecedented upheaval.

In the UK university system, the office of Chancellor is held by a distinguished individual, from academia or public life, who is not usually resident and does not hold any other University office.
The Chancellor of the University of Cambridge is Lord Sainsbury of Turville, who was elected in a ballot of the Senate in October 2011. The Chancellor is responsible under the Statutes for adjudicating in certain disputes, and is Visitor of several of the Cambridge Colleges.
The Chancellor also presides at major ceremonies - the best-known being the annual ceremony for the conferment of Honorary Degrees.

The Chancellor is elected for life as the constitutional head of the University although the role is now largely ceremonial. The Chancellor is elected by the Senate, which comprises all senior graduates of the University. In modern times, the Chancellor's principal public role has been the conferment of Honorary Degrees at an impressive annual ceremony, but this is only a small aspect of his continuous overall involvement with the University.