Andy Orchard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon | |
| Assumed office 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Malcolm Godden |
| 14th Provost of Trinity College, Toronto | |
| In office 2007–2013 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret MacMillan |
| Succeeded by | Mayo Moran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrew Philip McDowell Orchard (1964-02-27)27 February 1964 (age 61) |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University College School |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge Exeter College, Oxford |
Andrew Philip McDowell Orchard,FRSC, FBA (born 27 February 1964) is a British academic ofOld English,Norse andCeltic literature. He isRawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at theUniversity of Oxford and afellow ofPembroke College, Oxford. He was previouslyProvost ofTrinity College,Toronto, from 2007 to 2013. In 2021, claims ofsexual harassment andassault by Orchard were publicised, which were alleged to have taken place at universities where he has worked, including the University of Cambridge and the University of Toronto.[1][2]
Orchard was born on 27 February 1964 inNorth London, England.[3][4] He was educated atUniversity College School, then an all-boysprivate school in London.[5]
His undergraduate degree was undertaken at bothQueens' College, Cambridge, where he readAnglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic from 1983, andExeter College, Oxford, where he read English from 1985.[6] He graduated in 1987 Bachelor of Arts (BA), which was later promoted toMaster of Arts (MA).[7] He then undertook postgraduate study at theUniversity of Cambridge,[8] completing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1990.[9] Hisdoctoral thesis was titledThe Poetic Art of Aldhelm.[10]
In 1991, Orchard married Clare Brind inOxford.[3][11][12]
In 1990, Orchard was afellow ofSt John's College, Oxford. He then returned to theUniversity of Cambridge upon completion of his postgraduate degree. In 1991, he became a fellow ofEmmanuel College, Cambridge and a lecturer in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.[3][8] He served as Emmanuel College's Admissions Tutor for Arts.[13] In 1999, he was appointedReader and Head of theDepartment of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.[3][8]
In 2000, he moved to theUniversity of Toronto where he took up the post of Professor of English and Medieval Studies.[13] In 2001, he became the associate director of theCentre for Medieval Studies and an Associate ofTrinity College, Toronto.[9][13] He became a fellow of Trinity College in 2003,[9] and Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies in 2004.[13] He was appointed the 14thProvost of Trinity College in 2007.[8]
In 2013, he moved to theUniversity of Oxford to take up the post ofRawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and became a fellow ofPembroke College.[7]
In 2021,Al Jazeera Investigates published their findings following a two-year investigation of Orchard's "personal reputation as a sexual predator" and alleged alcohol abuse in the context of his work supervising graduate students at Cambridge University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Oxford.[2] The I-Unit investigation found that Orchard had a history of allegedlysexually harassing and initiating inappropriate sexual relationships with female PhD students, andintimidating and bullying students and colleagues from his time teaching at the University of Cambridge in the 1990s.[14] According to the article, Orchard and his lawyers dispute I-Unit's findings.
Following up on Orchard's time at the University of Toronto from 2007 to 2013, theToronto Star published their findings that the university had received at least two formal complaints against him regarding sexual advances and inappropriate touching during his time as Provost and Vice-Chancellor at Trinity College. Their report alleged that the victims faced repercussions whereas Orchard himself did not.[1]
In October 2021, the University of Toronto committed to removing Orchard's portrait from Trinity College in response to his alleged pattern of sexual harassment.[15]
At Oxford, while reporting that none of the allegations reported by Al Jazeera pertained to Pembroke College students and that the college had received no complaints concerning Orchard's conduct, Pembroke College announced that Orchard had voluntarily withdrawn from the college's governing body and that "for the foreseeable future he will not attend College for social or academic functions".[16] Orchard's teaching duties, however, were managed by the English Faculty; its board announced that, by mutual agreement, Orchard was not at that time teaching undergraduate or master's level students, and that individual discussions regarding the supervision of research students were taking place.[16][17] In January 2022, theToronto Star reported that "in the next few weeks, [Oxford University] will meet students and faculties where concerns have been raised and 'explore areas where improvements can be made'."[18]
Following a petition to the Oxford-based journalNotes and Queries to remove Orchard from its editorial board, his name was removed from the masthead on 30 November 2021.[18] He was also removed from the editorial board of the journalAnglo-Saxon England byCambridge University Press.[19]
Orchard was awarded the Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching from the University of Cambridge in 1998.[8] In 2012, he was electedFellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC).[20] On 16 July 2015, he was elected aFellow of the British Academy (FBA).[21] In 2019 he delivered the British Academy's Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture.[22]
In 2004,Hugh Magennis describedA Critical Companion to Beowulf as "something of a masterclass in the reading of Beowulf".[23] Josephine Bloomfield thought that the book would "be important toBeowulf study for years to come, and a stimulus to healthy interchange and argument for even longer".[24] In 2004Elaine Treharne described the same work as "brilliant, comprehensive and inspiring".[25] Reviewing the same work, Daniel Anlezark characterised Orchard as "one of the outstandingBeowulf scholars of the moment".[26]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Provost ofTrinity College, Toronto 2007–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon University of Oxford 2013–present | Incumbent |
