The Trust's Deputy Director & Head of Student Support to retire

Sue Osterfield, Deputy Director & Head of Student Support, is retiring on 31 July after more than 30 years of service to the Trust and its students. Sue joined the Trust as Administrator and Scholarships Secretary in 1987 and was promoted to Deputy Director in August 2008.

Sue has led the delivery of the Trust’s scholarship programmes to several generations of students. Since its Foundation the Trust has helped more than 22,000 students achieve their dreams of studying and researching at the University of Cambridge, and Sue has been there to help almost of all of them on their way.

Helen Pennant, Director of the Trust, said: “Sue’s meticulous dedication to her work in enabling students to take up their places at Cambridge and her strong sense of fairness have been fundamental to the Trust advancing its mission over the past 40 years.”

Carmen Butler, a longstanding team member, said “Sue is respected by all who have had the honour to work with her; she has been a supportive head of the Scholarships Team and will be greatly missed by us all.”.

Sue’s work has also been greatly valued by the Trust’s global partners. Dr. Nigel Evans of the Woolf Fisher Trust, said “when I think of the Cambridge Trust, I think first of Sue. For the past twenty years she has responded warmly and wisely to all my queries and the needs of our Woolf Fisher scholars at Cambridge. Go well into your retirement, Sue, with our thanks for your help and friendship”.

Speaking about her retirement, Sue said "I have had a most rewarding career enabling outstanding and deserving students to achieve their dreams of studying at the University of Cambridge.  From the early days, before the internet, I remember opening sack loads of letters, manually processing application forms, entering data on simple computer programmes, to sending faxes and sending out offer letters by courier. With the advancement of IT infrastructure, the need to update the Trust’s database, working from home due to Covid and the measures needed to help students through those difficult times, to Zoom/Teams meetings online, it has all proven to be a challenging, but a most worthwhile job of work.

I have also attended student fairs in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, giving presentations at top universities in those countries in auditoriums and sports halls, to huge numbers of hopeful applicants needing guidance on how to go about their applications.

It has been a privilege working with colleagues within the University and its Colleges and Departments, with funding partners across the world and, closer to home, with my team members, staff and Trustees, in our mission to reach out to offer scholarship opportunities and funding to study at one of the world’s top universities.

I shall continue to be interested to hear of developments, and to see the Trust continue to grow from strength to strength. I wish you all the very best".

Sue may be leaving us, but her legacy will endure in our future plans which, as in the past, will be built around our students and their experiences at Cambridge.