Chancellor of Durham University Dr Fiona Hill honoured by King Charles III

Durham University’s chancellor has been made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2024 New Year Honours List by King Charles III.

The honour has been awarded to Dr Fiona Hill in recognition of her work in foreign policy in the US and for maintaining close US-UK ties.

An expert in foreign affairs, Fiona Hill has previously advised US Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She also served on the US National Intelligence Council from 2006 to 2009, and was a member of the US National Security Council under President Trump. 

Her other notable experiences include her work as a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe, in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based in Washington DC.

In a statement given to Durham University, the chancellor has commented that on receiving the honour, she was “deeply honoured and moved.”

She was announced as the new chancellor of Durham University in November 2022.

Soon after her appointment, she called for a “rethink” of tuition fees and student loans whilst speaking to BBC Newscast in December 2022.

She told the BBC that “I would definitely have rethought education if I’d had to have taken out massive loans.”

Dr Hill, who grew up locally to Durham city in Bishop Auckland as the daughter of a coal miner, said she was “extraordinarily grateful” her university education was paid for by County Durham.

She has also previously spoken about her passion for giving back to the community and about her commitment to furthering social mobility. 

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