Sancta Sophia College (colloquially as Sancta) is a

residential college A residential college is a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship w ...

for undergraduate women and postgraduate men and women at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

. The college has a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

foundation but admits students of all religions. Fiona Hastings has been the Principal of the College since 2018. Main Entrance Sancta

History

Foundation

In 1923, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Michael Kelly, and the Bishops of New South Wales issued a letter in support of university education for the Catholic community and announced the construction of a Catholic hall of residence for women. This was a result of social and educational changes which facilitated higher education for women. Sancta Sophia College was founded in 1925 as a hall of residence for Catholic women, and on 16 August 1926, Sancta Sophia Hall was officially blessed and opened by Archbishop Kelly. The first cohort of 23 women moved into the college on 15 March 1926. In 1929, an Act of Parliament raised the hall to the status of a College within the

Expansion

The college expanded over time including the East Wing and kitchen in 1961, the Octagon building in 1963, the McDonald Wing in 1970, the Vice Principal's flat in 1990, and the Principal's flat in 1993. SanctaSofiaNettletonTribe-Jan-31-2014-0078-Version-2

SanctaSofiaNettletonTribe-Jan-31-2014-0078-Version-2

The College officially opened the Sancta Sophia Graduate House (often referred to as ''Grad House'') in March 2014 by Governor, Her Excellency

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positio ...

and blessed by Cardinal

George Pell George Pell (born 8 June 1941) is an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and 2019, and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers between 2013 an ...

. This was the largest single expansion in the College's history. The Graduate House consists of 128 ensuite rooms equipped with a microwave oven and mini fridge, whilst the common areas have full kitchens. The rooftop terrace is equipped with a BBQ lounge area. Every resident has meals fully catered for and served in a common dining hall with undergraduates.

Student life

Academic

As a university college, academia is the main focus of Sancta Sophia College. A program of supplementary tutorials exists for undergraduate students and some postgraduate students. These are organised within the College and undergraduate students may attend tutorials at the other colleges. In recent years, the tutorial program has extended to support postgraduate students, particularly in medicine.

Cultural

Sancta competes against other University of Sydney residential colleges in the InterCol Performing Arts Challenge (also known as the Palladian Cup). The Palladian Cup runs year-round and features solo vocal, ensemble vocal, solo instrumental, ensemble instrumental, oration, debating, solo drama, ensemble drama, dance, and art. Since 2017, Sancta has competed in Intramural Arts at the

and provides opportunities in dance,

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention ** Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of i ...

, debating, and others.

Sporting

Sancta competes in the Sydney University Intercollegiate sporting events, which is the Rosebowl Cup for women and Rawson Cup for men. The Rosebowl Cup events take place throughout the year and include netball, swimming, rowing, hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, and athletics. Due to the relatively small cohort of men, Sancta only competes in three Rawson Cup events: swimming, rowing, and athletics.

College governance

Council and principal

The Council of the College consists of the chairman, the Principal and 14 other Councillors, of whom 3 must be priests.Sancta Sophia College Incorporation Act 1926 (NSW) The Council is responsible for governance of the College. The Principal is responsible for the management of the College.

Past principals

* (1930-1931) Mother Margaret MacRory * (1931-1943) Mother Helen Boydell * (1943-1957) Mother Juanita Macrae * (1952) Mother Hoare (Acting Principal) * (1958-1972) Mother Yvonne Swift * (1972-1975) Sr Mary Brennan * (1975-1978) Sr Mary d'Apice * (1979-1983) Sr Patricia Toohey * (1983-1992) Sr Mary Shanahan * (1992-2000) Janice Raggio * (2000-2005) Barbara Walsh * (2005-2007) Dr Elizabeth Hepburn * (2008-2017) Dr Marie Leech * (2018-present) Fiona Hastings

Student committees

All undergraduate students of the College are members of the Sancta Sophia Students' Association. The Students' Association is run by a student-elected House Committee. The House Committee is responsible for planning activities on behalf of the undergraduate students. It is also responsible for liaising with the other colleges and carrying out general activities and business of the Students' Association. The members of the House Committee convene each week to discuss student matters of the College. All postgraduate students of the College are members of the Senior Common Room, which is run by the elected Executive. The Senior Common Room is responsible for the organisation of events and activities specific to postgraduate students. The members of the Senior Common Room convene every month to discuss postgraduate matters of the College and often involve negotiations with the House Committee.

Notable alumni and community members

Politics and law

Jacqueline Gleeson Jacqueline Sarah Gleeson (born 7 March 1966) is an Australian judge. She has been a Justice of the High Court of Australia since 1 March 2021, and was a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, based in Sydney, from April 2014 to February 2021 ...

– Justice of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the ''Judiciary Act 1903''. It ...

Natalie Adams Natalie Jane Adams (born 1965) is an Australian judge. She has been a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales since 2016. Adams was born in Narrandera, and was educated at St Joseph's Convent Primary School, St Francis de Sales Regional ...

– Judge of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court ...

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– Lord Mayor of Sydney and Member of NSW Legislative Assembly * Ella Stack – First Lord Mayor of

Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

Trixie Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes Rachel Trixie Anne Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes, (née McGirr; born ) is an Australian-born dentist and Conservative member of the British House of Lords. She was the first Australian woman to have been elevated to the peerage. Biography ...

, , – Dentist and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

member of the British

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

* Anne Conlon – Australian feminist, public servant and labour activist.

Academia and medicine

Wirginia Maixner Wirginia June Maixner (born 1963) is an Australian neurosurgeon and the director of neurosurgery at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She is known for having performed the first auditory brainstem implant on a child in Aust ...

– Neurosurgeon and Director of Neurosurgery,

Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is a major children's hospital in Melbourne, Australia. As a major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria, the Royal Children's Hospital provides a full range of clinical services, tertiary care, as wel ...

* Sheila Cassidy – Doctor, former Medical Director of St Luke's Hospice in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

, torture survivor *

Gwen Fleming Mary Gwenyth "Gwen" Fleming (née Lusby), FRACP, (9 June 1916 – 18 January 2011) was an Australian medical doctor who specialised in thoracic medicine and served in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps during the Second World War. Early l ...

– Doctor and Major in the

Royal Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

Business

* Louise Walsh – CEO of Future Generation Investment Company, former CEO of Philanthropy Australia * Helena Carr – Businesswoman and wife of former

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

and former Foreign Minister,

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later e ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only a ...

Michael Hintze Michael Hintze, Baron Hintze, (born 27 July 1953) is an Australian-British businessman and philanthropist, based in the United Kingdom. According to the '' Sunday Times'' 2019 Rich List, Hintze's net worth is 1.5 billion, an increase o ...

– Founder & CEO of Hedge Fund CQS, Economics Tutor at College

Arts and humanities

Miranda Devine Miranda Devine (born 1 July 1961) is an Australian columnist and writer, now based in New York City. She hosted ''The Miranda Devine Show'' on Sydney radio station 2GB until it ended in 2015. She has written columns for Fairfax Media newspapers ...

– Journalist and political commentator * Lee Lewis – Australian Theatre Director

Publications

Journals

The Anser

* The Anser, Volume 1, 2018 * The Anser Volume 2, 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sancta Sophia College, University Of Sydney Residential colleges of the University of Sydney Educational institutions established in 1925 1925 establishments in Australia Sacred Heart universities and colleges Camperdown, New South Wales