grethe hjort (1903-1967) -
PROFESSOR AND COLLEGE PRINCIPAL
Grethe Hjort had a long, interesting and international academic career both in Denmark, the UK and Australia.
At the time, she was one of the few female academics who rose to the top at the universities she was associated with.
This included being appointed as the first principal of the University Women's College at the University of Melbourne in the 1930s.
At the time, she was one of the few female academics who rose to the top at the universities she was associated with.
This included being appointed as the first principal of the University Women's College at the University of Melbourne in the 1930s.
early years in europe
Grethe Hjort was born in Copenhagen on 25 May 1903. Her parents were Vilhelm Hjort (a meteorologist born in Schleswig-Holstein) and Anne Margrethe (nee Ulrich). She was educated at N. Zahle’s Skole and received her M.A. from Copenhagen University in 1927 when she also won a gold medal.
After a couple of years lecturing at the University, Grethe went to Cambridge University and studied at Newnham College where she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1931 before continuing as a Preiffer Resarch Fellow at Girton College until 1934. It was during her time in the UK that Grethe became a British citizen and she also changed her Danish name to Greta Hort thereby facilitating the pronunciation of her name.
After a couple of years lecturing at the University, Grethe went to Cambridge University and studied at Newnham College where she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 1931 before continuing as a Preiffer Resarch Fellow at Girton College until 1934. It was during her time in the UK that Grethe became a British citizen and she also changed her Danish name to Greta Hort thereby facilitating the pronunciation of her name.
university women's college, melbourne
University Women's College, anno 1937
In June 1938, Grethe made the big move to Australia to become the first appointed principal of the newly established University Women’s College (later renamed to University College) at the University of Melbourne. She was also a member of the Board and tutored in philosophy at the University. At a reception held in her honour to welcome her to the College, Grethe paid homage to both her Danish roots and the welcome she had received thus far in Australia ‘I come of a race that has spread all over the world and has made its home in diverse countries. I hope that I have the home-building qualities of my forefathers and that I have learnt from them that one is never lost in a friendly country.”
A noticeable number of exhibitions and prizes for academic excellence were given to students from the UWC during this time, in part attributed to Grethe’s capacity as principal and her enthusiasm in teaching. Although the number of female students accepted at UWC went from 25 to 100 during Grethe’s stay, she later expressed the difficulty it was to secure funding to expand buildings etc. largely due to the stigma of women getting an education in Australia.
Grethe acted as president of a number of societies such as the Australia-China Society and the Victorian branch of the Australasian Society of Philosophy. During her time in Melbourne, she also found the time to translate several works and publish poems.
Grethe resigned from the UWC in 1946 after which she went to Prague with a fellow Professor Julie Moscheles to undertake research.
A noticeable number of exhibitions and prizes for academic excellence were given to students from the UWC during this time, in part attributed to Grethe’s capacity as principal and her enthusiasm in teaching. Although the number of female students accepted at UWC went from 25 to 100 during Grethe’s stay, she later expressed the difficulty it was to secure funding to expand buildings etc. largely due to the stigma of women getting an education in Australia.
Grethe acted as president of a number of societies such as the Australia-China Society and the Victorian branch of the Australasian Society of Philosophy. During her time in Melbourne, she also found the time to translate several works and publish poems.
Grethe resigned from the UWC in 1946 after which she went to Prague with a fellow Professor Julie Moscheles to undertake research.
return to denmark
Upon her return to Denmark in 1956, Grethe joined Aarhus University at which she was appointed Professor and Chair of English Literature the following year. One of her long-lasting legacies was the extensive library collection she built of Commonwealth literature with particular emphasis on Australia. She was responsible for editing a school textbook on Australian literature, which was used in Danish high schools and she also lectured on the subject in Germany.
She was one of the early proponents of introducing Australian Studies in Europe and formalised an Australian component of the Commonwealth Studies program at Aarhus University. This included inviting guest lecturers from Australia to the university. The Australian Studies program was not only new to the Danish university but was in fact the first ever such course anywhere in the world including even Australia (where Australian literature continued to be taught as part of British literature).
Grethe was equally the instigator of ensuring that the students were taught in English as opposed to conducting the classes in Danish. In 1965, she not only won the Tagea Brandt prize for academic achievement but was also appointed to the Knight Order of Dannebrog.
Grethe died on 19 August 1967 in her home in Risskov, Denmark.
She was one of the early proponents of introducing Australian Studies in Europe and formalised an Australian component of the Commonwealth Studies program at Aarhus University. This included inviting guest lecturers from Australia to the university. The Australian Studies program was not only new to the Danish university but was in fact the first ever such course anywhere in the world including even Australia (where Australian literature continued to be taught as part of British literature).
Grethe was equally the instigator of ensuring that the students were taught in English as opposed to conducting the classes in Danish. In 1965, she not only won the Tagea Brandt prize for academic achievement but was also appointed to the Knight Order of Dannebrog.
Grethe died on 19 August 1967 in her home in Risskov, Denmark.
grethe's legacy
In 1992, a library at the University College was named after her and during the early 90s the universities of Melbourne and Aarhus established an exchange programme to allow exchange of PhD students for one semester between the two universities. This agreement was revived in 2012 as the Greta Hort Dannebrog Scholarship for undergraduate students to be granted scholarships funded by the Greta Hort Scholarship Fund and the Dannebrog Foundation.