Another new face in the college for 2018: Dr Kirsty McDougall joins us as admissions tutor for the arts and social sciences. She will become part of the team which manages our outreach programmes and selects new undergraduates, working alongside the science admissions tutors Dr Daniel Beauregard and Dr Stuart Eves.

The start of 2018 marks a change in command in Selwyn's gardens. Following the retirement of Paul Gallant, our new head gardener is Andrew Myson - who began work on January 2nd.

Andrew has a lot of Cambridge college experience: he was previously head gardener at Trinity Hall. We welcome him to Selwyn, and wish him every success in his work here.

Selwyn was featured in the 2017 Christmas special editions of ‘University Challenge’. The match against the University of St Andrews was shown on BBC2 on December 26^th.

Selwyn welcomed back two of its best known alumni this December: television & film star Hugh Laurie and top-selling novelist Robert Harris. They're pictured alongside the Christmas tree in Hall.

For some time now the JCR has been running a ‘Students of Selwyn’ series, profiling some of the undergraduates at the college. We’re delighted that the MCR is now working to expand the series, so that in future it will include graduate students too.

The first representative of our MCR is Hiba Salem, who talks about her journey from Syria to Selwyn - and her research among refugee communities.

The Master of Selwyn, Roger Mosey, has responded to criticisms of Cambridge over its admissions policy – and other recent media stories about the university. In a speech to parents and students, he argued that the university has a good story to tell about the progress it is making.

At this time of year we remember all members of this college who died in conflict. The names of the fallen in the First and Second World Wars, which are inscribed in our war memorials, are read out on Remembrance Sunday; and there is music and poetry in chapel for people of all faiths and none.

We were particularly saddened to read an item from Haileybury School about a young man who died 100 years ago.

The University of Cambridge has launched a campaign to promote zero tolerance of sexual misconduct.

Called ‘Breaking the Silence – Cambridge speaks out against sexual misconduct’, the campaign will highlight a range of new prevention, support and reporting measures coming into effect in 2017.

The actor Hugh Laurie visited Selwyn on September 25^th and took part in a question and answer session with students. Hugh is a Selwyn alumnus (SE 1978) who studied archaeology and anthropology, and he is now an Honorary Fellow of the college.

Selwyn’s new students took part in the matriculation photograph in Old Court on October 2^nd to mark the start of the academic year. Freshers were formally welcomed the previous afternoon by the Master and Senior Tutor, and this week they have induction sessions in the college and across the university.