News Articles

The college has published its Annual Report for 2019-20, which has been sent to alumni and friends – and is also available online here: https://www.selwynalumni.com/publications

The report was being prepared while the health emergency was developing, so the master Roger Mosey has also written a letter with the latest news on how the college is responding to the crisis.

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Dear alumni and friends

I want to supplement the annual report you’re receiving from us with some updated information about the health emergency. The most important thing to say is that we stand with the NHS in the UK and with all those across the world doing their best to keep us safe; and we express our solidarity with the Selwyn community in these troubling times.

The effects of the crisis on Cambridge have been profound. There will be a deeply unconventional Easter term here, and most of our students have left the college. We will still offer teaching and supervisions and pastoral care, but it will almost all be done remotely; and this will be an exam season like no other, with a completely altered assessment regime. Our academic staff are working hard to maintain the strongest links they can with students, and we will never shirk from our commitment to the highest possible standards of education.

Some students and Fellows are still here – either because they couldn’t travel or because this is simply their home. We are enormously grateful to our staff who are looking after them, albeit through much-reduced and basic services; and the commitment of the teams of Selwyn to the wellbeing of the community has been tremendous. We have even had a pop-up fruit and vegetable shop in Hall to offer healthy food to those who are still in residence.

The annual report is, of course, retrospective; but in preparing it, we were aware of the looming external crisis. In particular, the bursar spotted that the relative calm of his figures for 2019-20 would not withstand the storm. At this stage, we can only make a preliminary assessment – and the calculation is that the health emergency could add between £2m and £2.5m to the college deficit within this calendar year. We are urgently exploring how we can mitigate the impact through some of the government initiatives available, such as the Job Retention Scheme.

The endowment has also been significantly reduced by the turmoil in the markets, though the early indications were that we had not suffered as much of a reverse as the main indices. But this will, to put it mildly, add to the challenges facing the college. We are still determined to do the right things, as in the swift decision by the Governing Body not to charge rents for Easter term to students who are not in Cambridge; and we will not abandon the civic responsibilities that are part of Selwyn. We do, however, face continuing choppy waters as do individuals, companies and governments.

We are helped by the prudence of recent years. Other educational institutions paid for their new buildings by borrowing, whereas we are extremely fortunate to have had our library and auditorium fully funded by alumni and friends. I am delighted to report here that we have now hit the financial target of £12.6m. You will understand that the project has been delayed by the emergency, but we still have every hope of wonderful new facilities in 2021.

This also means that we can focus our philanthropy on what will unquestionably be an acute area: student support in the light of the health and financial crisis. Demand can only increase, and we need to be prepared to maintain this college’s mission that anyone with the right talent can come here irrespective of their background. If you’re interested in finding out about the current opportunity to secure matching funds for any donations made for student support, please contact our development team via development@sel.cam.ac.uk.

For now, though, I hope you enjoy reading the annual report; and that you’re inspired, as we are, by the vast range of people who enable the college to be world-class.

Roger Mosey

Master, Selwyn College

This has been sent to undergraduates by the JCR president, Oliver Schönle.

Letter from the JCR President

Dear students,

We are about to start an Easter Term quite unlike any other in living memory. We will not all be living in Cambridge, rushing to our supervisions, studying in the library and then relaxing in Selwyn’s gardens in the sun. Instead, we will be attending an online university completely remotely, from wherever in the world we find ourselves.

I do not want to sugar-coat the fact that this unprecedented scenario presents a unique set of difficulties. Our usual support networks have been radically altered in a challenging time for our mental health, finalists have had their graduation plans swept out from underneath them, and students find themselves in hugely varying material circumstances across the world.

Nevertheless, I am confident that our college will respond to these difficulties. Selwyn is more than a group of buildings on Grange Road – it is a wonderful community of individuals across the whole world, a community which continues to exist despite the move online.

I feel immensely proud to be a member of our community. This pride has only been reinforced by the numerous different ways in which our community has already come together to adapt to the current situation. These range from the Feminist Society’s ‘Positivity Portal’ showcasing what students have been up to in isolation, to the JCR Welfare Officers organising virtual yoga classes, to the sheer number of students reaching out and offering each other support.

Thinking of the term ahead, please do get involved in these (and other) fantastic initiatives. Please continue to look after yourself and each other, and make sure to care both for your physical and mental wellbeing. The JCR Committee is here to help however we can, and will endeavour to support you however possible, so please do get in touch if you have any queries or concerns.

JCR love,
Olly

A video, released in early 2020, captures the wide range of life at Selwyn – from supervisions to sport, and from singing to socialising in the bar. It was filmed before the health emergency, and it shows the college as it was – and as it will be again. At its heart is a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Linden Lea” by the choir, and that is supplemented by filming from around the site. Dr Janet O’Sullivan and Dr Daniel Beauregard are seen teaching students; there is a view of the new servery and lunch in Hall; and other activities include lifting weights in the gym and playing table tennis in the JCR. The closing sequences show an additional use of the bar: as a place to work with friends.

The release of the video was planned to coincide with the college’s telephone campaign in which current students talk to alumni and friends about what’s going on at Selwyn and our ambitions for the future. This year’s campaign was postponed because of the coronavirus crisis, but the college is continuing to have conversations with alumni and friends to keep them in touch until we are able to meet in person again. If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact development@sel.cam.ac.uk.

The college is fully involved in preparations within the university for any spread of the coronavirus, and regular meetings are taking place at Selwyn to ensure that the community stays as healthy as possible. College officers are liaising with colleagues across Cambridge, and they in turn are taking the latest advice from Public Health England and other key institutions.

For the latest information, please check regularly on this government website:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public

Below is a joint message from Dr Martin Vinnell, the University’s director for occupational health and safety, and Dr Dan Tucker, senior tutor at Pembroke and chair of the university’s advisory group on communicable diseases, which has been sent to staff across Cambridge. They write: 

First of all, there is no reason to feel alarmed at current developments, or indeed at the prospect of cases being confirmed at the University or in the city of Cambridge.

The collegiate University has tried and tested systems in place to deal with the outbreak of communicable diseases, and much work is going on behind the scenes to make sure that we are prepared for any escalation while ensuring that our actions are proportionate and in line with government advice.

We are currently:

• Speaking regularly with Public Health England (PHE)
• Ensuring that we have appropriate expertise on our Incident Management Team, which would assist PHE if we had a positive case at Cambridge
• Providing guidance to Colleges on how they should manage any self-isolation cases in the student population
• Answering queries from institutions.

Staff should visit the University’s coronavirus webpage regularly: https://www.cam.ac.uk/notices/news/coronavirus-latest-guidance. This provides access to the latest government advice on health and travel, as well as a number of HR-related FAQs. Please note that it is the government’s responsibility, not the University’s, to provide public health advice, and all members of staff should take responsibility for keeping up-to-date with the latest information. If the current situation escalates further, and it becomes necessary to provide operationally-focused advice, this will be posted on the ‘Information for staff, students and departments’ section of the coronavirus webpage.

The best way to protect yourself and others from the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses is to wash your hands regularly and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues, which should be binned straight away.

It is possible that colleagues who have visited one of the countries on the government’s watch-list may fall ill, or cannot attend work because they need to self-isolate. The fact that, as of 1 March, there have been 11,750 tests for COVID-19 and only 35 positive cases, is clear evidence that they are far more likely to have another illness or condition. It is important, therefore, to be non-judgmental and calm in these circumstances, and continue as normal.

We are aware that many people are concerned about travelling or making travel plans. Staff are advised to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel guidance regularly, make a judgement as to whether they feel comfortable travelling, and ensure that they have appropriate travel insurance in place.

There is also no reason at the moment to consider cancelling, or not attending, public events or lectures, although it is important to be mindful that the current situation may change rapidly.

Thank you for your cooperation. 

Dr Martin Vinnell, Director of Occupational Health and Safety
Dr Dan Tucker, Chair of the Advisory Group on Communicable Diseases and Senior Tutor, Pembroke College

The foundation stone has been laid for our new library and auditorium. The principal donor for Ann’s Court, Chris Dobson, was accompanied during a short ceremony on February 3^rd by his daughter Abbie – and college fellows and staff attended too. Ann’s Court is named after Dr Dobson’s late wife; and the current building project marks the third phase of its development. It is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

The steel frame of the building is now complete. These photographs show the ground floor, where the auditorium will be situated; and the top floor, which is the second level of the library.

You can keep an eye on progress on the site via our webcam.
http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/includes/phase3/current.jpg

The college is pleased to announce that it has created an enhanced role for a college nurse. The revised post comes with added responsibilities for the wellbeing of our whole community – and the nurse will have expanded hours and a commitment to being here throughout the year.



The new nurse, who began work on January 27^th, is Carolyn Taylor. She will be available both in term times and vacations, and she is going to evaluate the optimal hours when she will be in college in the light of experience in her first few weeks. This will result in a significantly better service for students, particularly the graduate community. As well as being able to help with student and staff illnesses and wider health concerns, we will encourage the nurse to recommend steps for Selwyn to be a place where we seek the best possible physical and mental wellbeing for everyone who lives and works here.

This role has been made possible by a very generous donation from Peter and Christina Dawson, who will soon be installed as Fellow Benefactors of the college. They have previously endowed a fund that allows us to offer extra and tailored support for students with serious mental health issues, and there has been considerable benefit from this already.

 

The college is delighted to announce that the distinguished writer and broadcaster Trevor Phillips OBE will give this year’s Ramsay Murray lecture. Mr Phillips is a former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and an award-winning television producer and presenter. You can read more about him here: https://www.green-park.co.uk/people/trevor-phillips-obe/



The Ramsay Murray lecture is an annual prestigious event at Selwyn, and previous speakers have included Professor Amanda Vickery, Sir Michael Howard, Sir Keith Thomas, Professor Ian Clark, Ms Bridget Kendall, Professor Lawrence Freedman, Baroness Onora O’Neill, Professor Niall Ferguson and Professor David Cannadine.

Mr Phillips will deliver this year’s lecture on Friday 15th May at 5.30pm BST via the online platform Zoom. The talk, entitled "The New Normal : Diversity, Difference and Discord", will last for approximately 30 minutes, followed by a 15 minute Q&A session.

To register, please click here.

Our alumnus Hugh Laurie, who studied here from 1978 to 1981, was installed as an honorary fellow of Selwyn in a ceremony on December 13th in chapel. The honour recognises his extraordinary achievements as an actor, writer and musician.



During his time at the college, Hugh rowed in the university boat race against Oxford; and he began his writing and comedy partnership with Stephen Fry, who was a contemporary at Queens’ College. Since then he has become one of the most famous faces in film and television worldwide, with two major new roles revealed early in 2020: as the captain of a space ship in Avenue 5, and as Mr Dick in The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Hugh said after the installation: "There are very few things as solidly fixed in my life as Selwyn - emotionally, artistically, architecturally and academically. It"s remarkable to return, and I am truly honoured to be an honorary fellow."

He is seen with the vice-master Dr Janet O"Sullivan, who presented him for the installation; and afterwards being congratulated by fellows, including Hugh"s family member Haruko Laurie.

We’re proud to present our Christmas video for 2019, which features the choir singing ‘O come, all ye faithful’ in the college chapel. This year also included are sequences filmed around Selwyn as we celebrated the season. So you will see some of the college’s festive decorations, and then students going to formal hall for what was the first of three special Christmas dinners. We hope it gives a good sense of this special time of year; and, if you like it, please share the video as widely as you want. It’s also available on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/Selwyn.College.Cambridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3CBTVOXNb0

Yorkshire has been the focus of much of our recent outreach work – with primary school pupils travelling to the college to see what Cambridge is like, and college staff visiting Leeds for activities in the HE+ programme.

In the last week of November, we hosted fifty-two Year 4 students from Leeds, who took part in an “Information Scavenger Hunt” which required discovering a range of information including the names of the Master’s dogs! This is part of a programme aimed at building interest early in attending university and showing that Cambridge is a welcoming place for people whatever their background.



For older children, there was the launch of Selwyn’s new HE+ programme in Leeds involving Year 12 students from seven schools: Allerton High School, Elliott Hudson College, Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College, Ossett High School, Pontefract New College, St Mary’s Menston and Woodhouse Grove.

The event took place at Notre Dame and the sessions included a talk by schools liaison officer Chloe Cupid (centre in photo) on ‘what is a lecture?’, then a lecture by Dr Kirsty McDougall (left) on forensic phonetics. Also in the photo are teachers Kitty Graham (Notre Dame) and Clare Lucas (Elliott Hudson) with Becky Taylor (Cambridge Admissions Office).



This picture shows participants from Elliott Hudson College with Chloe and Kirsty.