The College was delighted to welcome a large group of prospective students to its latest Summer
School. The aim is to give a flavour of life at Selwyn and at Cambridge through a combination of
academic sessions and socialising. Our new Schools Liaison Officer, Michelle Tang, has written an
account of what went on.
Summer
School News Article 2016
This is the time of year when prospective students start thinking about their choice of University or College for a potential start date in 2017 – and Selwyn has produced a new prospectus to help with that decision. It features detailed information about what to expect if you come to Selwyn, and includes a wide range of photographs of daily life at the College. The Master’s basset hound YoYo makes an appearance too, alongside some of our current students.
We set out our aim for the College on the opening page: “Selwyn is a special place. It provides a supportive, exciting community in which students excel academically and personally, and make the very best of their time in Cambridge.” You can read the prospectus online Selwyn_College_Prospectus 2017; or to have your own copy delivered, please fill in the form here http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/order-prospectus/.
People have often said that Selwyn’s gardens are one of Cambridge’s best-kept secrets. They’re not on the busiest tourist routes; but for visitors who discover them, and for our students and staff, they’re a wonderful place for a gentle walk and some relaxation.
Now we’re inviting more visitors to share the experience. We’re going to be part of “Open Cambridge”, the University’s weekend celebrating the rich and diverse heritage of our city. It’s the first time we’ve offered a guided tour of the Selwyn gardens as part of this event, and to mark the occasion our head gardener Paul Gallant has been interviewed about his work. You can read more at /sites/default/files/assets/news/PaulGallant.docx. Below, Paul is photographed in front of Selwyn’s celebrated Victorian Border.
Selwyn’s gardens are open every day to visitors if you want to see the work of Paul and his team. Please call at the Porters’ Lodge in Grange Road if you need directions. There’s more about the gardens at http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/selwyn-college/college-gardens/ and there are details of all the other “Open Cambridge” activities online: http://www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk/
One of the most successful books in recent months has been “Skyfaring” by Mark Vanhoenacker – a pilot’s account of the wonders of flying. It’s just out in paperback and is currently number 2 in the Sunday Times chart, and it was a best-seller in hardback too. Mark took an MPhil in History at Selwyn in the 1990s, and he went on to become a British Airways pilot.
His book has received glowing reviews. The New York Times said it was “a superb chronicle of his career as an airline pilot… Mark Vanhoenacker makes jet travel seem uncanny and intriguing all over again, finding delight in clouds, airports, rainstorms, fuel loads, sky gates, fragments of jargon, lonely electric lights on the plain, suns that rise and set four times in a single daylong journey and the fanciful names of waypoints on flight maps.” It was also a Book Of The Week on BBC Radio 4.
Mark tells us he’s not alone as a Selwyn pilot. A few months ago he found himself sharing a cockpit with Mark Benterman (SE2005). “Two Selwyn Marks, piloting a 747 to Cape Town, what are the chances?”
The Royal Society has made one of its major awards to a former Selwyn student. Sophie Wilson, who is also an Honorary Fellow of the College, has jointly received The Mullard Award - which recognises outstanding scientific work that contributes to national prosperity in the United Kingdom. Ms Wilson, along with Professor Steve Furber, was cited for “their distinguished contributions to the design and analysis of the Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) microprocessor which is used in mobile phone and portable electronics world over”.
You can read the Royal Society’s news release here: https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/mullard-award/. ARM itself has been in the news this week after its £24bn takeover: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36822806
Sophie Wilson studied at Selwyn in the late 1970s, and she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in Spring 2016.
There were capacity audiences for two lectures given in the United States by Selwyn History Fellow, Dr David Smith, on the subject of “Cromwell: Hero or Villain?” The events were arranged by the college in association with Cambridge In America, which represents the university and all the colleges; and they took place in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday July 6th and at the British Embassy in Washington the following night. Alumni from across the university attended the talks, and there were lively question and answer sessions after each lecture. Our photo shows the Washington event in the Embassy’s rotunda.
The Master of Selwyn, Roger Mosey, also spoke in both cities to introduce the lectures. He used the occasion to set out briefly the Cambridge response to the Brexit referendum result. He said:
"We meet here in what is clearly a challenging time back home in the UK. But the university and colleges of Cambridge have had 800 years' experience of dealing with what the world throws at us, and we have a policy of trying to emerge all the stronger.
"So there was a very clear message from a meeting I was at with the Vice-Chancellor and others Heads of House at the start of the month. We remain a global university with international connections that matter enormously to us - and those include, and will continue to include, the continent of Europe. It's business as usual. Cambridge will pursue its collaborations in Europe, in the Americas, in Asia and Africa: right around the world.
"It's particularly important that we help to lead the UK's commitment to science, because the best Cambridge minds can change all our lives for the better with their research. And across all fields, we want the brightest and best to come to us - irrespective of their nationality or background."
Selwyn Chapel was the centrepiece of our Family Day on July 2nd when we were celebrating 40 years since the admission of women to the College. But the talking point was a cake, not the building. An edible model of Chapel was created by Carolyn Collins, mother of two Selwyn students; and the photograph below shows what an accurate rendition it was of the building.
Mrs Collins worked from photographs to achieve her astonishing level of detail. The finishing touches include an icing version of the college dog, YoYo, in one of her favourite positions on the Old Court lawn. The consensus among the guests on Saturday was that the cake was as delicious to eat as it was wonderful to look at – and we’re very grateful to Carolyn for her contribution to the success of the day.
Degrees were conferred on Selwyn students at a ceremony on Friday June 24th. As is traditional, the students lined up in Old Court - watched by families and friends - ready for the walk to the Senate House.
Selwyn’s contingent managed to avoid the worst of the downpours that have hit Cambridge this week, though there was a light shower when the procession set off – and umbrellas were to hand.
See many more photos online in our Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/selalum/albums
The Master, Roger Mosey, sent this message to Selwyn students and staff on the morning of Friday June 24th.
“The vote by the UK to leave the European Union means we are now in a time of uncertainty. But I want to say something that is certain about Selwyn. We are a community that welcomes people from Britain, from the continent of Europe and from across the world. That will not change. We are multinational and diverse, and proud of it. We will never compromise on that.”
There are more updates on Brexit developments on the main Cambridge University website:
href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">https://www.cam.ac.uk/.
The College was delighted to hear about old members who featured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
We’re also pleased to report that our former Master, Sir David Harrison, is to
receive an Honorary Fellowship from Homerton College. Sir David was chairman of Homerton’s
Board of Trustees for the 30 years running up to the grant of the college’s Royal Charter.
Our congratulations to them all.
General Admission 2025 took place on Friday July 4th, with Selwyn students gathering in Old Court with their families and friends before the traditional procession to the Senate House to receive their degrees. The college warmly congratulates its new graduates.
