Dialogue 22 | Mar / Apr 2012
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Main: Graduands preparing for their congregation ceremony. Top: Sir Thomas Allen in his Chancellor robes for the first time. Centre: University Bedels Kim Leach and Esther Kisby.
Winter congregation Winter Congregation took place as usual this year during the middle of January and saw students graduate in Durham Cathedral over the course of five ceremonies. Students from around eighty countries graduated, most of which were supported by friends and family from around the world.
During these events Bedels lead processions and fulfil other duties such as carrying the University’s mace.
The ceremonial event saw the robing of Sir Thomas Allen as Durham University’s 12th Chancellor and Esther Kisby instated as the University’s first female Bedel.
There are two Bedels at the University, Kim Leach and Esther Kisby. Kim has been a Bedel at the University for over nine years and states he takes “great pride in the role and it is an honour to have been selected”.
Historically, a Bedel’s role was to act as a classroom assistant, this involved working closely with the Registrar’s office keeping attendance records. Since then, the role has developed and Bedels are now an integral part of ceremonial events including Matriculation, Remembrance Day, Founders and Benefactors and Winter and Summer Congregation.
At Congregation Sir Thomas won everyone’s hearts by addressing the graduating students with “There have been many great cities on my travels...Munich, Cologne, Paris, New York, Chicago, Milan....all beautiful, wonderful and impressive. But none of them possess that unique factor that causes a catch of the breath as the train pulls into the station up there on the hill. Durham - now that’s real magic, Harry Potter”.
Last summer saw a programme of works begin at University College involving the refurbishment of the student accommodation, transformation of The Great Hall, kitchen and servery, and upgrades to other college facilities. This £5m refurbishment, which concluded in October 2011, was carried out by Miller Construction who worked closely with Durham Council Conservation to ensure the team fully understood the limitations and restrictions of working within a World Heritage Site. Works on The Great Hall, used for student meals as well as hosting weddings and other functions, involved a full strip-out of the kitchen, servery, screens passage and buttery. The residential parts of the Castle have been reconfigured and upgraded to reflect 21st Century student accommodation, whilst preserving the original and historical features of the building, with the majority of bedrooms now including en-suite. Michelle Crawford, Bursar at University College, said: “We are delighted with the refurbishment and the Castle’s facilities have been transformed from 1* to 4* Visit England grading. The Great Hall, servery, kitchen and bedrooms look fantastic, and provide a great community setting for students to live in and a majestic venue for weddings.”
Durham Business School (DBS) is to temporarily relocate to Ushaw College in April for up to two years whilst a £16.6m state-of-the-art rebuilding and extension of the School’s current home at Mill Hill Lane takes place.
Most of the School’s staff and students will move to Ushaw, with others relocating to existing University premises around the City. The plans include a major new extension and alterations to the existing buildings to create new seminar rooms, lecture rooms, catering facilities, a library, IT laboratories and offices. The University is also investing in upgrading the facilities at Ushaw to ensure that it can support the vibrant Business School and its operations. Professor Rob Dixon, Dean of DBS, said: “We are delighted that the School will soon be brought into association with the rich history of learning at Ushaw College.” At the same time University is also providing specialist resources to undertake the substantial task of cataloguing and archiving the Ushaw library to modern standards and inventorying the other collections to ensure their preservation and specialist conservation.
The Centre for Catholic Studies (see ‘Spotlight’ feature on page 16), which is coordinating and overseeing these recording activities at Ushaw, is developing plans to open up the magnificent collections at Ushaw for full scholarly use and public benefit. The Centre is working closely with the Project Group established by the Ushaw Trustees in June to secure a viable future for Ushaw College.
Main: Ushaw College © Alex Ramsay. Below: Architect’s impression of Durham Business School’s planned extension to its Mill Hill Lane site.