News from Hughes Hughes Hall Newsletter
Michaelmas Term 2013
Issue 19
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Farewell from the Editor
The City Programme at Hughes
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The new Development Director
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Alumni at the Alumni Dinner 13
News from the MCR 14
Stories from the Telephone Campaign 15
Reflections from three alumni
The President’s Final Year The President, Mrs Sarah Squire, who will bid farewell to the College next year. Her letter appears on pages 2 and 3.
www.hughes.cam.ac.uk
Hughes Hall es Hall Cambridge CB1 2EW Alumni and Development Office Hugh Email: development@hughes.cam.ac.uk 79 3111 23 Tel: +44 (0)1223 334895 Fax: +44 (0)12 www.hughes.cam.ac.uk
From The President
Dear members of Hughes Hall, it will be time e I came to this college as President and Next summer it will be eight years sinc great satisfaction. and I shall look back on these years with for me to step down. Time has flown bassador in er – although possibly my time as Am oth e non like is ege coll a of d hea of The role pretty good preparation. charge of a British embassy overseas was great pleasures of in a place like Hughes and one of the Diversity is one of the attractions of life cted about the so much that is interesting and unexpe of y over disc the been has t iden Pres being lessly stimulating and staff, all brought together in an end lively interests of our students, Fellows ity, with suggestions amount to be done in such a commun mix. And of course there is an infinite this process structive change comes about through Con s. side all from in ing flow help and offers of community. This many people involved in the College the of ll dwi goo and rgy ene the g agin of eng goodwill for the harness all the Hughes brainpower and role can be hard work, but helping to benefit of the College is its own reward. involved in the is also the additional stimulus of getting e ther ege coll ge brid Cam a of d hea For the to take on a whole e accepted the Vice Chancellor’s requests wider University. Over the years I hav uty Vice Chancellors, a becoming, for example, one of the Dep variety of extremely interesting roles, Scholarship iness School, Trustee of the Cambridge Bus ge Jud of rd boa ent agem man the member of chairman of the the world of patents and marketing – into pse glim ing rest inte t mos a – and Trusts, nd’. commercial use of the Cambridge ‘bra panel set up to review the worldwide h I must say in terms of its inherent interest, althoug just not is k wor side out this all of The benefit vity which drives behind the scenes on so much of the acti see to able be to e ileg priv rare a it’s that we are doing here in also feed very directly back into what a great university. The insights gained our reputation and our reach. Hughes Hall as we continue to build
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One of my university roles, as deputy chairman of the global Alumni Board, has a particular resonance with what has been happening at Hughes these last years as we have steadily built up our growing relationship with the thousands of our former students, all around the world. Each year has seen more of our alumni coming back to join in the life of the College, and I have greatly enjoyed meeting many, many others on my travels. If only there were time for visits to all corners, to touch base again with Hughesians whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know over these last years! Each year seems to be busier than the last. This coming year will be significant for work on a major new initiative which we have been planning for many months now. Just across the other side of the cricket field stands the university gym, much used over the years by members of our College. These training facilities have now moved to a new site in west Cambridge, and we are poised to buy the site and redevelop it. We hope that by 2016 we shall look out across the field to a really fine new building which will house a substantial number of our students. The new rooms will have a beautiful outlook across the field, back towards our Hughes main buildings. As you may imagine, we feel a real sense of delight to have been able to seize this opportunity to expand in such a magnificent location. Other projects are further over the horizon, but always in view – maybe one day a porters’ lodge for Hughes? – and the relentless effort to find new funding for student scholarships and bursaries will remain a key ambition. This is not yet Goodbye; there is still much to do in this final year as Hughes continues its onward progress, with all good wishes,
Sarah Squire
The President with PGCE students at the Ogden Matriculation Dinner, 2013
Hughes Hall, a College of the University of Cambridge, is incorporated by Royal Charter Registered Charity No.1137471
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The Pavilion Room garden Keith McVeigh writes: This forgotten corner of the College gardens has been revived. It was a joint effort: I designed the planting (and planted the shrubs myself ), Paul Parrish and his maintenance team assembled the teak benches and constructed the timber reinforcement to protect the borders, and our gardeners, Chris Rayner and his sons, Matthew and Jason, co-operated enthusiastically in the project. Life Fellow Keith McVeigh has generously donated two garden benches and the plants for this corner of the College gardens.
The magnificent railings bring Fenner’s cricket ground even closer into the life of Hughes Hall (and, of course, our College buildings provide an imposing backdrop to Fenner’s). It works both ways to mutual advantage to create a classic Cambridge view. In the Pavilion Lawn border, early Spring plants such as snowdrops and bluebells have been retained while mature trees and new shrubs provide shape and colour throughout the year. The general effect aimed for here has been woodland with a light touch. The shrubs near the benches are Mediterranean types that survive a dry climate.
A longer version of this article and some others can be found on the Hughes Hall website.
I hope these benches and this area with its wonderful view will give pleasure to the whole Community of the College – Fellows, students, staff and all our families, friends and guests.
News from Hughesians CLIVE KNIGHTS, 1987, MPhil Architecture, has established a new School of Architecture at Portland State University in Oregon. This achievement has been a long term goal of his, and he will act as Director of the School and Professor of Architecture. Clive’s primary area of creative research examines “the cultural meanings of architectural representation understood through the human body, and the revelatory capacity of metaphor, with particular reference to the writings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Ricoeur”. His current project is an “interpretive study of the ‘involuntary’ dimension of being human and its cultivation into the habits and rituals of daily life, addressed through a series of hand-burnished monotype prints and mixed media drawings”.
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RILEY DOYLE, MPhil, 2011, Bioscience Enterprise, along with two of his course mates, won Life Science Start Up of the Year and Biotech Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2012 Cambridge University Entrepreneurs (CUE) business plan competition. They then formally founded Desktop Genetics Ltd, and have been hard at work developing the technology and raising money for the business in London. Desktop Genetics develops technologies at the intersection of biotechnology, information management and laboratory automation. The company has developed AutoCloneTM, an automated software platform that enables the optimal design, construction, management and exchange of DNA constructs to be deployed in vector/plasmid manufacturing, genome-editing, protein production and synthetic biology work-flows.
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Farewell from the Editor Dear Hughesians, I am sad to announce that this is to be my last issue as Editor of News from Hughes. My tenure as Editor has given me enormous pleasure and satisfaction over the years but, after a great deal of thought, I have taken the decision to retire from the post. As well as being Editor of NfH, I have a fairly busy publishing consultancy, and I also write books for children. I’ll be out of the country for several months next year doing the research for a new publishing project. This, unfortunately, will coincide with the critical periods for pulling together NfH. It would not be wise for me to try to do both, so I have very reluctantly decided to step down as Editor. I’ve been Editor for the past seven years, and a Senior Member for fourteen. I have enjoyed the wide ranging involvement the newsletter has given me with all aspects of College life, but I’ve particularly valued the contact with alumni, and it is this that I shall miss the most. It’s been a real privilege getting to know such an eclectic range of interesting people from all over the world, connected, as they are, through their links to Hughes Hall. My time as Editor has coincided with that of Sarah Squire as President. The College has developed a great deal in the past seven years and so, unsurprisingly, has the newsletter. I well remember the early days when Sarah and I had to search quite hard for news items and for people to write articles, whereas now it’s a difficult but rewarding task to fit in all the news and ideas which come in from alumni and other members of College. Indeed, we have moved to sixteen pages and a new design for this issue – from our initial six! I’m sure that News from Hughes will continue to thrive and develop. I look forward to reading your news once published and, from time to time, contributing my own. I shall continue to be closely involved with Hughes Hall as a Senior Member, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible when you visit Hughes. Warmest good wishes,
Annemarie Young
Cambridge-India collaboration: an exciting new option for Medical Electives June, 2012 saw the introduction of an exciting new collaborative venture between the institutions of Whitefield Hospital, Bangalore, the Sathya Sai Mobile Hospitals in India, and Hughes Hall. Our first student, Steven Nottley, attended both Whitefield Hospital and SS Mobile Hospital under the tutelage of Drs Sola and Narasimhan respectively. Steven said: This was a very useful placement for me as I had little confidence in my ability to hear and diagnose heart murmur. I got the opportunity to hear nearly every combination of murmurs possible and have them explained to me. The complete care of the patient from beginning to end was a rewarding and educational experience.
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Steven with one of the patients at the mobile hospital.
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The City Programme at Hughes – a unique and imaginative scheme One particular aspect of Hughes Hall is its distinct ‘business’ focus, our City Programme. A main feature of this is that the College Fellowship includes three ‘City Fellows’. Apart from the fact that their term as a Trustee is limited to three years, they are on exactly the same footing as all the academic Fellows, with all the same rights and same responsibilities. Over its thirteen years in existence the programme has brought in some very interesting City Fellows – senior people from the professional world who are intrigued by the idea of becoming a Fellow of a Cambridge college and who have contributed greatly to the way we manage ourselves and to the whole scope of College life. They bring a breadth of fresh perspective which is the envy of some other colleges. The role is in some ways a classic non-executive director role since, as a registered Charity, all our Fellows are Trustees, and informed participation in the governance of the College is the core commitment. But the potential interest of the role goes much further than that. In an academic and social community, made up of a rich variety of Cambridge academics and some 600 postgraduate and mature-undergraduate students, there is always a great deal going on, and much interaction between the Fellowship and the students. For those who have the interest and the time, the Fellowship role can be richly rewarding. Another crowning feature of the City Programme occurs in April each year when the City Programme shows its public face, with a public lecture given by a distinguished business speaker. This event brings together students, alumni and a wide variety of senior guests from the University and the business community. Mrs Sarah Squire, President Hughes Hall It says much about the College’s open-minded approach and interest in wider perspectives that Hughes Hall has pioneered this unique scheme.
The scheme is meritorious and imaginative, and hugely advantageous to our students. On a personal level, I’ve enjoyed it enormously, with the opportunity to meet students, exchange views and explore controversy.
Elizabeth Filkin, City Fellow –
Fascinating conversations; insight into College and University management challenges; a sense of pride, community and commitment; it was great to serve Hughes Hall as a City Fellow.
Nigel Brown OBE, Honorary Fellow, City Fellow –
Stephen Allott, City Fellow –
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THE CITY FELLOWS 1998 Sir Roger Cork
2006 Mr Nigel Brown OBE
Moore Stephens Booth White Lord Mayor of London
Founder and former Chairman NWB Group; Founder Stradivari Charitable Trust; Winner (2007) Individual Queen’s Award for Enterprise
1998 Sir Peter Ogden Chairman, The Ogden Trust; Founder of Computacenter
1999 Dr Campbell McLachlan QC
2008 Mr Richard Jeffrey Chief Investment Officer, Cazenove Capital Management Ltd
Partner Herbert Smith; Barrister Essex Court Chambers
2009 Dr Anthony Freeling
2001 Sir Bob Phillis Chief Executive, Guardian Media Group plc
Open University Governor; Director Ashridge Strategic Management Centre; Previously Director (Senior Partner) McKinsey & Co.
2003 Miss Elizabeth Filkin
2009 Mr Ian Peacock
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards 1999–2002
Chairman, Housing Finance Corporation; Chairman, Audit & Compliance Committee, C Hoare & Co; Former Chairman, Mothercare plc
2003 Mr William Charnley Partner King & Spalding
2005 Mr Stephen Allott Crown Representative for SMEs in Cabinet Office; formerly with Micromuse, McKinsey, Sun Microsystems and Xerox. Founder of Cambridge Computer Lab Ring
2011 Mr John Rawlings Past Chairman Skipton Building Soc; NED Financial Ombudsman Service & QNB Holdings s.a.r.l.; Former Deputy Chairman at Morgan Grenfell & Co Ltd.
2013 Mr Marc Mogull Founder and Managing Partner, Benson Elliot Capital Management; Senior Fellow, Real Estate Development, Cambridge University Department of Land Economy
I am enormously proud to be appointed to the Fellowship at Hughes Hall. It is an honour and a pleasure to share the knowledge gained during a long career with students who will someday drive investment activity and public policy in the UK and internationally. Marc Mogull, current City Fellow,
Becoming a member of a Cambridge college after many years away is an honour and also tremendous fun. Given the richness of the opportunity for both the City Fellows and the broader College it is surprising other colleges have not copied the City programme. Dr Anthony Freeling, City Fellow –
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The intellectual stimulus and congeniality of colleagues I have experienced at Hughes has been most rewarding and I hope I have been able to bring my professional experience to bear on some of the issues affecting the College. John Rawlings, current City Fellow,
During my time as a City Fellow, Hughes attempted to put in place some of the structures common in other organisations whilst maintaining and encouraging the collegiate nature of the Fellowship. Achieving this was sometimes a challenge, but it was a most enjoyable one and I was lucky enough to make some very good friends while doing so. Ian Peacock, Quondam City Fellow, City Fellow –
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The Genesis of the City Fellowships The City Programme at Hughes – a unique and imaginative scheme
Professor Nicholas O’Shaugnessy, former Fellow of Hughes Hall, was the person who first came up with the idea for the City Programme. He comments on the origins of this distinctive feature of the College. While the City Fellowships were my conception, the real credit for their implementation must go to others, who saw the potential, and in particular to one member of the Governing Body, Nick Sinclair-Brown. My role was limited to suggesting it and then canvassing colleagues: the rest was entirely the action of others. The City Lecture grew out of the original idea and has become a major signature event of the College’s year. The model was the Parliamentary Fellowships of St Anthony’s College Oxford, which are offered to politicians and limited to three years. The time limitation made the concept acceptable to Fellows, who otherwise might have baulked at the suggestion. In the end, there was no opposition. As with the Oxford model, the aim of the City Fellowship is to bridge the worlds of study and practice; they are, indeed, mutually enriching domains, and both groups benefit. We conceived the scheme as a way for the College to generate good advice, including information on our College affairs and finances, and in particular to provide help and other forms of service for students. The aim was not to involve the finance industry exclusively: the idea of the City Fellowship was seen as a kind of umbrella brand which would include the legal profession and the profession of management more generally. The concept chimed well with the fact that the College has traditionally built up a strength in the ‘professional’ subjects – Medicine, Law, Education, Land Economy, Management – and established this as a distinctive part of its identity. Ultimately, the College was flexible and open-minded enough to take on the idea and run with it. There are grand opportunities with a college like Hughes Hall which can fashion itself to the kind of world its students and graduates are going to be joining, and in very many cases, be leading. Nicholas O’Shaughnessy, Quondam Fellow (Fellow –),
Professor of Communication, Queen Mary, University of London
CITY LECTURES
2002: Sir John Banham
2009: Dr Philip Augar
Towards World Class Education: A Business Perspective
Author of The Death of Gentlemanly Capitalism and The Greed Merchants
2003: Mr Stephen King After the Technology Bubble
Chasing Alpha: how reckless growth and unchecked ambition ruined the City’s golden decade
2004: Sir Robert Phillis (City Fellow)
2010: Sir David Wright
Government Communications: 2003 and beyond
Vice Chairman, Barclays Capital Finance: From Public to Private
2005: Mr Bill Fishbein
2011: Ms Laurel Powers Freeling
Coffee: Where is the value in Fair Trade? Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, the global advertising and marketing group, who gave the City Lecture in 2013
2006: Mr Stephen Allott (City Fellow)
Too Big to Fail: economic inevitability or commercial opportunism?
From Science to Growth: The People Centric Approach
2012: Dr Stephen Bungay
2007: Mr Nick Butler 2000: Sir Michael Jenkins OBE The City: Markets Past, Present and Future
2001: Mr Edward Walker-Arnott Changing City Merger Practice: Reconsidering the Role of the Takeover Panel
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Senior Adviser, Bank of England
Director, Ashridge Strategic Management Centre
Director, Centre for Energy Studies, Judge Business School
Beyond the cult of the leader – the tasks of the executive in the 21st century
International Energy Security – Challenges and Responses
2013: Sir Martin Sorrell
2008: Dr Hermann Hauser Founder of Amadeus Capital partners The Innovation Imperative
CEO, WPP Group The Leaders of Tomorrow: what they will need to remember. And what they will need to forget
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Fellows News Tony Lemons MBE
Senior Member
Congratulations to Fellow Tony Lemons, Director of Physical Education and Sport, on being awarded the MBE for his services to University sport. Tony has said it’s very satisfying that on a number of occasions he’s been able to work to the benefit of both the College and the University. A good example is the Fenner’s building, which was inextricably linked to the new Indoor Cricket School; the latter was essential for the University’s inclusion in the MCC’s University Centres of Cricketing Excellence. And more recently, the University’s new West Cambridge Sports Centre has enabled the College to bid for the former Gresham Road site to develop new accommodation for Hughes Hall.
We are sad to announce that Margaret Evelyn Chamberlain, Education, 1945, and Senior Member of Hughes Hall, passed away on 16 July, 2013, aged 90. Margaret was a former Editor of the College newsletter, and had taught History at the Perse School in Cambridge, where she was Senior History Mistress and Deputy Head, before re-joining Hughes Hall as a Senior Member. Margaret took a leading role in forming the Friends of Hughes Hall in the mid 1980s.
Tony Rodgers, Life Fellow Life Fellow Tony Rodgers, in his new ‘career’ as a Cambridge guide, standing beside the Corpus Clock. Tony says “It keeps me on the streets! I’m lucky to live in such a beautiful city, with its architecture, history and traditions. It’s a joy to show others around, and to relate and also hear interesting anecdotes. I’m always learning something because people tell me more each time.”
Development Office New Director of Development In August we were pleased to welcome our new Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Richard Berg Rust, who joined us from his native Newcastle upon Tyne, where he combined the roles of Director of Development at two of the city’s greatest institutions: the Theatre Royal and Dame Allan’s Schools. He was elected to the Fellowship of Hughes Hall in May. Richard made his early career in public relations and marketing, before his appointment as Director of Fundraising and PR at Cambridge University Veterinary School (1990). Here, in the early days of University fundraising, he led the £1m campaign to build a new Animal Cancer Treatment Unit, and then went on to lead a variety of development offices and cultural campaigns, including those at the Peninsula Medical School (Exeter
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University), Beamish Museum and the Northumbrian Association, where he was appointed first Chairman in 1997. The charity was established to promote the historic culture of the far North of England. Its campaign to restore the Lindisfarne Gospels to Durham Cathedral, supported by Lord Bragg, Sting and others, attracted worldwide attention. In the past eight years he has led two major capital campaigns at the Theatre Royal Newcastle, the £7.2m development of the former Barclays building – which marked the greatest expansion of the theatre in its 175 year history – and the £5.1m auditorium restoration of 2010/11. He also established a new Development Office at Dame Allan’s, one of the North East’s
Richard talking to the President and MCR President at the opening of the refurbished bar
leading independent schools, successfully raising funds for a range of bursaries and scholarships. Richard says: I find the Hughes Hall story a very inspiring one and it still feels very much on the rise. It is exciting to be part of the team which will take the College forward and I think many opportunities lie ahead of us.
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Alumni Lecture & Reunion Dinner Friday, 27 September, 2013 The lecture, Extinction by a Contagious Cancer: a devil of a problem, was given to a full and appreciative house, by Professor Jim Kaufman, Hughes Hall Fellow and the Professor of Comparative Immunogenetics at the Department of Pathology. Tasmanian devils, the largest marsupial carnivores, are being decimated by a contagious cancer – a cell line derived from a single individual – which should be rejected by most devils as a tissue transplant, but is not. Understanding how such cancers arise and persist may help to save this iconic marsupial from extinction, and also help to prepare us for the emergence of such a pathogen in humans.
News from alumni who attended the Dinner Nikolay Nikolov 1993, MPhil Epidemiology I trained as an anaesthetist and intensivist in Ireland and became Fellow of the College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons there. I moved to the US for further training and was Chief Fellow of the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. I was appointed Consultant at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, in 2013, and I am the Director of ORIAN Directorate. I had a strong relationship with College and the camaraderie was a vital part of my life at Cambridge, both academic and social. Everyone accepted me with unfeigned curiosity as there were very few people from Eastern Europe at Cambridge then – I believe I was the first and only Bulgarian. The mentorship of the Tutors was extremely important to me. Last but not least, the Halls and Formal Halls as well as the atmosphere in the bar and the classical concerts filled a lot of evenings with longing for the next one.
Stephen Cooper 1981, PGCE, English Janet Webster 1971, PGCE, Biology & Chemistry I was at Hughes Hall in 1971. I had the smallest attic room in Wollaston Lodge, overlooking Fenner’s. Fridges weren’t provided so we kept our milk on the windowsills, hoping the birds wouldn’t find it. My Biology method tutor was Ken Turner, one of the original team involved with the Nuffield Biology project. I completed a PhD in Botany at Glasgow University followed by post-doctoral research at Leeds. In 1980 I joined the Joint Matriculation Board and have worked for the JMB and its successor organisations ever since. For many years I was Subject Officer for Chemistry and Nuffield Biology and am currently Head of Results and Data in AQA’s Manchester office. I am married to Tim Turvey, formerly a senior Nuffield Biology examiner and Headmaster of two independent secondary schools. Our son, James, completed his MA at Oxford, MPhil at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and PhD at Manchester. He lectures in Roman History at Edinburgh University.
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I started teaching in 1982 in Glasgow, moving first to Helensburgh and then on to Chelmsford until my son’s birth in 1989, when I began working part-time at St Albans College, allowing my wife to continue her career. From 1992 I tutored with Sevenoaks Adult Education, teaching English and Philosophy. In 1995 I became an Open University Associate Lecturer, teaching literature and studying part-time for my PhD. Sussex Academic Press published my thesis as Philip Larkin: Subversive Writer, in 2004. Other publications include a chapter in Philip Larkin and the Poetics of Resistance (2006). I’m currently teaching Humanities to Open University students – some of them prisoners – working towards their BA. And I have a second profession: in 2009 I became a ski instructor and worked in Switzerland for the last four winters. My recent impressions of Hughes were of a college much transformed – both in its academic diversity and its physical layout – from the rather boarding school feel that I remember from the early 1980s.
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Events Diary LONDON ALUMNI DRINKS 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Tuesday, 10 December, 2013 All alumni are welcome to join us at our festive London drinks at The Crusting Pipe in Covent Garden. Please email: events@hughes.cam.ac.uk for more information.
Joanna Baldwin 1972, PGCE, French I was an early enthusiast of women’s rowing, as bow in the University 1st Boat, at that time housed in Trinity boathouse. On leaving Cambridge I joined Unilever. I spent the greater part of my career in advertising – at J Walter Thompson, and ultimately Head of Global Business Development at Publicis, the third largest communications group worldwide). I went on to found my own digital strategy agency, Seriously Digital, and later was invited to become Chief Operating Officer of (RED) International, the organisation founded by Bono (of U2) to generate corporate funding for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I have just embarked on a career as a non-executive director, as a Trustee on the Board of Fight for Sight, a charity funding original research into eye diseases. I greatly enjoyed coming back to Hughes for the Alumni Dinner.
David Watson 1994, PhD Chemical Engineering I completed my PhD in early 1998 and joined Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies as a chemical engineer. I spent the first part of my career working in teams developing processes in new technology areas for the petrochemical industries, and conducting process design work. Interspersed were various periods abroad commissioning chemical plants, including in China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Since 2006 I’ve been based at Davy’s Research and Development Centre in Teeside, where I’m responsible for the engineering group. I live in Northallerton with my wife, Anne. Whilst I spent time steering for the Boat Club at Hughes, golf has now become my sporting pastime. The Alumni Dinner was my first visit to Hughes since graduating, and I was amazed to see how the College has grown.
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HONOR CHAPMAN MEMORIAL LECTURE AND DINNER
CHARNLEY LAW DINNER
Lent Term, 2014 This event, commemorating the late Honor Chapman, leading Land Economist, will be the first major gathering of Hughes Hall Land Economists and leading industry figures.
All Hughes Lawyers welcome.
7:00pm, Friday, 7 February, 2014
BOAT CLUB DINNER 7:00pm, Friday, 7 March, 2014 Open to all former and current Boat Club members.
Open to all Land Economy alumni.
Dinner for John Hopkins, Honorary Fellow A dinner was held in June to mark the esteem and affection in which John is held by generations of students and Fellows after many years as our redoubtable Director of Studies in Law. John stepped down from the role of Director of Studies at the beginning of this academic year but we are delighted that he continues to supervise our law students in Roman (Civil) Law and Equity, and to remain involved in the life of the College.
Ogden Dinner, 2013 Education alumni joined our new PGCE students at their matriculation dinner in September. The after dinner speaker, Dr Matthew Baxter, Headteacher of the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury, Kent, gave an inspiring talk about what students can achieve given the opportunity.
Zimmern Medical Lecture and Dinner, 2013 Medical alumni, students and guests were welcomed at College in October for the Zimmern Medical Lecture and Dinner. The speaker was Dr James Brenton, an Honorary Consultant Oncologist at Addenbrookes and a Research Group Leader at Cancer Research UK in Cambridge.
Second Oxbridge Conference Thanks to the initiative of PhD student Emilene Zitkus, Hughes hosted the ‘Second Oxbridge Conference: Brazil, Research and Development’ in June, a full day conference attended by Brazilian research students from universities all over the UK. As former President of the Cambridge University Brazilian Society (CUBS), Emilene and her fellow organisers brought together a full day of research papers and keynote speakers.
Hagia Sophia Talk In May, visiting scholar Tugba Tanyeri-Erdemir spoke about the historical, political and religious significance of the three churches named in honour of Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, Iznik and Trabzon. The talk was arranged by Hughes PhD student Ozan Asik, and focused on the debates surrounding the three buildings, with reference to the relationship between Muslims and Christians, their shared historical and religious sites in the Middle East and the political situation of religious minorities in Turkey.
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Sport
The Bumps
Tom Ransley Congratulations to Tom Ransley, 2007-2009 BA (Aff), Management Studies, JBS, on winning a historic gold medal in the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Korea. Tom was in the Men’s Eight which won Britain’s first ever World Championship gold medal in that discipline. They held off the former champions Germany at the finish in a thrilling race in which they led the whole way. The team had been disappointed to win bronze at the Olympics in 2012, but this inspired them to win gold in 2013. They went into the Championships having won four gold medals this season at Henley Royal Regatta, Essen International, and the World Cup Series. In the season’s penultimate race they came a disappointing fourth, but the latter further increased their determination, which paid off handsomely! Tom continues to train full time, and he is currently reviewing his sponsorship arrangements for this Olympiad. His aim is to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
M1 and M2 performed particularly well in this year’s May Bumps. The former achieved blades after bumping crews from Clare, Corpus Christi, Wolfson and Pembroke, to finish up in 14th position in Division 2. This is the highest ever finish for Hughes Hall. M2 also celebrated a new record, bumping Christ’s M4, Jesus M4 and First and Third M4 to secure the highest ever finish for an M2 crew, 15th in Division 4. Although the women’s crews did not manage to bump, they made valiant attempts!
Dancesport Congratulations to student Kirsty Davies, who represented Cambridge in the annual Dancesport Varsity Match on 4 May. Cambridge were victorious in both the A and B Team matches and Kirsty received her Half Blue. The Biological Science PhD candidate was also selected to represent England in Latin formation at the Europeans in Lithuania, the Blackpool May Dance Festival, and the UK championships at the end of June. Dancesport has only recently been upgraded to Full Blue status for women, and Kirsty will be working towards achieving her Full Blue in the next two years.
Donations for the Boat Club On Saturday, 8 June, friends and members of Hughes Hall and Lucy Cavendish College gathered at Emmanuel College Boathouse to celebrate the arrival of two new boats, one for each College’s Boat Club. The new Hughes boat was generously donated by the President, Mrs Sarah Squire, and is named after her husband, Dr William Squire.
The President, Mrs Sarah Squire, names the new boat
Jeff Cook donation Alumnus Jeff Cook, LLM, 1984, has generously donated a cox box to the Boat Club. The device is used to generate data, such as the stroke rate, that the cox then uses to direct the crew.
Mrs Squire said: I’m very pleased to be able to provide our College rowers with a boat worthy of their skill and determination, and to name it in honour of my husband. We both much admire their enthusiasm.
Above: Members and friends of Hughes Hall gathered together to celebrate the donation of a new boat, the Dr William Squire
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Right: Jürgen Brautmeier, a member of the first boat crew, 1978–1979, sent us this photo of the mixed boat, containing members of the Women’s Four and the men not on teaching practice, including Markus Fischer and Jürgen.
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Elections and awards Elections
News from the MCR Why refurbish the bar?
Honorary Fellow Dame Janet Smith Life Fellow Mr Richard Wakeford Fellow Dr Sarah Rough Senior Member Dr Pauline Essah
Student Awards E M BURNETT PRIZES, 2012–2013 BA First Class Benjamin Tay, Engineering John Torr, Linguistics Zeyi Lee, Engineering Hong Ng, Engineering Xinglong Zhiang, Natural Sciences Physical, and BP Prize
LLM First Class Fernanda Andrade Jonathan Cockfield Fun-Chin (Lawrence) Li Alexander Smith Orlin Yalnazov
MASt Distinction Giovanni Camicasca, Physics, and Microsoft Research Award Ardacan Celebi, Mathematics Stefano Gogioso, Mathematics
A Red Carpet Affair – this year’s May Ball This year’s May Ball met its five hundred guests with a glamorous night of relaxed and classy fun. Welcoming guests on the red carpet that covered the entire drive were the talented violinists of the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra. The lucky holders of a dining ticket enjoyed a delicious three course meal. Entertainment was then taken over by Casino Royale, and seventeen bands gave rhythm to the night from dusk till dawn. For those looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, the Massage Society and an Arabian-themed marquee provided a quiet moment of diversion from the dancing and brightness of the main entertainment marquee. Guests were kept going through the night by a varied provision of drinks and food, from arrival all the way to breakfast. The Casino experience was one of the best in the recent history of
The bar is the lifeblood of evening social life at Hughes, whether it’s for a social drink, intellectual conversation, a heated table football game or just a guilty break from an intense library session. People from all over the world, studying a range of different subjects, come together and engage with each other, making deep and abiding friendships. Our students also bring great enthusiasm, if not always talent, on our popular karaoke nights. The bar was looking the worse for wear. The importance of a change was also clear from the student response. We got suggestions on what was important to keep (table football) and discard (gloomy colour scheme). The reality of limited financial resources meant that we focused on making largely cosmetic changes, though we are cataloguing wider structural recommendations. We are very proud of the outcome. The room has been painted in the College scarf colours, and this has significantly brightened the room. Our bop-goers will be happy to know that we have also improved the ventilation and set up more sophisticated lighting, with various spotlight and mirror ball possibilities. We have also sanded, varnished and waxed the floor. Vending machines that serve snacks, as well as an improved coffee machine have been added. The result is that the bar is looking considerably brighter and cleaner than before. I had the privilege of working with a committee with the inclination and capacity to make a change, as well as College staff willing to let us do it. However, the physical change to the bar is not the most important imperative for the MCR this year. We are committed to fostering the warm community that Hughes is known for. I look forward to a new term and to the bar becoming alive again as a mini-sanctuary in the madness that can be life at Cambridge. The MCR President, Tobi Olasunkanmi
the Ball.
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Calling all alumni! Hughes Hall Telephone Campaign 2013 One of the most rewarding things we do as a College is speak to our alumni. We give you the chance to reconnect with life at Hughes Hall and invite you to give your support by speaking to one of our current students through the Telephone Campaign. This year, our team of eleven students spoke to over 400 alumni over two weeks in the summer; we were delighted to receive pledges and donations totalling £50,000 towards our key areas for support, principally our Scholarships and Bursaries appeal. We should like to thank all who contributed to this outstanding total – with your support we can continue to offer places to the best and brightest, regardless of their financial situations. Such support is very valuable, but just as important are the demonstrations of the Hughes Hall spirit that has always animated our students and alumni. Our callers were delighted by the kindness and willingness to chat of those they spoke to, regardless of whether or not they were in a position to support us financially. As well as having a good chat about the College and life beyond Cambridge, some of our students found new friendships, valuable advice and a strong sense of the Hughes Hall community beyond Cambridge. Two of our students share their experiences below. We hope you enjoy reading them and we look forward to speaking with you again soon.
Megan Bray was completing a PGCE in Secondary, Religious Studies when she joined the call team. “The history of Hughes Hall is inextricably tied to the education of women teachers. As a PGCE student on the phone campaign it was fascinating to hear from both men and women who have been in the teaching profession for over 30 years; to hear how education has changed and developed, but mostly to hear that they are still passionate about their work so many years into their careers. Times are tough for teachers, and have been for a long time, but the support that Hughes offers apparently extends beyond the College itself. I was fortunate enough to speak with a lovely Hughesian with whom I had a great deal in common. During our conversation I told her that I would be taking up my first teaching post in September. I said that I was anxious about moving to an unfamiliar place and starting a new job. She encouragingly shared some of her experiences from her first job, and gave me some sage advice. Without hesitation she offered the name and number of a good Christian friend living in my new town and said she would be delighted to hear from me, to take me to her church and that I should call her if I ever needed anything.”
News on the Gresham Road Development Plans for the new building at Gresham Road, just across Fenner’s from College, are moving forward; an Architecture Competition is underway, with a shortlist now reduced to a final three companies. The announcement of the winner is expected in late November. The proposed building will provide high quality accommodation for a substantial number of students in the superb setting of the Fenner’s Cricket Ground, greatly increasing the proportion of our students living in the College grounds. It is scheduled to be completed in August 2016.
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Liz Cole overlooking Coogee Beach in Sydney.
Elizabeth Cole, who joined the team for the final week, completed a PGCE in Primary Education before going on to further studies. “As a latecomer to the Telephone Campaign I was rather nervous on my first day! However, I soon realised that my fears were unfounded. It was fantastic chatting with alumni about their experiences at Hughes Hall and hearing of their time since graduating. Many had fond memories and kindly donated to current development projects. Alumni’s enthusiasm for Hughes and the strength of our community really became apparent to me when I called a lovely lady who, like me, trained as a teacher, and now lives in the Blue Mountains of Australia. A long conversation culminated in an invitation to stay with her over the summer. I spent three weeks in Australia, staying with Susan and also attending the New South Wales Cambridge alumni group’s Winter Feast. This served as another reminder of the immense success of my fellow Cantabs and of our networks across the globe. We are very lucky to share the pleasure of studying at the best university in the world, and I encourage all Hughesians to connect and reconnect with one another. Who knows, as a result you may find yourself on the other side of the world!”
Michaelmas Term 2013 Issue 19
Reflections … from three alumni who came to Hughes as older ‘mature undergraduates’…
One racing car engineer turned cinematographer … MARK PARTRIDGE, 2002, BA ENGLISH
What made you move out of motor sports?
Mark started his professional career as an apprentice in motor sports engineering, going on to Formula 1. He then became a cinematographer, before coming to Hughes for his BA. Since graduating he’s written a film, Wreckers, got himself an agent and is now writing a three part television series and another feature film. Nathan Crilly, PhD
Two things really. I’d noticed that many men in their forties who were still in the sport, hated it – the 90 hour weeks and no time for family life. And then I needed another challenge, and fortuitously I met someone making a documentary about motor sports. And that was it – I bought a 16mm camera, made a short documentary and ended up at the National Film and Television School, where I graduated as a Director of Photography. My first job was with Oxford Scientific Films. I then moved on to television drama. I spent a few years doing this before seeking another challenge. I read DH Lawrence’s short story The Odour of Chrysanthemums and decided to buy the film rights. I borrowed the money to make the film, and at the same time was accepted at Hughes Hall. The film won two awards, Best Short Film at the Milan film festival and Best Cinematography at the San Francisco film festival.
What did you get out of your time at Cambridge? My time at Cambridge without doubt changed the course of my life. At the very heart of those changes were the tutors and staff at Hughes and Cambridge more widely. In particular I will always be indebted to Dr Charles Moseley. Because of his belief and conviction I was given this opportunity. During my three years not only did I read the very finest authors but I also had the privilege of being taught by some of the very finest academics in the country.
Top: Mark in his garden Above: Geraldine O’Rawe in The Odour of Chrysanthemums
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… and two Musicians After studying violin at Amsterdam Conservatory, Saskia worked in the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra before coming to Hughes. She is currently a freelance baroque violinist, working with ensembles such as Concerto Köln. She also paints in egg tempera, and in the photo can be seen messing up someone else’s work!
SASKIA MOERENHOUT, 1999, BA ENGLISH When I took a break from music to read English as a mature undergraduate, I barely knew what to expect. Hughes Hall fished me out of the pool. The next thing I knew, I was kicked into the deep end of an ocean. “Just swim,” said my supervisor for the Tragedy paper, “and follow your nose. When you feel you know what you want to write about, head back to shore just in time for tripos.” They were expecting me to find my own way. This, for me, sums up Cambridge. What sums up Hughes? The range of nationalities. Where else do you get to discuss the Book of Job with a student from Kenya? The friendliness. I got invited to Margaret Wileman's house to discuss a story I wrote; to Jonathan Hellyer Jones's for dinner and chamber music. Nick Sinclair-Brown played jazz on my piano and usually left behind at least one diary, wallet, key ring or mobile phone. Who does not remember his grimy BMW, usually left open to all those in need of a wallet? Charles Moseley's Shakespeare Tea Parties, Chaucer's Birthday Party... Cambridge typically gave all it had, without asking what I would do when I grew up. Did I deliver? Once more a musician, I am currently trying to get a novel published. Does one need to publish in order to justify one’s education? Hardly an attitude to stimulate creativity. No – and following one's nose with no fixed destination seems to be the time-proven formula.
Charmian attended the Royal Academy of Music after finishing school, and spent her working life in music. She was Director of Music at King’s College School for 34 years before retiring.
CHARMIAN FARMER, 2006, PhD ENGLISH I’d always wanted to read English, so after I retired I decided to apply to Cambridge. I wrote to the four colleges which took mature undergraduates: Wolfson said no, Lucy Cavendish were discouraging and St Edmund’s didn’t reply. But Pat Story at Hughes was wonderful. She told me that if I could get two As in one year of study I would be offered a place at Hughes. So I did just that – getting As in English and History in one year. I was already keen, but with Charles Moseley as Director of Studies you couldn’t not be keen! I loved every minute of it, and found that I was quite competitive. Charles organised weekly lunches at College to keep the undergraduate group together. This worked well and provided us with a social context. Most of the other undergraduates were in their twenties, but this wasn’t a problem, for me or them. The highlights? The weekly supervisions. Such close attention to written work is a privilege. I’d spent my whole career promoting children’s interests, so to have the luxury of promoting my own was incredible. I was fortunate to be able to go on to an MPhil and then a PhD. I very much enjoyed the eighteenth century and persuaded Fred Parker from Clare to take me on to do my dissertation on William Cowper.
News from Hughes: Editor Annemarie Young (annemarie.young@ntlworld.com) Design by Andy Wilson for Green Desert Ltd (andy@andywilson.biz) Contact us with your news, by post at: Hughes Hall, Cambridge CB1 2EW; or by email at development@hughes.cam.ac.uk Photos courtesy of Dr Nathan Crilly, Nigel Luckhurst, Phil Mynott and contributors. Printed in England
After my PhD I went on a Faber creative writing course, but I’m more interested in academic work. I’m now looking at Ivor Gurney, who wrote both poetry and music. This brings my two interests together in a satisfying way. Michaelmas Term 2013 Issue 19