Message from the Principal

‘... For each memory

is a treasured thread in the intricate brocade of your time here

with topsy-turvy Gormley and Mrs Roosevelt.

For this is a place of refuge housing all our non-conformist values,

for Mansfield – for letting us be.’

Flavius Covaci (English, 2022)

As we reflect on the year and the many stories and achievements of the people within our community, I feel enormous pride in Mansfielders past and present.

From our academics today – moving forward global thought and understanding in their fields. To our students – bringing new perspectives and experiences, shaping our community and making it their own. To our alumni who go on to share their talents and expertise with others, sometimes in prominent roles in public life, but also in less visible, yet no less meaningful, ways.

Mansfield is, and always will be, a game-changer, a place of welcome, a place to share and develop ideas, to challenge openly, and to respect others’ perspectives: a place where our community is encouraged to disagree well. We value diversity of thought and civil argument. These are the Mansfield values and we live them every day. Our weekly termtime Public Talks are a firm fixture within Oxford, bringing important and often challenging conversations into College, and sharing new perspectives with the wider community.

You will notice our magazine is made up of three sections: People, Place and Culture. These are the pillars on which the College’s future rests. And they are the focus of our campaign: For Mansfield. Forever.

We have compelling plans for the redevelopment of our College site (see p26) to ensure our community can thrive for the next 140 years and more. And thanks to the transformative philanthropic support of Chris Foster (Maths, 1997), Guy Hands (PPE, 1978) and Julia Hands MBE, our Campaign Board, and many others, we are building a secure future – and providing a more welcoming and supportive home to our students than has ever been possible before.

What matters now is the collective effort of our whole community – all of us doing what we can to show a strong vote of confidence in our College, which in turn encourages future generations to do the same.

So, I hope reading your College magazine evokes warm memories; but I hope it also inspires excitement and pride in the College’s present.

The importance of the continued existence of Mansfield is never more evident than during troubling times for the world. I am proud that our gaining College of Sanctuary status four years ago paved the way for the University of Oxford to become a University of Sanctuary (more on p32).

To me, what is truly inspiring about Mansfield is that we have an individual character and narrative as a college, which doesn’t pit excellence against widening of participation, or academic freedom against social inclusion, but sees all these as facets of a values-based community in which everyone is appreciated, recognised and encouraged to thrive. An institution that stands for these values is always important, and particularly so right now.

For Mansfield. Forever.

Helen Mountfield KC