Principal’s Foreword Dr Robert Ellis
W
hat a year we have lived through. It sometimes seems as if we have spent much of the last year responding to, or anticipating, the latest developments of the pandemic as they impinge upon College and University life. That impact on College, as on every other part of shared life, has been immense. Education went online last Trinity Term, was a hybrid of the virtual and face-to-face in Michaelmas, and now is back online again for Hilary 2021. We still hope for better things for Trinity 2021, but we have all become used to constantly resetting our expectations. The University and the College have each done a remarkable job in rising to the challenges of the pandemic and keeping educational standards at the very high level we expect here. Our students and our staff have shown amazing resilience and resourcefulness. We had an extremely strong set of examination results last summer as one sign of this (among undergraduates, more Firsts than ever before – fifteen - despite the peculiar stresses of re-arranged and online examinations) and our staff have continued to garner awards and honours. Students rated the learning experience at Regent’s top in the University in the 2020 ‘Student Barometer’ exercise (and a very creditable fifth for living experience). Among the casualties of the pandemic we must lament the 50th anniversary of the Boat Club’s first outing in Summer Eights back in 1970. The last year or so is proving a time of transition in College, not least in the arrival of a number of new members of staff who have joined Regent’s, some in senior positions. In Dr Anthony Reddie and Dr Christine Joynes we welcomed new Directors for our refreshed research centres; Sarah Mann became College Librarian; and Jennie Taylor began as Academic Administrator in January 2020. Dr Kate Kirkpatrick began as Fellow in Philosophy & Christian Ethics on the cusp of lockeddown Trinity. Mike Freeman took over as Director of Operations in time to plan for the strange Michaelmas, and Esther Mason started as Chaplain and Head of Welfare on an interim appointment. In addition, we have welcomed new colleagues to the History tutorial team, the Reception team, the Development Office and Outreach & Access. Settling in to a new job can be difficult at the best of times, but it has been particularly challenging in this period when normal contact and conversation has been constrained, and it would not be a surprise if it was more difficult to feel the sense of belonging which has always been important to us here. Our first-year students who arrived on site in Michaelmas 2020, living in ‘household bubbles’ and without many of the usual social and cultural opportunities that Oxford offers, nevertheless generally reported a very positive experience – and we hope that their course becomes more ‘normal’ as the next few terms unwind. Of course, we have also said goodbye to some staff members during the past year. I am not going to list them all here for fear of missing someone out but I will briefly salute our retiring Chaplain and Head of Welfare, Dr Myra Blyth, whose work has done so much to nurture
community and well-being in College – and also Dr Matthew Mills, who wore several hats during his time in College and was very closely involved in the publication of this magazine. Personally, this strangest of years has been made more bittersweet because it will be my final year in post as Principal: I told Governing Body last summer that I would stand down as Principal at the end of this current academic year in September. In a role like this finding a ‘good time’ to step aside is always very difficult and any moment of departure will inevitably leave some loose ends. For instance, it will be a disappointment not to see through the first part of our vision for enhancing the College’s buildings. However, while the current Covid situation has created uncertainty that continues to play out through 2020/21, it will also be appropriate that a new Principal should lead the College in the years beyond it. The College has grown significantly during my tenure, most noticeably in the size and academic diversity of its graduate community. I am proud of many of the things we have achieved together in these fourteen years, and since 2007 we have also made positive changes so that the management and processes of the College fit better the kind of larger and more complex institution we have become. There are big questions ahead for Regent’s: our place in the University structure needs constant examination; the financial and other challenges which impact a small unit when infrastructure and compliance demands grow; the need for improved and increased accommodation for students and staff; a fuller integration of the larger postgraduate body; and our position as a provider of ministerial training in a changing world. I think the College is well set to face whatever the future holds – not least because of the vital work that has been done in the last few years on improving our financial situation. We stand ready for opportunities as well as challenges, and I look forward to us all giving my successor our full-throated support.
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