Accomplishing great things together Update from the Development and Alumni Relations Team

If you connected with Regent’s this year by volunteering your time, offering some expertise, making a donation or simply encouraging current students with your career news, then you are at the heart of what we have been able to achieve in the last twelve months. A growing number of alumni and friends are involved in the College in these ways and others. Thank you.

Making the connection

A group of students spoke to many alumni in June over the phone to help strengthen the connection between students past and present, hear what studying at Regent’s is like today and raise funds for the Student Support Fund and other essential needs.

This was the first time we had reached out to alumni by phone since 2014, so thanks to all of you who had a conversation with a student. Katie, Pip, Katerina, Jack, Courtney, Charlotte and Roisin enjoyed hearing about your experiences at Regent’s and Greyfriars, however recent or long ago, and what you have done since! We hope you found hearing what College life is like for students today informative. We very much appreciate the support that so many of you pledged to help us improve what we provide for students. All gifts of whatever size make a big impact in our small community.

‘As today’s students and alumni are more than aware, Regent’s tiny size makes it unique among the Oxford colleges. It makes our experience here intimate, friendly and inherently welcoming but it also means we often struggle for funds to support all the important activities, resources and support that keep us going socially, academically and mentally. For this reason, as well as the chance to engage and share experiences with alumni, I was excited to be part of the Telethon in June. My hope is that bonds can be strengthened between past and present students, and help ensure Regent’s is as special in the future as it is now!’

Katie (third year Geography student)

‘I really enjoyed being part of this year’s Telethon. It was such an invaluable opportunity to get advice from people who’d been in my shoes a few years before me, just at that stage in my life when I was leaving university. Many people were happy to support me by sharing their experiences, and that’s been so useful.

It was also so lovely to hear about the longer tradition of Regent’s students who’d come before me and learn about what the College looked like for them.

Thank you so much if I spoke to you on the phone. I really valued your time and appreciated hearing from each and every one of you. It was also really good to be able to give back that little bit that I could to Regent’s after a really fantastic three years. Thank you, Regent’s, for helping us to safeguard the College’s future’.

Roisin Nolan (2022 leaver)

In total thanks to the Telethon £57,000 was pledged. It was especially important that many of you chose to give regularlyknowing that we can expect your support helps us to plan what we can offer students. The Telethon was a demonstration of our wider community’s commitment and warmth towards everything we aim to do at Regent’s – and that is incredibly encouraging!

New support for undergraduate Geography students

A generous donation has meant that for the first time at Regent’s, expenses for undergraduate Geography dissertation research, which often involves unavoidable costs, can be funded. Third year Isla explains why the funding was so important for her research amongst care workers:

‘My dissertation looks at how agency care workers build dignity when faced with pervasive stigma, poor conditions, and precarity. In a series of interviews, I explored how they use subtle tactics to resist these oppressive discourses and practises. I worked in care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after experiencing how stretched these workers are, I strongly felt it was an ethical imperative to pay interviewees. I wanted to compensate them for their time, their energy, and their willingness to be vulnerable. This follows feminist directions in Human Geography methods which address the power dynamic between academics and the people or communities we research. I was really grateful that College was able to help me out by funding my work!’

Regent’s Law Scholarship

As a result of a generous gift which has been matched by the Faculty of Law, we have provided a scholarship to a student on the world-renowned Bachelor of Civil Law course.

The scholarship recipient Steven Clowes (pictured) writes, ‘The Regent’s Park College and Faculty of Law Scholarship has afforded me an opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world and be part of a unique and vibrant community. Regent’s Park College has an intimate and diverse graduate student body ranging from mature ministerial students to young humanities students. This diversity of experiences makes for interesting conversations in and around the College, especially in the Middle Common Room (where I serve as the Treasurer). Coming from a corporate law and economics background in South Africa, this diversity has been enriching and expanded my world view. The Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL), although demanding, has been thoroughly enjoyable. Thus far, the BCL has shown me that appropriately crafted laws and policies can bring about lasting social change and it has cemented my desire to help address developmental challenges in South Africa, particularly poverty, unemployment, and spatial and wealth inequality. Following the BCL, through legal work and involvement in the rural and agricultural economy, I hope to help change South Africa for the better.

I am incredibly grateful to Regent’s Park College and the Faculty of Law for this scholarship and opportunity’.

Outdoor spaces enhanced

A thoughtful donation from Nicholas Adams (Jurisprudence, 2004, Greyfriars) and Jo Jimenez (History and English, 2005, Greyfriars) has enabled us to give a major facelift to the outdoor area between the Angus and Gould buildings, creating an additional space for students to use, practical bike storage and a muchimproved view from the surrounding bedrooms. In recognition of the generosity of this gift and the donors' vision for the potential of the space, we are delighted that this new area will be named the Jimenez Quad.

The William H. and Kathryn E. Brackney

Angus Travel Bursary

With sadness we announce the loss of long-time friend of Regent’s Park College, Dr William H. Brackney.

Dr Brackney’s association with Regent’s began in 1982 when he visited with his wife, Kitty, receiving a warm welcome from Professor Paul Fiddes, who introduced them to the treasures in the College’s Angus Library and Archive. Several visits and a sabbatical stay followed, and Dr Brackney later became a Research Associate of the Centre for Baptist Studies.

In recognition of the support and friendship received from academics at Regent’s, in particular Professor Paul Fiddes and Dr Larry Kreitzer, in 2019 the Brackneys made a generous donation to the College to establish and endow the William H. and Kathryn E. Brackney Angus Travel Bursary.

The facilities of the Angus Library and Archive are of huge benefit to scholars of Baptist and Nonconformist history and also to those pursuing wider academic interests, particularly but not exclusively in the areas of theology and history. This new travel bursary enables younger scholars from North America to access the resources and facilities in the Angus in person, opening up huge potential for their research and facilitating connections between scholars with shared academic interests in Oxford and abroad. It is thanks to Dr Brackney’s vision and kindness that the Bursary is thriving and is now in its third year. So far, two scholars have travelled over to take up the opportunities the Bursary provides:

Landon Adams, senior resident PhD student at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Baptist Student Union Director at William Carey University, used the Bursary to research the early life of missionary William Ward:

‘I had two main goals in visiting the Angus for research regarding William Ward. First, I am researching the earliest BMS connections of William Ward and their impressions of him. I was able to find several letters mentioning Ward, providing clarity for my interpretation of Ward’s place in Fuller’s and Carey’s correspondence 1796-1798. Second, I am researching for a chapter on the Serampore Form of Agreement Commentary. This requires extensive use of Ward’s journal 1799-1805. Seeing the original journal, and being able to confirm its contents has been helpful.

I am appreciative of the Brackney Travel Bursary, Emily Burgoyne’s archival assistance, and the rest of the Regent’s Park faculty in making this research possible’.

Independent scholar Ray Rhodes visited the Angus in September 2022 to pursue his research on Charles Spurgeon for a forthcoming book: The William H. and Kathryn E. Brackney Angus Travel Bursary significantly aided me in being able to visit Oxford for the purpose of my research for my upcoming project on Spurgeon, and have access to the vast array of resources related to Charles Haddon Spurgeon housed at the Angus Library. Librarians Emily Burgoyne and Rebecca Shuttleworth tirelessly planned for months in advance, with Dr Chris Joynes, to make sure that every opportunity was afforded to me. Their level of professionalism and thoughtfulness is a credit to Regent’s Park College and to the robust academic community contained therein.

A chance to meet –events in 2022

Gaudy for all alumni

On Saturday 2 April it was a joy to open the College’s doors and welcome alumni from across the year groups to a dinner in College. Drinks were held in the Principal’s Lodgings, and we were extremely fortunate to have award-winning author and broadcaster Nicholas Crane as our after-dinner speaker. Nick’s books include The Making of the British Landscape, Why Geography Matters and Latitude and on TV he is best known as the presenter of the BAFTA winning BBC series Coast. In 2021 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Nick spoke to us about his travels including a one-and-half-year solitary hike across Europe (including Ukraine) to mark the end of the Iron Curtain, and travelling into the Hindu Kush with the mujaheddin during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Guests then adjourned to the JCR where Chris Holmwood (English Language and Literature, 1987) and Anthony Clarke (Theology, 1988) kindly served behind the bar with great skill! We look forward to the next occasion.

Creation, Ministry and Revelation: new windows for the Chapel

At the start of Trinity term a muchanticipated triptych of stained-glass windows were unveiled in Regent’s Chapel, overlooking Pusey Street.

The windows have been designed on themes of Creation, Ministry and Revelation by local painter and sculptor Nicholas Mynheer and were produced by stained glass painter Stephen Cowan. We were delighted to welcome back past Chaplain Revd Dr Myra Blyth, who commissioned the windows, to preach at a special service at which she and the artist thoughtfully brought the themes in

London Drinks

the artwork to life. You can read about these on our website, and the observant will notice a reference to the pandemic during which the glass was painted, and to the College tortoise.

The design and creation of the new windows was entirely enabled by generous donors who were committed to seeing this project come to fruition. We are enormously grateful for their support.

You are most welcome to visit the College and view the windows, please let us know at development@regents.ox.ac.uk so we can welcome you.

More alumni than ever before gathered for our annual London Drinks event in early July! We are grateful to David Lonsdale (Jurisprudence, 1983) for generously hosting the event in the ballroom at The Sekforde in Clerkenwell. Invitations to alumni events are usually sent by email. If you are not receiving invitations please contact development@regents.ox.ac.uk so we can ensure you don’t miss out.

Regent’s Gives: Giving Day 2023!

We were bowled over by the support that alumni and friends showed to the College during our first Giving Day in May 2021. It was amazing to see what we could accomplish together. The £55,000 raised was truly significant for Regent’s and led to an additional £100,000 gift from a generous donor.

So it is with great pleasure that we announce that this success will be followed with our second Giving Day on 23 and 24 May 2023.

Our Giving Day is a time-limited fundraising event that will join members of the entire Regent’s community together online. Funds raised will go towards making the experience of studying here the best it can possibly be and we hope to achieve even more towards this goal with our second Giving Day.

During this 36-hour event, we’ll be encouraging alumni, staff, students and supporters to celebrate and support the things that make our College and its students exceptional. The involvement of our community will be essential to the success of Giving Day and we hope that you will join us we get ready to take on this exciting challenge. You’ll hear much more as the date gets closer, but everyone can play their part in this community celebration by giving, sharing memories, spreading the word and helping us achieve challenges on the day.

If you would like to boost what we can achieve and inspire others to give, there are two special ways to deepen your involvement and impact before the 36 hours begin:

• Be part of the story the Giving Day will be telling, by letting us know what Regent’s means for you, and how being at the College has influenced your life.

• Double the impact of donations by offering matched funding, or challenge the community with a gift if fundraising milestones are reached on the day. Contact viola.kerr@ regents.ox.ac.uk if these opportunities to support your College interest you! However you’d like to be involved, the part you play will make a difference.

Regent’s Park College Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is a subcommittee of Governing Body with delegated responsibility for finance and investments. Anthony Harris (English Language and Literature, 2007) has served as Honorary Treasurer since 2014. He reports:

‘Prior to 2015 it would have been an understatement to say that the College finances were not in a strong position. The endowment stood at only just over one million pounds and each year saw a pattern of an increasing deficit and decreasing endowment. Fast forward to financial year 2018/19 and things could not have been more different. The endowment stood at over four million and the College reported a surplus of just under £350,000. Sadly, the pandemic took college conferencing revenues to zero for 2020 and 2021 but the cash position remained strong. Maintaining a cash surplus means that the College has not needed to dip into its investments since 2015 and this has allowed its endowments to grow. As of autumn 2022, the college endowments stand at some £8m and income streams are once again starting to build momentum as the pandemic subsides. Whether the College can reach a stretch target of a £10m endowment by 2025 (set by the Treasurer) remains to be seen but it is true to say that the College is now in the strongest financial position that it has ever been. Given the financial history of the College this is a message that some find somewhat surprising. Thankfully, this is one surprise that we can all be happy with and certainly very proud of. What this enhanced financial stability means is that any financial gifts that the College receives can be directed to strategic projects rather than backfilling a deficit. Given this information we hope that you will consider making a financial gift to the College knowing that it will be well managed, well used, and very much appreciated!’