9
The Mildertian
Farewell to the Principal Professor David Harper On a warm July day, friends and colleagues gathered on Tees Lawn to say farewell to Dave and Maureen before their move to pastures new. We woke that morning to thick fog and my heart sank as I came to the conclusion that our weeks of careful planning might have all been in vain, but I need not have worried as the sun soon broke through. Before long we were sharing a celebratory glass of fizz with friends and colleagues on Tees Lawn in glorious sunshine. Of course, at the time we were still in the earlier phase of COVID-19 restrictions and we had just concluded an Easter Term like no other with a revised but still ambitious series of post-exam student experience activities. Indeed, many will remember that the much anticipated ‘freedom day’ in mid-June had been postponed so it was necessary for more COVID-19 restrictions to be in place at the event than initially planned.
Despite this, we enjoyed the happiest of days and it was wonderful to see current students, long-standing alumni, colleagues and friends reunited in-person after all of the challenges of the last academic year! It was a fitting farewell and celebration for Dave and Maureen after a decade in the Principal’s House. I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work alongside, and learn from, Dave since I was appointed as Deputy Principal in 2014. Our partnership over the last seven academic years has seen us navigate the challenges and unpredictability of College life, largely with good humour and hopefully, some success. The invasion of Tyne block by a gaggle of inquisitive Swans on a Saturday afternoon, a series of unfortunate incidents involving (minor) errors of judgement by sports teams, the arrival of the great Mildert fatberg (a story for another
day!), and the College Porter, Kevin Stephenson, coming to the rescue of a disorientated terrapin found in the lake, were all memorable moments. Dave’s time as Principal has also seen him steer the College through numerous challenges including negotiations regarding major refurbishment works, significant governance changes across the Colleges and Student Experience Division and, of course, a global pandemic. The College is significantly richer for his leadership and his focus on building an ethos-led community based around commitments to outreach and volunteering, environmental sustainability, and intellectual curiosity, has seen the College affectionately referred to as the ‘College with the biggest heart’. Over the course of a decade Dave has ensured that every student knows the College motto, sic vos non vobis, and everyone is proud to be a
