Dimensions

The Dimensions Programme

As Michaelmas Term 2020 began, COVID-19 presented challenges across many aspects of College life.

The familiar rhythm of Michaelmas Term was disrupted and our programme of regular and much-loved events rapidly turned into a cycle of food deliveries, self-isolation and a pilot programme of lateral flow testing.

The Christmas Vacation was a welcome opportunity to re-group and as Epiphany Term arrived, we were pleased to see the return of the Dimensions programme, albeit in a virtual format. talk from Dame Sara Thornton, the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

Dame Sara spoke on the topic ‘Did you know that there are 40 million modern slaves in the world today?’ to a diverse audience of students, SCR members and members of the local community. As a Former Chair of the National Police Chief’s Council and Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Dame Sara’s face will be familiar to many and it was a huge pleasure to be able to open our Dimensions programme for 2020/21 with her.

Just a couple of days later, Van Mildert College alumnus and former Managing Director at Deutsche Bank, Paul Sennett, offered an invaluable session for aspiring financiers. Despite the online format, the event was very well attended and Paul’s engaging style, reflections from his own career, and top tips for graduates ensured the event was a golden opportunity for all and gave a genuine insight into the world of investment banking.

Paul was generous in following his session with a further event through which he offered CV reviews to 30 students on a one-to-one basis. We remain hugely grateful for Paul’s ongoing support for the College and willingness to spend time offering support to students in this way.

alumnus, Hefin Rees QC, chaired a fantastic panel of Mildert alumni all working in the legal profession.

‘The Ultimate Guide to Careers in the Legal Profession’ offered aspiring barristers and solicitors the opportunity to hear from recent and long-standing alumni Phil Sanderson, Sarah Bousfield and Annabel Allen. It was a pleasure to virtually welcome the cheerful panel of experts back to College and particularly wonderful to hear some of their brief interludes as they reminisced about their time at Mildert!

Later in the term Dimensions offered a discussion session around the student experience at Durham with invited speakers including Dr Jason Arday (Deputy Executive Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health), Van Mildert College students Lauren White and Isi Ali, Professor Simon Forrest (Principal of the College of St Hild and St Bede), and Lauren Brewer (President of Hild Bede Fem Soc). The session ran in conjunction with the College of St Hild and St Bede and offered an opportunity to discuss how we can improve the student experience from all across the Colleges and wider University.

In March we were pleased to welcome Matt Field, British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Matt is a Van Mildert College alumnus and he offered a fabulous discussion session around current global affairs and his journey from Durham to Sarajevo. His session was titled ‘Global challenges in an increasingly (un)connected world’ and provided thoughtful insight into experiences and life after Mildert.

During the final week of term, we were absolutely delighted to welcome Christina Nicolotti Squires, Director of Content at Sky News, to speak in the Dimensions programme.

After editing Palatinate during her time as a student in Durham, Christina has worked across a wide range of news platforms and spent over 30 years in broadcast journalism. A hot topic during the session was the challenges of reporting

on and during and global pandemic.

Of course, this sparked a lively discussion and, once again, we were pleased to see such an enthusiastic and lively debate take place.

As the term came to a close, the Van Mildert College Trust Annual Lecture saw Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of British Antarctic Survey, join us for an online event. Jane spoke about ‘Antarctica – the global impact of a changing continent’ to a virtual audience of over 300 people.

The lecture is available to view on the College YouTube Channel and was followed by a smaller informal discussion with colleagues from the Department of Geography, Trustees and College staff. The final event of the programme came in Easter Term as Lord Anthony Hughes offered a fabulous discussion session with Van Mildert College law students. Anthony offered challenging reflections on a number of current hot topics and encouraged student to engage in robust debate.

The programme for 2020/21 certainly concluded on a high note!

Throughout the year, the Dimensions Programme Scholars (Luca, Steph, Lauren, Christy and Katy) worked their magic to ensure that the programme offered opportunities which were attractive and engaging for students. They have not only supported the operational aspects of events but brought new and creative ideas to the table, hosted a wide range of speakers and developed skills which we hope will serve them well in the future.

Do read their reflective pieces about their time as Dimensions Programme Scholars later in The Mildertian.

Victoria Brown