Selwyn College Newsletter 2011

SelwynThemagazine forAlumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge

Issue 18 Autumn 2011In brief page 3Dates for your diary 4Tom Mercer (SE 1998) – Founding MOMA! 6Our Olympians 13Student Support 18

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02 Selwyn Issue 18Autumn 2011

Editor: Sarah [email protected]

Contributing Editors: George Roberts ([email protected]) Shona Winnard ([email protected])Claudia Anderson ([email protected])

Cover: Lee WoodgateDesign: Smith (www.smithltd.co.uk)

Colin Humphreys (SE Fellow) waselected a Fellow of the Royal Society inMay 2011. Sir Colin, who was knighted in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to science, is Professor and Director ofResearch in the Department of MaterialsScience and Metallurgy. The Royal Societyrecognised Sir Colin for his world-leadingresearch into energy saving LED lights as well as his commitment to promotingscience in schools and to the public. Although his day job is as a scientist,

Sir Colin also has a strong interest in theology and in 2011 he published his second book on theological matters,The Mystery of the Last Supper. Bycomparing the use of different calendarsin the gospels, the book looks to provethat the Last Supper took place on theWednesday, not the Thursday, before thecrucifixion. “Whatever you think about the Bible,

the fact is that Jewish people wouldnever mistake the Passover meal foranother meal, so for the Gospels tocontradict themselves in this regard isreally hard to understand,” Sir Colin said.

“Many Biblical scholars say that, forthis reason, you can’t trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and theGospels hand in hand, we can actuallyprove that there was no contradiction. In addition, this research seems to presenta case for finally introducing a fixed datefor Easter.”

The Mystery of the Last Supper ispublished by Cambridge University Press.

To read more about Sir Colin’s latest book,visit www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/the-penultimate-supper

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

ARoyal Fellowship and the penultimate supper

News

SELWYNIssue18 Autumn 2011

Welcome to the eighteenth issue of Selwyn – and to a new design for this publication. Selwyn is theCollege’s magazine for alumni, about alumni and wehope you will find news of interest in these pages. One of the main pieces in this issue looks forwardto next year and focuses on Selwyn’s connectionswith the Olympics. As we searched our database forOlympians, we were amazed at the various roles thatSelwyn alumni had played in this great sporting eventand we were fascinated to read about their achieve-ments. However, no database is infallible and if youknow of an Olympian we’ve missed out, please do letus know before next year’s Games. Another of our other features comes from TomMercer (SE 1998). Tom left his City job in manage-ment consultancy to start his own business, and herehe discusses what it’s been like to strike out on his own. Tom may have started out selling breakfastdrinks in plastic water bottles from one stall inWaterloo Station, but in only six years, his companyMOMA has risen from humble beginnings to having a place on the shelves of multi-national supermarkets.If you haven’t already heard about Tom’s breakfastrevolution, you will soon. Finally, I’ve outlined some of the difficulties theCollege will face over the next few years as we beginwith a new regime of tuition fees in 2012, and howSelwyn intends to meet these challenges. Studentsupport will be at the core of the College’s fundraisingpriorities. Please do let us know what you think about thenew design, and send us your news. Selwyn alumniare scattered across the globe, taking disparate paths,and we would be delighted to hear from all of you.

Sarah HarmerDevelopment Director

Editorial

SelwynThe magazine for Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge

Issue 18 Autumn 2011In brief page 3Dates for your diary 4Tom Mercer (SE 1998) – Founding MOMA! 6Our Olympians 13Student Support 18

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John Benington (SE 1961)The Emeritus Professor of Public Policy & Management at Warwick BusinessSchool was awarded the CBE for publicservice in the New Year’s Honours list. “I don’t know who put me up for thisaward,” he said, “...but there wascertainly no ‘cash for honours’ in this

case! I’m looking forward to the day at the Palace, and a chance to meet Annie Lennox - a fellow ‘commander’.”

Ben Maruthappu (SE 2006) Ben is one of only seven students to havebeen awarded a Kennedy Scholarship thisyear from the Kennedy Memorial Trust.Ben, who read Medicine at Selwyn and is finishing his medical degree at Oxford,will be spending a year at Harvard. He isintending to pursue public health courses

as well as conducting research at Harvard’s Centre forSurgery and Public Health. After graduation, Ben’s aim isto become a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, working in the developing world, and he intends to establish theWorld Surgical Association (WSA), a transatlantic networkof surgeons aiming to facilitate training and promotesurgical care in developing countries.

Charlotte Woodford (SE Fellow) and David Willis(SE Fellow) have been awarded British Academy Mid-Career Fellowships for 2011–12. Competition for these prestigious grants was fierce, with 46 Fellowshipsawarded from 470 applicants. This is the first year theAcademy is awarding Mid-Career Fellowships, which aim ‘to support outstanding individual researchers withexcellent research proposals, and to support outstandingcommunicators who will promote public understanding

and engagement with humanitiesand social sciences’. Dr Woodford is a Director of

Studies in Modern Languages at Selwyn and a Newton TrustLecturer. Dr Willis is a SeniorLecturer in Linguistics.

In briefNew Pro-Vice-Chancellorfrom Selwyn

Jeremy Sanders (SE Fellow) has beenappointed as the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for InstitutionalAffairs. A Fellow of Selwyn since 1976and a Professor of Chemistry since1996, Professor Sanders is the Head ofthe School of Physical Sciences. His academic research, which focuseson molecular behaviour and supra-molecular chemistry, has won himnumerous accolades, including electionas a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1995 and the Davy Medal of the RoyalSociety in 2009. He was Deputy Vice-Chancellorfrom 2006–10 and the Chair of the800th Anniversary SteeringCommittee, which oversaw theUniversity’s programme of celebrationsin 2009.

There are five Pro-Vice-Chancellorswhose role, as well as supporting the Vice-Chancellor in providingacademic leadership to the University,is to work in partnership with senioradministrators to help drive strategyand policy development. About theappointment, Professor Sanders said: “I see my new role as providingleadership in developing an environ-ment within which the whole University community can thrive. My responsibilities will includedeveloping human resources policy andstrategy for our 9,000 employees, andthe University’s key relationships withthe City and local region. Engagementwith the local community will be a key component. It will be challenging,but also exciting.”

April McMahon (SE Hon Fellow)Honorary Fellow Professor AprilMcMahon has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth Universityfrom 1 August 2011. ProfessorMcMahon, who was a Fellow inLinguistics at Selwyn from 1988to 2000, is a native Scots speaker and an expert on the effect of theencroachment of majority languages.She has pledged to learn Welsh.

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Jennifer Grayson (SE 2011) Jennifer, who matriculated at Selwynthis term to embark upon her MPhilin Asian and Middle Eastern Studies,was an undergraduate at BrownUniversity and is one of the thirtyGates Scholars to come to Cambridgethis year. Established by the GatesFoundation, the Gates scholarshipsenable outstanding graduate studentsfrom outside the UK to study atCambridge.

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04 Selwyn: Issue 18Autumn 2011

The Varsity Match 8 December 2011The 130th Varsity Match will takeplace at Twickenham Stadium onThursday 8 December 2011. Join us to see if the Light Blues can make up for last year’s defeat to Oxford. Price: £75, to include match ticketand three-course lunch with wine.Optional afternoon tea also available.Time: Lunch: 12 noon. Kick-off: 2pm

Diary Event Highlights 2011-12

St Peter’s EatonSquare Carol Service6 December 2011All alumni and friends of the College are invited to a Carol Serviceled by Selwyn’s Chaplain, HughShilson-Thomas and the SelwynCollege Choir in the beautiful church of St Peter’s Eaton Square in Belgravia. The service will befollowed by mulled wine and mincepies. Families are most welcometo attend.Time: 6.30pm

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Other events 2012

Mar 3 1882 Society LunchMar 17 The Parents’ LunchMar 24 MA Ceremony and Dinner

(for those who matriculated in 2005) Apr 14 1962 and 1972 Reunion DinnerMay 13 Friends of Selwyn Choir EvensongJun 2 Lyttelton DinnerJun London Group Summer Party Jul 6 Commemoration of Benefactors

(for those who matriculated anytime before 1960, 1967, 1977, 1987, and 1997)

Jul 7 Donors’ Garden Party (for those who have donated toSelwyn over the past year)

Sep 8 1982 and 1992 Reunion DinnerSep 22 Selwyn Alumni Association Dinner (open to all

alumni – especially those from 2002) and AGM

Choir Events 2011-122011Dec 5 7.30pm Christmas Concert for NSPCC Southwark CathedralDec 6 1.10pm Christmas Concert St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds Dec 8 5.30pm Choral Evensong Lichfield CathedralDec 10 7.30pm Christmas Concert Lamberhurst Parish Church, Kent 2012Jan 28 8.00pm Wagner & Debussy King’s College Chapel, Cambridge Jan 31 6.30pm Choral Evensong Selwyn Chapel (with the Choir of Clare College)Feb 11 5.30pm Choral Evensong Canterbury Cathedral Mar 17 7.30pm Concert for Lent Hemingford Abbots Parish Church Mar 20 5.30pm Choral Evensong Wakefield Cathedral Jul 11-24 Concert tour of Eastern USA

(performances in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia,and Washington DC)

The diary for 2011–12 should have something for everyone.Bring your family to Dorset to explore one of the UK’s best

rehabilitation and rescue programmes for primates; networkwith your fellow alumni under the fronds of giant palmsin London’s second biggest conservatory; or raise a cheer atTwickenham to the Light Blues at the 130th annual VarsityMatch. Whatever your interests, I hope you will be able to joinus sometime this year for a Selwyn event, either in College oraway. It would be wonderful to see you.For more information about any of the events listed,

please get in touch with our Alumni Officer, Shona Winnard at [email protected]

Other forthcoming events

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Monkey World16 June 2012Selwyn alumni and their families are warmly invited to Dr Alison Cronin’s (SE 1986) Ape Rescue andRehabilitation Centre in Dorset.This event will be a relaxed andcasual time to be with Selwynfriends and their families.Breakfast pastries, juice and hotdrinks will be provided on arrival,followed by a presentation about the work of the Centre. After a buffet lunch guests will be able to explore the park as they wish, with tea served during theafternoon. Price: £18 per person(includes admission and all meals)www.monkeyworld.org

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Academy of AncientMusic

Selwyn and the Academy of AncientMusic have partnered to offer our alumni discounted tickets forselected performances, as well asexclusive invitations to drinksreceptions. In 2012, there are twoperformances open to alumni:

28 April and 27 June. MusicalRevolutions: The Dawn of theCantata is the concert to be held at The West Road Concert Hall inCambridge on 28April.

In London, at the Wigmore Hall on27 June, AAM are performingMusical Revolutions: Age of theFrench Baroque. The music directorwill give a pre-concert talk at bothvenues, followed by drinks.

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The Barbican 8 February 2012Join us for jazz, canapés andnetworking at the BarbicanConservatory. Home to finches,exotic fish and over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees, it’s the second biggest conservatory in London, and a perfect place toenjoy an evening in the company of your fellow alumni. Time: from 6pmPrice: £25 per person (includes wine and canapés)

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What was the idea behind MOMA?Six years ago, stuck behind my desk as a management consultant in London, I knew that the time had come to strikeout on my own. I was racking my brainsfor ideas, and it struck me that there wasa real gap in the market for a healthygrab-and-go breakfast – there was lots of decent food on the market for lunchand dinner, but a glaring lack of qualitybreakfast, with people getting by on fattymuffins and croissants, or just their dailycaffeine fix, or nothing at all. I wanted to give people something that they reallywanted – a breakfast that was genuinelyhealthy, 100% natural, kept you goingthrough till lunch, and tasted delicious. I settled on our version of a Swiss BircherMuesli, called the Oatie Breakfast, madewith a blend of wholegrain jumbo oats,low-fat probiotic yoghurt, and real fruit – a perfect breakfast, packed full of slow release energy. The plan was to sellmy breakfasts to commuters, from mobilestalls in London train stations, and thento progress onto selling into otherretailers.

So, how did you get it started?Before leaving work I had to put the ideato the test. I bought lots of water bottlesfrom Tesco, peeled the labels off, stuck on new labels, courtesy of the printer atwork, stocked up on fruit and oats, andarmed with a couple of blenders spenttwo full nights blending fruit, yoghurtand oats. I gave the products out tounsuspecting commuters in Waterloo in exchange for their e-mail address, and

sent them an online survey. It certainlywasn’t a sophisticated approach, but I hadenough positive replies to give me theconfidence to hand in my notice at work. Bain, the consultancy I was workingfor, very kindly gave me a couple ofmonths to look into developing my idea,whilst keeping my job open. I spent thetime prowling the streets of London andthe Underground stations, looking forplaces that would be suitable for a mobilepitch – enough people but sufficientspace that we wouldn’t cause congestion.I spent many a morning counting thefootfall in various London locations so I could have a reasonable indication ofanticipated sales – unfortunately, onesuspicious police officer at Charing CrossStation didn’t take too kindly to this andgave me an eviction notice for loitering!

Where was your first pitch?Five months after leaving work I securedmy first pitch in Waterloo East Trainstation. The emphasis immediately shiftedto getting everything ready to roll as soonas possible – finishing off the branding,finalising products, hiring a railway archin Deptford for production premises, andbuying my first white van. Of course, one key component was our stall – a widedrawer filing cabinet with wheels fixed to the bottom and branding applied to theoutside. The afternoon before we were due tolaunch I had my laptop stolen (with allmy recipes on!) by an opportunist thiefwho nipped into our arch. Fortunately,unaware that I was chasing him, I rescuedmy precious recipes half way downDeptford High Street – a rude welcome toour neighbourhood, and a reminder to usethe padlocks!

When did you sell your first breakfast?24th February 2006 – a happy day!

Did you enjoy your time at Selwyn?Right from our very first ‘Freshers’ Tea’ in the Diamond, I loved my time atSelwyn. Cambridge was a stimulating andbeautiful place to study, but, as with a lot of things, it was the people I met thatmade it. I was lucky to meet a fantastic

Tom and theMOMA! team inWaterloo Station,London.

MOMA!mia

bunch of diverse people, and am stillfriends with many of them today. I threw myself into college life, and, in the absence of any musical talent orpolitical ambition at the time, I got busywith the sporting side of things. Rugbyand rowing took up a lot of time in my first couple of years (we won blades in the 2000 Mays Bumps), and then I was fortunate enough to get my boxing Blue in my third year. I had some great nights out as part of Hermes, and ouryear group was very proud to revive The Bishops – the historic Selwyn Society

We talk to Tom Mercer(SE 1998) – CEO of MOMAand an alumnus who is in the business of makingbreakfast the mostimportant meal of the day.


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1998-01Selwyn College, readNatural Sciences andManagement Studies

2002ManagementConsultant, Bain & Co.

2006Tom sells his firstMOMA breakfast inLondon’s WaterlooStation.

2008MOMA opensbreakfast stalls inCharing Cross,Euston, Liverpool St,London Bridge,Waterloo and Victoria

2009Waitrose list MOMAand Virgin Atlanticstart serving MOMAto passengers.

2010Sainsbury’s andOcado list MOMA.

2010MOMA becomes anofficial supporter ofthe CambridgeUniversity RugbyTeam.

2011MOMA is listed inTesco, Boots, Coop,Booths, Budgens,British Airways, andMonarch Airlines. Turnover hits £2m.

2012MOMA suppliesSelwyn dining hall?

MOMA!What they sell

All of MOMA’s breakfasts are made with MornflakeJumbo oats which are grown by British farmers and naturallow-fat probiotic yoghurt supplied by British dairies.

The original MOMAbreakfast. A blend ofoats, fruit andprobiotic yoghurt.

Like an Oatie Breakfast, but ina glass.

Oatie breakfast Oatie shake Just good old-fashioned Porridge,the MOMA! way.

Porridge

HodgePodge

The only non-Oatiebreakfast. A layer offruit cooked with spices,probiotic yoghurt, and a packet of crunchygranola.

CV

www.momafoods.co.uk

“I wanted to give peoplesomething that they reallywanted – a breakfast thatwas genuinely healthy, 100% natural, kept yougoing through till lunch, andtasted delicious.”

that had previously fallen on hard times. I studied Natural Sciences for 2 years,and then switched to the one yearManagement Studies course at the JudgeInstitute.

What are the plans for MOMA?Currently we have seven stalls in CentralLondon Stations, and are very pleased to have some significant wholesalecustomers: most supermarkets (althoughcurrently in a limited number of stores),several airlines (including Virgin andBritish Airways), coffee chains, most

contract catering firms and the bigindependents, such as Wholefoods andSelfridges. The team and I are focused on gettingMOMA to as many people in the countryas possible, and for MOMA to berecognised as the grab-and-go breakfastof choice in the UK. As always, we havesome big challenges facing the business,but we have seen growth of 100% in the last year and plan to ensure thiscontinues. I believe MOMA has thepotential to be a genuine ‘game changer’on the breakfast market. At the moment we’re pushing on lots of fronts – supermarkets, airlines,and coffee shops. We’re also starting tosupply universities, so hopefully Selwynstudents will see a bit more of us!

What have you learnt along the way?This is really targeted at the youngeralumni, who have recently left Selwynand thinking of doing their own thing, oreven current students. So, my apologiesto the many people reading this with far

more experience than me! With that inmind, here are my thoughts... Firstly, take time to really dream aboutwhat you want to do. Look at thingsaround you and come up with somethingthat offers something that no one elsedoes, or at least a different spin on it, andthen think about how you can do it betterthan anyone else Secondly, plan, plan, plan. It’s crucialto have a good business plan, andfinancial forecasts. I should have donethis better. Take advice on this – prefer-ably from someone with good industryexperience Thirdly, have the courage of yourconvictions and do it. There will alwaysbe people that pick holes in your plans;and in your careers you will be surround-ed by talented people for whom there is a big opportunity cost of leaving work,which therefore makes doing so seem likea bigger risk than it really is. If you havethought it through in detail, listened toadvice (although not necessarily taken itall), then go for it.

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Formerly the Bishop of Ramsbury, a suffragan appointment in the Diocese ofSalisbury, Bishop Stephen studied ModernHistory at Keble College, Oxford, beforeentering the teaching profession. He cameto Selwyn as an affiliated student while at Westcott House before his ordination in 1986. After several appointments in the North-east he was appointed as Arch-deacon of Durham before his appointmentat Ramsbury. “I arrived at Selwyn in 1983 after two yearsteaching in Scotland. Undertaking theTheology Tripos as part of my training

to be a priest at Westcott House requirescollege membership. I requested Selwyn asthe Cambridge equivalent of Keble College,Oxford where I had studied Historypreviously. In those days it was possible tospend my first year living in Cripps Court as a member of the MCR. I had a great time,becoming involved with the Chapel andbeing supervised by Canon John Sweet whowas the long-serving Dean of Chapel, a finebut unassuming scholar and a holy man.Studying Theology in Cambridge set me up for my subsequent ministry, although I could never have predicted that this wouldlead me back to be the Bishop responsiblefor Cambridge. Now that I am back, I am delighted tofind that Sir David Harrison, formerlyMaster of Selwyn, serves as the Chairmanof the Ely Cathedral Council. The Councilmonitors the work and finances of the Cathedral which is in the hands of the Cathedral Chapter. One of its members is Canon Hugh Shilson-Thomas, Dean and Chaplain of Selwyn. We’ll keep thetakeover to ourselves, I think.”

Aclericalconnection

Stephen Conway (SE 1983)

Selwyn’s connectionswith Ely Cathedralhave historically beenvery strong. GeorgeAugustus Selwyn’sbrother, WilliamSelwyn was CanonResidentiary of Ely from 1833-1875whilst he held theUniversity post ofLady Margaret’sProfessor of Divinity.

He died in 1875, before seeing the foun-dation of Selwyn, and is buried in theCathedral. Whilst he was Canon, Williamlived in the Canonry House, which is nowthe Girls’ Choir Boarding House. In current years, Selwyn alumni and

Fellows have re-forged these strong links,and the installation in March of the Rt. Rev. Stephen Conway (SE 1983) as the69th Bishop of Ely further strengthenedthe bond. Selwyn now has six membersactively involved with the Cathedral.

William Selwyn

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in the right order… Enjoying teachingmedieval English by day and doing myTheology by night, to make ends meet.Welcoming our first-born Christopher intothe world in the freezing winter of 1978-9,with clingfilm up at the windows of ourGrange Road flat to try and keep warm.Being amazed when Mary Sweet turned up to help wash the nappies! And stilltreasuring a Greek concordance John gaveme: may he rest in peace and rise in glory.Not realising that the other recent arrivalJohn Sentamu would become quite sostellar, even though he was clearly a star. And now…How strange to back in such a different role!But a marvellous welcome from DavidHarrison and many others, and the privilegeover the last three years of not just preach-ing but confirming and even ordaining inthe College Chapel. There are major benefitsboth ways if we can build on the Selwyn-Ely link – bridging the sacred/ secular gap,looking out together to build a better, moregenerous society – and I hope to be part ofthat in the years to come.”

Bishop David studied English Language and Literature at Keble College, Oxfordbefore completing his DPhil. He came toSelwyn as an affiliated student whiletraining for ordination at Westcott House. A keen medievalist, who is a FRSA and has published works on Middle EnglishGrammatical texts, Bishop David worked inseveral rural parishes before being appoint-ed as Archdeacon of Carlisle. He wasinstalled as Bishop of Huntingdon in 2008. Some memories of Selwyn…“As a Keble man, being bemused by acollege which had all the right bricks, but not

David Thomson (SE 1978)

Sir David came up to Selwyn in 1950 andhas been a Fellow since 1957, serving as both Senior Tutor and Master. He leftCambridge for a few years to serve as Vice-Chancellor of Keele and ExeterUniversities before returning to take up hisappointment as Master at Selwyn. Still a regular Selwyn Chapel-goer, he acts as Chairman of the Ely Cathedral Council, a position he has held since 2000.“Parliamentary legislation on the gover-nance of English Cathedrals in the late 1990senlarged the memberships of CathedralChapters (a Cathedral’s governing body) and created Cathedral Councils. I have beenChairman of the Council of Ely Cathedralsince its creation in 2000. The Council is an advisory (not execu-tive) body but, nevertheless in furtheranceof the Cathedral’s mission, its powersinclude a duty to ‘review and advise’ on the work of the Chapter and to ‘receive and consider’ the Cathedral’s annual budget, its annual report and audited accounts.More generally and informally the Councilprovides a link between the Cathedral andthe diocese through its membership whichincludes the Lord Lieutenant, the localMember of Parliament, and representativesof local government, education, theCounty’s Ecumenical Council, the Appoint-ments Committee of the Church of England,together with the worshipping congregationin Ely. In addition to ordinary business, Councilmeetings normally receive a presentationon, for example, the Cathedral’s pastoral,educational and outreach work, theCathedral’s music, its fabric, or the ever-present need to raise funds for mission. The pattern of work varies betweenCathedral Councils reflecting whether theywere formally monastic like Ely, or formerlya parish church like Chelmsford. CouncilChairmen meet very occasionally and thereis to be one such occasion this summer in Leicester. Whether the existence of a Cathedral Council would have helped avert the painful difficulties experienced atLincoln Cathedral 15 years ago is debatable,but Councils have changed the time-honoured (even Trollopian) landscape ofEnglish Cathedrals.”

(continued overleaf)

David Harrison (SE 1950)Oliver Hancock(SE 2010)

Oliver read music as an undergraduateat Jesus College, Oxford from 2005–08where he was also an organ scholar. In 2008, Oliver was awarded Associate-ship of the Royal College of Organists. He came to Selwyn in 2010 to study for a Masters in Music, and this year, is the College’s Graduate Organ Scholar.

“I have been Assistant Organist of ElyCathedral Girls’ Choir since 2008. Dutiesin Ely include accompanying the Girls’Choir for regular services during the week– they sing on Mondays and Wednesdays– and for morning rehearsals. Theyrehearse at 8.00am five mornings a week,and I will usually take one of these,playing for the rest. I also have particularresponsibility for teaching the girlchoristers Music Theory, helping theprobationers (first-year choristers) getused to the way evensong works, andgiving assistance with solos as required. For the academic year 2011-12, I amGraduate Organ Scholar at Selwyn, which– fortunately – fits in very well with Elycommitments: Selwyn Choir sings serviceson Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays,with the Ely girls singing on Mondaysand Wednesdays. The main role of theOrgan Scholars at Selwyn is to accom-

pany the Choir for services in Chapel, and to assist with rehearsing the Choir.Alongside the ‘professional’ side of beingOrgan Scholar, a particular perk is puttingtogether social events for the Choir, incollaboration with the Social Secretary. Ely Cathedral and Selwyn Collegehave hosted each other for variousconcerts and events in recent years – for example, Selwyn Choir has sungevensong and in the Mixing their Musicconcert in the Cathedral, and ECGC sanga concert as part of the Selwyn CollegeMusic Society series – and we hope toenjoy more collaboration in the future!”

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Sarah was born in Canada and came to theUK in 1992 to study Music at RobinsonCollege, where she was also organ scholar.She was the first woman to be appointedas Director of Music in an Oxbridge chapel.Since 2008 she has combined her role atSelwyn with the Ely Cathedral Girl’s Choir,who have recently released their first CDunder her direction.“I was appointed Director of Music inChapel at Selwyn in January 1999. My rolehere involves directing the Chapel Choir inall rehearsals and services, as well as inconcerts, cathedral visits, and on recordings,broadcasts, and tours. I audition the organscholars and choral exhibitioners, andoversee their musical development for theduration of their time in the Choir. I havealso recently taken on the more secularmusical role in College of Director of Music,overseeing the student-run music society,arranging for the maintenance and tuning of College instruments, dealing withinvoices for instrumental and singinglessons from music teachers, etc. I combinethese College duties with some supervisingfor the University Music Faculty. In September 2010 I acquired theadditional hat of Director of Ely CathedralGirls’ Choir (ECGC). I had held this post forthe calendar year 2008 as well, whencovering for my predecessor’s previousmaternity leave. This year she had twins, so had to give up for good! At Ely, I amresponsible for directing the Girls’ Choir intheir Cathedral duties (they sing Evensongtwice a week during school term). I alsotake their rehearsals before school fourmornings each week, so I have an early start(I take the 06.56 from Cambridge station). Conveniently, Selwyn’s choral servicesare on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays,whereas the Ely girls sing on Mondays and Wednesdays. In a ‘normal’ week,

my schedule is busy, but it is generallymanageable. There are occasional clashes,since the girls have Sunday duties aboutonce a month, but I have got quite goodat coming up with imaginative solutions for these clashes: for example, on PentecostSunday 2011, when I had to be in Ely forEvensong with the girls and men, I askedPaul Trepte, the Cathedral’s Director ofMusic, to be guest conductor at Selwyn inmy stead, and of course, both he and the Choir loved working with each other.I’ve also exploited the connection in otherways: ECGC came to sing an SCMS Sundayevening concert in the Michaelmas Term;Selwyn Choir sang Evensong at Ely duringthe Cathedral Choir’s Half Term vacation in February; members of Selwyn Choiraugmented the Cathedral Choir in a Juneconcert which required extra singers; andplans are underway for a joint Selwyn-ECGC Evensong in Selwyn at some point inthe near future.”

Hugh studied Theology at Exeter College,Oxford, before training for the priesthoodat Westcott House, Cambridge. Afterappointments as Chaplain at KingstonUniversity and Robinson College,Cambridge he moved to Church House asthe Church of England’s National Adviserfor Higher Education and Chaplaincy before his appointment as Dean of Chapeland Chaplain at Selwyn in 2008. Hugh was installed as a Non-Residentiary Chapter Canon of Ely Cathedral in 2010.

“I trained for ministry and, after a fewyears, was a chaplain in the diocese beforecommuting from here to London each day.So Cambridge has been home for a longtime. But strangely, though I have lived in it, I have not been so much a part of the Diocese of Ely, as Cambridge Universitychaplains occupy a strange place in thechurch, being employed and answerable totheir Colleges first, and not directlyanswerable to the Bishop in the way that a parish priest is. It was partly for thatreason that I was so delighted (andsurprised) to have a conversation with theprevious Bishop, Anthony Russell, in 2009asking me to talk to the Dean of Ely aboutthe possibility of my being appointed as a member of the Chapter. I now feel that I have feet firmly in both camps. The life of a non-resident Chapter Canon is much less time-consuming than a Resident one – the commitment is to a Chapter meeting on a Monday once a month, and to various occasions andservices as they arise from time to time.However, the responsibility is a bit daunting– ultimately, the three residentiary canonsand four Chapter canons are responsible,under the Dean, for the running of theCathedral – the building, and everythingthat happens in it, its ministry, all those who work for it, and its finances. It really is a privilege – the Cathedral is one of the Seven Medieval Wonders of the World and an outstanding architecturaltreasure. But there is much work to do, and a budget to balance. I sit in Councilmeetings in College and feel some reliefthat the bottom line isn’t quite as worryingas it is at the Cathedral; and then I sit inChapter Meetings and console myself that,after all, things aren’t quite as challengingas they are at Selwyn....”

Sarah MacDonald(SE Fellow, Director of Music)

Hugh Shilson-Thomas (SE Fellow, Chaplain)

“It really is a privilege – theCathedral is one of the SevenMedievalWonders ofthe Worldand anoutstandingarchitecturaltreasure.”

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A clerical connection (continued)

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1962In September 2002, we started thetradition of decennial reunions withthe fortieth anniversary of ourmatriculation coinciding with theAnnual Meeting of the Association.Since then, everyone is at it andhopefully deriving great pleasurefrom meeting the Selwynites of theirvintage.

Saturday 14th April 2012 has been setaside for our 50th anniversary reunion and the purpose of this briefnote is to alert you to that date; to express the hope that many willattend to share some thoughts aboutthe days when blackberries wereseasonal fruits providing deliciousjelly, when google was a misspellingof goggle, and when people spoke toeach other in relatively grammaticalEnglish (or a dialect thereof). So nowis the chance to catch up on the craicof the fifty intervening years; toreflect on what we have really learnedfrom our life experiences; to renew,even make, friendships; and to reflecton what we might do to contribute tothe future well-being of the studentsof tomorrow – I have already receivedtwo or three thoughts.

This is not a plea for money. It is a heartfelt invitation to celebrate 50 years of association with Selwyn. So please put the date in your diary,please get in touch with people whomyou may not have seen for a longtime; and please come, accompaniedor unaccompanied, and enjoy a dayout culminating in Dinner in Hall.

The College would be delighted toreceive suggestions about the contentof a programme for the afternoon.

It would be helpful if those could bechanneled through me – 01505329696 or [email protected]

David Denton,(unelected andtherefore removeable year rep for1962).

1972There is no YGR for 1972; if you areinterested or would like to nominate a fellow alumnus for the role, please contact Shona Winnard([email protected])

1982In 1982 , we had pixie boots, newromantics, big hair and we wereSelwyn’s centenary matriculants.Owen Chadwick, in his last year asMaster, toasted our arrival with a centenary feast!

In 2012, we have sensible shoes, old romances and less hair but the College is welcoming us back with a reunion feast to celebrate 30 years since matriculation!

While we were at Selwyn the MayBall was revived, creating concernamong some Fellows who had heard that we wanted Bad Manners. We objected to the Kitchen FixedCharge, but it helped to pay for the new bar in the old kitchens;we renewed the debating society; hadwhisky tastings at the Wine Society;and Harry Potter arrived at Selwyn.

The Selwyn Calendar records thatsports results were mixed, but there

were Blues, and academically we didnot move the College’s rankinganywhere close to where it currentlylies. However, we embraced Collegelife, had a good time and madefriends.

So, get in touch with at least one ofthose friends, pass on the word andmake a plan to return on Saturday 8thSeptember 2012 and stay overnight in College. It will be a chance to catchup with everyone else, share yournews, note the changes at Selwyn, re-tell those stories and, hopefully, havea number of laughs. See you there!

Stephen Speak,year representative for 1982.

1992Twenty years was more than a lifetime for most of us when wearrived at Selwyn fresh-faced andready to take on life’s challenges backin October 1992. So it is incredible tobelieve that twenty years has nearlypassed since that week of freshers’week parties, sobering first lecturesand first tentative steps towardslifelong friendships.

To mark the event, Selwyn has setaside the weekend of 8th/9thSeptember 2012 for a formal reunionDinner in Hall to welcome our yearback to College. It will be a wonderfulopportunity to meet up again, and itis hoped that by giving lots of noticewe will get a good turnout, includingpeople from overseas.Accommodationis available in College. Other eventsacross the weekend are possibledepending on demand – anyone fancygetting an eight back out on the river,a punt to Grantchester, croquet in theFellows’ Garden?

Please put the date in your diary andwatch out for more information in the coming months. If you haveany suggestions, please email me([email protected]) or the Development & Alumni RelationsOffice ([email protected]), and wewill see what we can arrange.

Karen Swainson (née Knighton),year representative for 1992.

2002We’ve checked the date, double-checked and checked again butthere’s no denying it- 2012 marks 10 years since we matriculated. It took us a moment to get overthe staggering realisation that wereally are no longer 18 and moreworryingly, that at 28 or thereabouts,we’re knocking on the door of 30.

We immediately took the view that to avoid a great depression setting in, a national celebration was in orderinvolving pool parties, beer pong and naked relay races. We decidedthat the nine new sporting venues which have recently sprung up in the capital would fit the bill perfectly,with plenty of room for guests andlarge amounts of overflow capacity.Naturally, on hearing the news, Daveoffered to cancel the Olympics and let us take over.

On further consideration, we realisedthat this probably wouldn’t be fair.Some of us aren’t all that sporty.We duly thanked Dave for his timeand politely declined with the happyside effect of avoiding internationalcondemnation for the country.

At about this time, College extendedthe kind invitation to have us all backfor a dinner to mark the occasion.It then hit us. The best and only wayto celebrate not being 18 anymore is to make like we’re 18 all over again.That could mean only one thing:formal hall.

We hope that as many of you aspossible can make it back for theweekend of 22/23 September 2012.Please put the date in your diaries for now and more information willfollow.

Kelly Bond & Shiraz Masood,representatives for year 2002.

2012ReunionCelebrations: Messages from year grouprepresentatives

Time to dig out the matriculation photoand see how many of your year you still recognise.Make plans to return to Selwyn in 2012and renew old friendships!

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OurOlympians

Cambridge in 1946 was still recovering from the austerities of the war. Bread was rationed as well as meat, sugar, chocolate and imported

fruit. We were a hilarious mixture of those who had been through the war in the services and the younger entry straight from school. (Gentlemenunder the age of 18 may collect their bananas from the College Office!) Application to study and essay writing was not easy after the concentrationrequired to land a Seafire on the deck of an Escortcarrier. There were also many distractions to be enjoyed; the 1911 Selwyn crew had contained both my Dad and my uncle, so no prizes for guessing where I headed, the same old ramshackle boathouseby Victoria Bridge. The May crew of 1947 bumped L.M.B.C.,Clare and Christ’s and reached the semi-finals of theLadies’ Plate at Henley, after which I secured a placein the Trial VIIIs in November. From there it was

touch and go before final selection for the Blue Boatand the race on the Tideway in March. I only justmade it. Conditions gave us a record time of 17.50,which we held for over 25 years. These were the days when Jesus College,protagonists of Steve Fairbairn’s style, had made asignificant difference to the old ‘Orthodox’ legacy offixed-seat rowing. A compromise had been achievedwhen three of us from the Fairbairn group had been included in the crew. But when the Olympics rather unexpectedly came into view, Chris Barton (JE 1947), the stroke of the Jesus crew, was asked to form an Olympic VIII, and he confined his choices to his own style. The result was the formation of two crews, one consisting of Barton’s men, all from his college, and the other, mostly the Boat Race crew without the Australian, which was entered as Leander in the Grand Challenge Cup. Both werebeaten by a strong Thames Club crew, but theywanted to divide into IVs for the Olympics. So asLeander’s (losing) time had been faster thanBarton’s, excellent stroke though he was, the basis ofthe final choice fell to some tubbing outings whichbegan on July 8. Chris Barton came in at stroke and I behind him, followed by the Boat Race men. By July 26 the temperatures had reached the80s(F) all day, and we were set to row to Marlow and back. Next day the thermometer touched 89;

In August 2012, the Olympic Games are returning to the UK for thefirst time since 1948. Several Selwyn alumni have competed atthe games, and in this article, two of them, Mike Lapage (SE 1946)and Bruce Tulloh (SE 1959) tell us about their experiences.

Illustration Lee Woodgate

Michael Lapage(SE 1946)The Last Gamesin London


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we rowed a full course. This had to be startedabove the Island so as to give room for threeabreast; it came out at 1929 metres, the finishbeing in the same place. Meanwhile, the townhad been highly decorated with red andwhite maypoles each side of the High Streetand a bedecked Town Hall. The Opening Ceremony was held on July 29 in Wembley Stadium in stifling conditions,something we could have done without, but it was a memorable day. Simplicity was the keynote by comparison with to-day’s eye-catching and expensive performances. We arrived by coach at noon and managed to find a shady tree in the holding area for a sandwich lunch. A figure in Pakistani uniformsuddenly appeared, Paul Raschid (SE 1945)with his smart green clothes and muslin-draped

turban, I hardly recognised him. As the hostnation, we were called in last and made a circuitof the arena where 85,000 spectators packed thestands. A solitary figure, already ill, King GeorgeVI took the salute, and then was invited by LordBurghley to declare the opening of the 48thOlympiad. A fanfare of trumpets gave the signalfor the scouts to open the pigeon boxes and 2500of them took to the air. “Somebody ought to belucky” was my sister-in-law’s comment. Next asalute of 21 guns and all eyes were turned to theentrance tunnel for the arrival of the flame, allthe way from Greece. A closely guarded secretwas revealed as the Cambridge sprinter, JohnMark, appeared, the epitome of Greek youth. So, despite all the forebodings of the pessi-mists, the flame was lit and the Games opened.We sang the Hallelujah Chorus and the

Archbishop of York gave us some encouragingwords, after which the Olympic oath was takenby all 6000 competitors from 59 countries.The total cost of the Games came to £732,000with a net profit of £29,000. How will thatcompare with 2012, even taking into account thedifference in the £’s value? So back to the relative peace of Henley. There were seven rowing events, 26 countriesrepresented and 300 oarsmen in 86 crews. One ofthe favourites for a medal was the cox-less pair,Ran Laurie (SE 1933 and father of Hugh) whorowed for Selwyn and Cambridge in the thirtieswith Jack Wilson (PEM 1933) from Pembroke.Both were aged 33 and home on leave from theSudan. After ten years ‘where there was nowater’, they teamed up and entered, AKA ‘TheDesert Rats’ In the final of their event they wonby a length from the Swiss, and gained GB’s first Gold on home ground, or water in this case. In the Eights we drew the Berks stationovercoming Denmark and Norway. This put usstraight into the Semi-finals against Canada’sHamilton/Leander. The heat wave was replacedby a vicious headwind. What we didn’t know tillafterwards was that our coach, Harold Rickett,had had the (wooden) oars shaved down to an even narrower pencil. After a restful Sunday, the Final gave us Norway, who had won their repechage, and a strong crew from theUniversity of California. Although we led by a length at the Barrier, the heavier (and betterfed!) crew gradually wore us down. But at leastwe did get our silver medals. I shall pass mine on to my grandson, Patrick, who is currentlystroking the Harvard Heavyweights. His youngerbrother, Sam, is also rowing at Shrewsbury, twograndsons at Henley! What was not reported in the Press was thehigh-spirited party for all the crews atRemenham Club on the final evening. Suddenaccess to unlimited sherry and champagne after months of abstinence proved the undoing of a well-planned occasion. Rolls and napkinsstarted flying, waitresses withdrew, and the M.C. had a thin time: “Messieurs, Gentilmen, silenceplease” Speeches and the Toast list quite out ofthe question. But the G.B. Oarsmen came home with twoGolds; as well as Laurie and Wilson, Dick Burnelland Bert Bushnell won the Double Sculls, and a silver for the Eights, Selwyn in two of those.“ANDRIZESTHE”

1928 Amsterdam

Arthur Sulley(SE 1926) wins silverfor coxing theMen’s Eights.Arthur wasSelwyn’s firstBlue inrowing.

1936Berlin

Ran Laurie(SE 1933),father ofHugh Laurie(SE 1978),rows stroke in the Men’sEights (theycome infourth).

1948London

Ran Laurie(SE 1933) wins gold inthe CoxlessPairs; MichaelLapage (SE1946) winssilver in theMen’s Eights.

1960Rome

Bruce Tulloh(SE 1959)competesin Athletics(5000m).

1968Mexico City

IainMacDonald-Smith (SE 1964)wins gold for Sailing(FlyingDutchmanClass).

1976Montreal

IainMacdonald-Smith(SE 1964)competes inSailing(Soling Class).

1984Los Angeles

RichardBudgett (SE 1977) wins goldmedal in theCoxed Fourswith SteveRedgrave.

2008Beijing

Neil West (SE 1980)appointed bythe BritishOlympicAssociation asDeputy Headof Team GBin Beijing.

2012 London

RichardBudgett (SE 1977)appointedChief MedicalOfficer of the Games

Selwyn at the Olympicstimeline

The crew of the 1948 Men's Eight; Mike Lapage (SE 1946) is seated, second fromright.

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“I went on to break the Britishand European records for twomiles, three miles and six miles,to win the 5000 metres in theEuropean Games and be part of the winning England team inthe World cross-country.”

Igraduated from Southampton in July 1959and applied to Selwyn, at the suggestion ofHarry Minshall (SE 1957), who was keen to

strengthen both the College and the Universitycross-country team. My grandfather, a top-classtennis player, had encouraged me to try forCambridge because he would have liked to havegot a blue himself. As a result I found myselfdoing a postgraduate diploma and training witha very enthusiastic bunch of distance runners.Selwyn had a strong team - Harry and I wereboth English internationals and the othersincluded Richard Harries (SE 1958), later Bishopof Oxford, and John Offord (SE 1958), who has remained a friend ever since. The Selwyn team won both Cuppers and the relays, and the University team beat the better-fancied Oxford. Three others of that team went on tointernational level – Tim Briault (JN 1958) ran5000m for Britain, Mike Turner (Q 1959) becamecaptain of the England cross-country team and manager of the British team at the 1988Olympics, and Roger Robinson (Q 1958) rancross-country for both England and NewZealand and was World Veterans champion inthe marathon. My year at Selwyn gave me the idealpreparation for the Olympics. At the start of thevacation I broke the British record for 3 miles,running in bare feet on my favourite grass track,and two weeks later I was runner-up in the AAA championships. This was enough to give me a place in the British Olympic team, whichhad been my goal since I became a seriousrunner four years earlier. In those days there was no sort of centralisedcoaching, certainly no Olympic preparationcamp. All we had to do was collect our uniforms and be at the airport at the right time.We arrived at the Olympic Village in the middle of a Roman heat wave. It was over 100Fahrenheit (39C) for the four nights before my5000 metres heat, which was not ideal, but thedays went past like a dream. I was in Paradise,amongst the Immortals. I met Emil Zatopek and went running with him. This was my hero,

the man who had won three gold medals in theHelsinki Games when I was a schoolboy, andhere I was running with him and discussingtraining. I was in the stadium, watching ArminHary winning the 100m, with my friend PeterRadford getting the bronze medal, and watchingHerb Elliott (JE 1960) winning the 1500 metres in a world record time. I met a young NewZealander on the training track, an 800 metrerunner, on his first overseas trip. “What’s yourbest time?” I asked. “1.48” he said. “ Well, I’msure you’ll improve on that“, said I - and he did – he won it. Best of all, I was on the streets of Rome watching the 50 kilometres walk. Don Thompson of Britain was in the lead, trying to break away, and I was running alongthe pavement shouting encouragement at him. He became our only gold medallist in theAthletics team. The backdrop to all this was, of course, theEternal City. I had never even been to Europebefore, and I walked for miles, visiting thetourist sites. My greatest memory was seeing a spectacular performance of ‘Aida’ at the Bathsof Caracalla. This was perhaps not the idealpreparation for the 5000m, but the fact was thatwe were just not acclimatised to the intenseheat. None of the three British runners made the final. I had the fastest time of the three but I pushed myself into heat exhaustion in doing so and had to be sponged down with cold waterfor half an hour afterwards. I had looked at making the Olympic team asthe climax of my running career, and so it mighthave been had I done well, but in fact it was justthe beginning of an involvement with runningwhich continues to this day. I went on to breakthe British and European records for two miles,three miles and six miles, to win the 5000metres in the European Games and be part of the winning England team in the World cross-country. I never competed in the Olympics again– in ‘64 I over-trained and picked up measles and I retired before the ‘68 Games, rather thanface the altitude of Mexico City, but I have beento several Games as a journalist and a coach. For me the Olympic Games remain a great forcefor good, bringing people together, in spite of theintensity of the competition. In those days everything was strictly amateur, but there are many other rewards. Sport gave me a lot of fun and a lot of stress, but overall it gaveme a sense of identity, and confidence in my ability. It helped me get a good job when I left

Cambridge and it certainly improved my chanceswith the long-legged young blonde whom I hadmet at the golf club dance. It helped me in coaching athletics and writingabout it, and it helped me when I became a teacher in Kenya, and later at Marlborough.The afore-mentioned blonde and I celebrate ourgolden wedding this year, and in the winter we shall be in New Zealand, where we hope to see Peter Snell again, the runner I met on thetraining track in Rome, in August 1960.

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Following a hasty attempt to follow up Christmas card promises ofreunions and searching for lost

friends on the internet, the year of 1975managed to get a good turnout at the 30 year reunion dinner in College back in2005. Some of us hadn’t met up for over25 years and it became quite a party.However, a number spent too long in thebar after dinner and agreed that it wouldbe a great idea to arrange a ski trip.It was one of those drunken ideas thatoften comes to nothing, but in March2006 Rob Allen, Greg Croydon, TimParsons and Mark Weston Smith met upat Stansted and flew to Austria for fourdays skiing in Obertauern. The SelwynSenile Ski team had its founder members.

This has become an annual event withthe sixth trip currently in planning forJanuary 2012 in St Gervais. Mike Raynerjoined us for our second season. Hewould have been a founder member but,as many athletes at the peak of physicalfitness discover, there is a fine linebetween perfection and injury. SteveFlesher-Clark brought the numbers up tosix in 2010 and Andy Rose became theseventh team member in 2011.

We keep in touch by email and phoneand very occasional meetings (sometimesat Selwyn), despite the fact that Greg,Mark and Mike live or work within a few miles of one other in the Midlands! This annual event has become awelcome escape from the real worldduring which we can re-live our youth at Selwyn, drink plenty of beer, wonderabout what our peers are up to, tell thesame old jokes and stories and sing thesame songs. It all helps to keep us young.Long may it continue.

From Greg Croydon (SE 1975)

Noticeboard

In June, the Selwyn College Boat Club christened a new Men’s VIII, the Eivind Dullforce (nicknamed ‘The Force’).The Force was purchased through a very generous donationfrom Fiona Morrison (SE 1976) in memory of her husband,Eivind (SE 1975).

Main image: Andy Rose, Mike Rayner, Rib Allenand Mark Weston Smith. Above: Tim Parsons, Mark Weston Smith and Greg Croydon.

The Senile Skiers

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William Brock (SE Fellow) and Owen Chadwick (SE Fellow)both turned 95 this year, and are seen here celebrating witha glass of champagne in the Master’s Lodge.


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The 2011 Ramsay Murray Lecturewas given by Judith Herrin,Professor Emerita and Constantine

Leventis Senior Research Fellow ofKing’s College London. The lecture,entitled ‘The Surprising Empire:Byzantium between Islam and Europe’,explored conceptions of Byzantium andthe role of women in the empire. The lecture is available for alumni to download on the College website; please contact the Development Officefor a password.

Do you recognise this footstool? Sarah MacDonald (SE Fellow, Director of Music)writes: I bought it in ‘Simply Oak’, an antiqueswarehouse near Biggleswade in Bedfordshire inmid-April 201 1. It is oak, a bit rustic, but carvedwith a fair amount of woodworking skill and it is Selwyn’s Coat of Arms, not just the College Crest. If anyone is able to shed any light on whereit might come from, please get in touch.

Reunited again

Whilst cleaning out thefiling cabinets this winter,George Roberts (SE 2006,Development Officer) was astonished to stumbleacross the original degreecertificate for David Kirby(SE 1957). After 51 years,Mr Kirby and his degreecertificate have now beenreunited.

One hundred not out!

Gerald Gibson (SE 1930) turned 100 inFebruary of this year. Gerald readMathematics at Selwyn, where he was a successful cricketer and footballer. After graduation, he went on to teach at schools in London and Wiltshire andserved in the RAF during the SecondWorld War. Gerald published his memoirs, A Cornish Innings, this year and a copy rests in the College archives.He celebrated his century at home withthree generations of his family.

Empire ofGold2011 Ramsay Murray Lecture

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Increasing our bursary provision to ensure that we are able to provide adequate financial support for our studentsmust be one of Selwyn’s core priorities. With the help of our alumni, the 2011 Selwyn Annual Fund will aim to do just that, giving all students of talent and ability thechance to fulfil their potential.

Since last autumn’s Browne Reportand the Comprehensive SpendingReview, the landscape of higher

education has changed completely. FromOctober 2012, undergraduates coming toSelwyn will face tuition fees of £9,000 peryear, on top of living expenses calculated at a minimum of £7,000 per year. Ongraduation, therefore, the majority of ourstudents will have incurred somewhere inthe region of £50,000 of debt. This is quitea different prospect from that enjoyed by those of you who studied at Selwyn inthe 1960s, 1970s or 1980s, when Cambridgewas able to provide grant maintainededucation, free from the burden of tuitionfees.

In 2010/2011, 28% of Selwynundergraduates received support worth£208,000 from a combination of theUniversity and the College. In addition,Selwyn also disbursed £20,000 in ad hochardship grants for students who foundthemselves in financial difficulty duringthe year. This amounts to an averagebursary of £1,890 per student: 60% of the current tuition fee but only 20% ofthe new tuition fee. It is clear that currentlevels of support will soon be entirelyinadequate.

Selwyn has led the way amongst theColleges with our commitment to accessto Cambridge for the most able andbrightest students regardless of theirbackground or circumstances. Currently,67% of our students come from state-maintained schools, against 59.3% atCambridge as a whole. With the prospectof significant debt adding to the existinghistorical barriers to access, there is a deep concern that students from lowerand middle-income families will bedissuaded from studying at Cambridge. Increasing our bursary provision to ensure that we are able to provideadequate financial support for ourstudents must be one of Selwyn’s corepriorities. With your help, the 2011Selwyn Annual Fund will aim to do justthat, giving all students of talent andability the chance to fulfil their potential. Donations received through the 2011Annual Fund will be used to supportstudents in two critical ways. The first will be to help the College co-invest with the University’s bursaryscheme, in order to improve existingbursary support for students from lessaffluent backgrounds. These students willneed a package of comprehensive

financial aid to be able to afford to studyat Cambridge under the new fee structureas current levels of available funding willbe inadequate in meeting the needs ofstudents in 2012 and beyond. The second will be to bolster Selwyn’sexisting hardship funds. In the currenteconomic climate, some students arelikely to face unforeseen financialcircumstances which will jeopardise theirability to remain here. Such students mayneed a top-up to their existing bursarygrant, or simply help to pay for theiraccommodation. This is precisely the kindof contingency that the College’s hardshipfunds can cover. We are determined to ensure that none of our students are

‘Selwyn isdetermined to ensure thatnone of ourstudents areforced to giveup or cut shorttheir degree as a result offinance, and our hardshipfunds arecrucial to thiseffort.’

Acase forstudentsupport...

The2011AnnualFund:


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In the Government’s 2011Budget, an inheritance taxdiscount was introduced from

6 April 2012 for estates whichhave left at least 10% of their netvalue to charity. Although legaciesto charity have always beenexempt of inheritance tax, thechange will affect the amount ofthe estate left for other bene-ficiaries. Instead of the standardrate of inheritance tax (40%),estates which leave at least 10% to charity will only be subject to a tax rate of 36%. As previously,the first £325,000 of the estatewill be exempt of inheritance tax. As the example below makesclear, this reduction is good news for anyone who has already left a legacy to the College or isconsidering doing so. The burden

on other beneficiaries will be reduced, meaning that, in theexample, a gift of £ 100,000to Selwyn has ‘cost’ them £23,000less than it does currently.

For information about leavinga bequest to the College, or aboutmembership of the 1882 Society,contact the Development Director,Sarah Harmer (01223 330403or email: [email protected]).

InheritanceTaxAnupdate

SelwynOnline

As part of an ongoingprogramme by theDevelopment Office to

make staying up to date withSelwyn as simple as possible for alumni, we have expandedour online presence. Like us onFacebook, join our LinkedInSelwyn Alumni Group, followus on Twitter (SelwynAlumni)or look at the latest photos fromevents and College on our Flickrphotostream. Keeping in touchwith Selwyn has never beeneasier. Early next year, we will alsobe launching our new alumniwebsite. On the new site,alumni will be able to registerand pay for events, update theirdetails and follow along withthe latest news and events from the College. The new websitewill also have the capabilityto help you connect with your fellow alumni – to arrange informal alumni events,network or just catch up with

old friends. We’ll be sendingeveryone their new usernamesand passwords for the site early in 2012 – in the meantime,we hope you’ll start to takeadvantage of our improvedonline presence.

Buy books - give generouslyThank you to everyone whois currently shopping onAmazon through the link onthe Selwyn website.

In 2010 –11, Amazon donated£2,097 to Selwyn, whichmeans that Selwyn alumnispent over £40,000 atamazon.co.uk.

5% of all purchases madethrough the Amazon link comestraight to us, and the moneygoes directly into studentsupport. Visit our website(www.sel.cam.ac.uk) to findthe Amazon link.

Current Tax New Tax Regime Regime

Estate Value £1,000,000 £1,000,000Exempt from Tax £325,000 £325,000Gift to Selwyn £100,000 £100,000Taxable Amount £575,000 £575,000Tax Payable £230,000 £207,000Tax Rate 40% 36%Net to Beneficiary £670,000 £693,000

An example legacy

forced to give up or cut short their degreeas a result of finance, and our hardshipfunds are crucial to this effort. The College is delighted to recognisedonors through the Donors’ Garden Partyand the Lyttelton Dinner for Benefactors.

For more information about the 2011 Annual Fund contact Sarah Harmer(Development Director) by phone (01223)330403 or email: [email protected]

Support Selwynthrough ourAmazon link

Support Selwyn!

Selwyn Celebrated – A history of Selwyn College

by Mike Good

Give a bit of Selwyn to someone you love! Our range of merchandise should have somethingfor everyone - from College Choir CDs to ties,teddies and tumblers. Money raised goes directlyinto student support funds.Order by phone on 01223 767844, or online

www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/merchandise

£25

www.sel.cam.ac.uk/alumni/merchandise

PricesBook: £25.00Bag: £4.00Teddy: £6.10Mug: £8.70

Tie: £21/£15.50CDs £10

Cufflinks: £18.50Pen: £2.60Card: £1.60

Documents

Selwyn College Newsletter 2011