THE TERMLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR EXONIANS HILARY TERM 2016 Welcome... to the latest edition of Exeter Matters, the electronic newsletter for Exonians. RECTOR’S NEWS All terms at Exeter are diversely eventful, so the selection of a theme is arbitrary, but recognition seems apt for Hilary 2016. The New Year Honours included a knighthood for Exeter alumnus David Norgrove (1967, Modern History) for service to the low paid and the family justice system and OBEs for Richard Watson (1977, Literae Humaniores), for contributions to innovative energy provision, and Grace Jackson (2009, PPE), for services to the response to the Ebola crisis. It is also pleasing to note that, in late November, Nick Hurd MP SIR RICK TRAINOR (1981, Literae Humaniores) was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development. Another important accolade for Exeter, in the very different sphere of rowing, came through a successful Torpids week – another stage in the ‘renaissance’ of the Exeter College Boat Club. Exeter’s boats (two men’s and one women’s) in total secured eight bumps, rowed over three times and were bumped only twice. Thanks to donors, two new boats are on order – so watch this space! Similarly, Exeter’s men’s football first and reserve XI secured promotion to their respective top divisions. A prerequisite to a cohesive College is recognition of its diversity. The annual Burns Supper as ever warmed the hearts of ‘honorary’ Scots as well as Scots by descent. In an innovation, a similarly varied group celebrated Chinese New Year on 8 February EXETER’S WOMEN’S CREW to recognise Exeter’s substantial East Asian community (some of whose more distant members I had visited in Hong Kong and Singapore in December). Meanwhile, not long after the end of Exeter’s flying of the rainbow flag during February (LGBT History Month) – an event marked in the same way in a number of Oxford colleges – Exeter’s LGBT community held its annual dinner in Hall. Diversity is an important theme at the University level, too, as marked spectacularly in the Sheldonian on 12 January when our first female Vice-Chancellor was admitted to office. Only a few weeks later Professor Richardson participated in her first Exeter event by opening, in conjunction with the Spanish Ambassador, an academically high-powered conference (organised by Exeter Fellow Professor Edwin Williamson) recognising the 400th anniversary of the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare. I closed the two-day conference – on my own, because the scheduled Spanish politician had to stay in Madrid PROFESSOR RICHARDSON to cope with a parliamentary crisis occasioned by an inconclusive general election! | 2 HILARYMICHAELMAS TERM TERM2016 2010 As that conference suggests, Exeter is by any definition a highly cultured college. Thanks to donations on Hubbub (a crowdsourcing website), our admirable choir has recorded a CD of carols for release later this year. Also, as usual Exeter students played major parts in organising, and performing at, late February’s Turl Street Arts Festival – in part an antidote to the notorious ‘Turl Street Run’ of former days! This was a bumper term for seminars in College. The ‘subject family dinners’ for Social Sciences, and for Language and Literature having occurred in Michaelmas, Hilary TURL STREET ARTS FESTIVAL featured similarly well-attended gatherings for fellows, lecturers, postgraduates and undergraduates in Medical and Biomedical Sciences (addressed by Professor Dominic Kwiatkowski [1971, Physics]) and in Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (addressed by Professor Dominic Tildesley [1973, Chemistry]). These are vibrant occasions, featuring papers by amazingly assured final-year undergraduates, postgraduates and early ‘postdocs’ as well as by established academics. Meanwhile, there were eight rector’s seminars, six of them by Exeter alumni. Each was highly stimulating, not least a magisterial review of fundamental European issues by Lord (Stephen) Green (1966, PPE) and an incisive survey of environmental questions by Stanley Johnson (1959, English) who recently won major awards from both the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Mark LORD GREEN Cheng (1993, PPE) talked about social entrepreneurship, Professor Sir Ivor Crewe (1963, PPE) about the current condition of the UK’s political parties, Professor Adam Smyth (1990, Modern History) about the early modern English book and Ed Harris (1991, PPE) about development prospects in Africa. Meanwhile, Professor Sheila Cavanagh (Emory University) analysed the current worldwide surge in Shakespeare studies and Visiting Professor Dennis Ahlburg probed the career consequences of that prevalent transatlantic institution, the gap year. Another person deserving recognition is Simon Mortimore, who has left the College after 11 years, latterly as Computing Systems Manager, to take over the electronic affairs of no fewer than three other Oxford colleges! We are recruiting his successor. EXEPRENEURS DRINKS This is also an appropriate occasion to recognise Exeter’s new fellows this academic year: Dr Jason Carter (Philosophy), Professor Garret Cotter (Physics), Dr Gail Hayward (Medicine), Professor Conall Mac Niocaill (previously a Lecturer in the College, Earth Sciences), Dr Christopher Markiewicz (History) and Dr Adrien Vigier (Economics). Other College events deserving mention are the alumni gathering at York Minster in February (hosted by Robert Sharpe [1991, Music] and Polly Sharpe [1992, Music]) and the Exepreneurs evening in London later the same month. Other substantial Exeter communities were recognised this term through dinners for the Fortescue (Law) and PPE Societies – with talks by noted human rights barrister Sudhanshu Swaroop THE FORTESCUE DINNER QC (1995, Jurisprudence) and David Natzler (Clerk of the House of Commons), respectively – and a very well attended Parents’ Dinner. Finally, there was also a well-subscribed graduation on 12 March, including (after the University event in the Sheldonian) the now customary College ceremony in the Chapel and refreshments in a marquee in the back quad. As term closes Marguerite and I are planning, in addition to academic conferences, attendance at the University’s North American Reunion in April, to be held this year in Washington, with a special Exeter gathering hosted by Cynthia Hostetler and Nicholas Ulanov (1979, Theology). We are hoping that the famous cherry blossoms will be more noticeable than the residue of this winter’s fractious primary elections! PARENTS’ DINNER Sir Rick Trainor, Rector | 3 HILARYMICHAELMAS TERM TERM2016 2010 COLLEGE NEWS Fundraising and Torpids success for boat club Hilary Term saw ECBC take on fundraising in an ECBC/ExVac ergathon, as students rowed 220km – equivalent to the distance from Exeter College to Exeter City – on two rowing machines in the JCR. So far over £5,000 has been raised for the boat club and ExVac, the Exeter student-run charity. You can support the charity ergathon here. Torpids 2016 was a watershed moment for the boat club, with all three racing crews bumping during the week, and no crews falling for the first time in many years. With returning blues, new coaching and two brand new racing eights arriving next term, optimism for Summer VIIIs is high. Promotion for men’s football teams The Exeter College men’s first and reserve football teams both secured promotion in Hilary term. The first team fought a tense and close-run battle with Pembroke to secure automatic promotion to the premier division while the second team was promoted comfortably, dropping just two points all season. Exeter College Chapel Choir to sing at Westminster Abbey Exeter College Chapel Choir will sing at two prestigious London venues later this year. The highly regarded choir, led by Senior Organ Scholar Tim Muggeridge (2013, Music), will perform at Mattins, Eucharist and Evensong at Westminster Abbey on 10 April; and they will sing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral on 30 and 31 August. A small allocation of tickets is available for the services at Westminster Abbey through the choir. Dr Stephen Pax Leonard to take part in Arctic expedition Dr Stephen Pax Leonard, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Anthropology, is aiming to take part in an expedition to the High Arctic this summer. A team of five members of the University of Oxford intend to ski across the island of Spitsbergen, retracing the route of a ground-breaking Merton College expedition that pioneered exploration of this remote Arctic region 93 years earlier. Click here to read more. Dr Chris Fletcher appears on BBC Radio 4 documentary Dr Chris Fletcher, Exeter College Fellow by Special Election and Keeper of Special Collections at the Bodleian Library, has appeared on a BBC Radio 4 documentary about Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book The Wind in the Willows. Dr Fletcher describes for listeners the genesis of the much-loved children’s book, its manuscript and a first edition, which are held in the Bodleian. He goes on to draw comparisons between The Wind in the Willows and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The programme also features readings from Alan Bennett (1954, Modern History). Prof Christina de Bellaigue publishes Home Education in Historical Perspective Professor Christina de Bellaigue, Fellow in History, has edited a collection of case studies, Home Education in Historical Perspective: Domestic pedagogies in England and Wales, 1750-1900. The book is the first publication to devote serious attention to the history of home education