9 the Journal THE FITZWILLIAM JOURNAL 9 JOURNAL FITZWILLIAM THE Fitzwilliam College Storey’s Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DG, UK Registered Charity No. 1137496 www.fitz.cam.ac.uk The Fitzwilliam Journal Ex antiquis et novissimis optima Volume XIV, No 6 2019 For all Students and Fellows, Past and Present The Master’s Letter 2 Contents College News 4 The Bursar’s Notes 12 The New Middle Combination Room 18 Fitzwilliam History – The Non-Collegiate Beginnings of Fitzwilliam 22 Fitzwilliam History Books 27 Library News 28 Chapel News 29 Master and Fellows of the College 31 Recent Elections and Appointments 34 Undergraduate Matriculation 39 Graduate Matriculation 40 The Senior Tutor’s Report 41 College Statistics 42 Academic Awards and Prizes 43 General Admission 47 Doctoral Dissertations Approved 48 The Junior Combination Room 49 The Middle Combination Room 51 Academic Societies 53 College Music and Drama 56 College Sport 62 Development Office News 69 Celebration of the 150th Anniversary 70 London Dinner 73 September Reunion Weekend 74 Graduate Alumni Gathering 78 Golden Matriculants’ Reunion 79 News of Members 80 In Memoriam 83 The Fitzwilliam Society 93 College Information 100 Cover photographs by the Editor, Dr J.R.A. Cleaver: R.B. Somerset, first Censor of Non-Collegiate Students The new Middle Combination Room 1 Fitzwilliam Journal the master’s letter It is convention for the Journal to summarise the past academic year but, having arrived at Fitzwilliam on 1 October, I would like to comment instead on my first term as Master. It has been a busy one and I can confirm Martin Bond what I was told in advance of my arrival – Fitzwilliam is indeed a special and welcoming College. I’ve been very impressed by the lively engagement of all of our members: current students, alumni, staff, and Fellows. The College has a diverse make-up and I think we derive a significant mutual benefit from having a wide range of people from all sorts of different backgrounds and geographies involved in our academic and community life. The map showing the home locations of this year’s cohort of new undergraduates demonstrates our reach around the UK, and is good to see. We have been joined this term by Research Fellow Dr Cléo Chassonnery- Zaïgouche and new Fellows Professor Giles Oldroyd, Professor Srinivasan Keshav, Dr Jean-Michel Johnston, Ms Stevie Martin, Dr Pedro Mendes Loureiro, Dr Christelle Abadie, Dr Sarah Kolopp, Dr Olenka Pevny and Dr Céline Vidal. Michaelmas Term has seen a range of excellent events that reflect this diversity and I have been particularly invigorated by some of the lectures and talks I have attended. A highlight for me was this year’s Foundation Lecture, delivered in November by Fitzwilliam College Fellow, Graduate Tutor and Director of Studies in Geography, Professor Bhaskar Vira. In a talk that ranged from the Fens to the Himalayas, Bhaskar shared his thoughts about the difficult choices that come with balancing the needs of humans and nature on a local and global level. In October there were flash talks by Fitzwilliam PhD students. These six-minute presentations from 11 current postgraduates ranged from semiconductor physics to Polar studies and the modern politics of West Bengal to brain science. The enthusiasm, intellect, and potential impact was thought-provoking and infectious; a great advert for Fitzwilliam’s large postgraduate cohort. Similarly, the Fellows’ Lecture Evening (an event we hold each term) featured presentations from two of our five Research Fellows: Dr Cora Uhlemann, whose research is in the field of Cosmology, and Dr Benedict Wiedemann, who is a Medieval Historian – again providing an evening that was stimulating and fun. The College motto ex antiquis et novissimis optima – the best of the old and the new – holds true. While we are firmly rooted in our values and our history, the College is moving forward. Fitzwilliam students flourish, achieving strong academic results. A total of 126 undergraduates were awarded Firsts this last summer – a record amount. 73% of our home Freshers are from state schools and 16% come from areas shown to be very deprived (according to the Multiple Index of Deprivation). Fitzwilliam is at the forefront of delivering on the University’s drive to widen access and, as the above statistics demonstrate, our commitment to widening participation goes hand in hand with academic success. We are also celebrating one of the highest-ever number of first-choice applications this year. We are confident that we can continue to encourage applications from a variety of backgrounds, accept a broad Where did first-year UK undergraduates come from in 2019? 2019 2 Martin Bond The Vice-Chancellor addresses the Access and Widening Participation Conference (p.7) group of students and help them succeed. There is more to do, of course, but this is a shared ambition at the College on which we make steady progress. I have been very impressed by the way that our Martin Bond undergraduate and postgraduate students thrive and take advantage of the array of wider opportunities available to them in College and throughout the University. This means that, although undeniably they work hard, they also make time to enjoy themselves and develop hugely. Whether through music or sport, drama or debating there are many students involved in driving for excellence or enjoying new activities. (I gather mixed netball can get a bit rough!) Michaelmas term also brings the 2018–2019 audited accounts, and we have had a successful year and are confident about the future of Fitzwilliam as we enter a new decade. Inevitably there are challenges ahead, including raising funds to refurbish student accommodation, investment in IT, and the provision of wider support services. These College financial pressures The Master at the Access and Widening Participation Conference need to be seen against a continuing backdrop of economic and political uncertainty. There are potential concerns in relation to future research funding, HE This is Dr John Cleaver’s final issue of the Fitzwilliam government funding, and the attraction of academics, Journal before he steps down as Editor. I would like to say a non-teaching staff, and students. The continuing dispute huge thank-you to John for his dedication – his first issue around the USS pension scheme is indicative of pressures as Editor was published in March 2005 (Volume XII, No 1) in the system which are both understandable and difficult and it has continued to develop substantially since then. to resolve. Talented academic staff are the bedrock of This is, of course, also the final year of Andrew Powell’s both Fitzwilliam and the University, and the competition tenure as Bursar. He will be much missed by me and by for talent is international. The College will continue to everyone at Fitzwilliam, and his is a hard act to follow. I play its part in explaining this, and in developing the next know I speak on behalf of all the College in expressing generation of graduates who are ready to help grapple heartfelt thanks to him. with national and global challenges. BARONESS (SALLY) MORGAN OF HUYTON 3 College COLLEGE NEWS The Master Fellow of the College since 1991, became a Life Fellow the October 2019 marks another transition in the Mastership, as next day. As is customary for former Masters, she also Baroness Sally Morgan succeeds Professor Nicola Padfield was elected to an Honorary Fellowship. She continues to become the ninth Master of Fitzwilliam College. as Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice at the Law Faculty, University of Cambridge, and has substantial *** research plans for the coming years, most notably into how the system for the release of prisoners from – and Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton, studied their recall to – prison works in practice, and how it is Geography at Durham University, and then completed perceived by offenders. This provides a contribution to postgraduate qualifications: a PGCE at King’s College the understanding of how offenders are best supported London, and an MA at The Institute of Education, in their attempts to desist from criminal life-styles, University of London. and how better to encourage the rehabilitation and resettlement of offenders. After teaching in London secondary schools, she entered politics. Between 1997 and 2005 she held senior positions Professor Padfield held a full series of Master’s Conversations at 10 Downing Street and was a Minister of State in the through the year, covering an extensive range of current Cabinet Office. Made a Life Peer in 2001, in the House of and controversial topics. To start the year, she discussed Lords she has chaired the Select Committee on Digital with Sarah Rainsford (MML 1992), BBC Correspondent Skills, and is a member of the Select Committee on Science for Russia, her book, Our Woman in Havana: Reporting and Technology. Castro’s Cuba (published in September 2018 by Oneworld). This was followed by the question Does protecting the A former Chair of Ofsted, she is Vice-Chair of the Council environment alleviate poverty?, with Professor Julia Jones of King’s College London, and advisor to the educational (Bangor University). charity ARK. Baroness Morgan brings deep experience of the educational sector, and of the particular challenges In the Lent term the conversations turned to more local, of widening participation. She is Chair of the Royal but no less intractable, current issues. The Vice-Chancellor, Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and has a Professor Stephen Toope, came in to discuss the nature range of board experience in business, charities and the and challenges of Leading a Global University, as well as his public sector. career in Canada and his previous role as a human-rights lawyer.