The Record of Hertford College 2019-20
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MAGAZINE The Record of Hertford College 2019-20 College Hertford of The Record THE RECORD OF HERTFORD COLLEGE 2019-20 Hertford College Magazine 2019-20 Editor: Professor Ian McBride Sub-editor: Alicia Povey Design: www.dougdawson.co.uk Produced by: Development Office, Hertford College, Oxford OX1 3BW 01865 279428 | [email protected] | www.hertford.ox.ac.uk Hertford College Magazine is published for members and friends of the college. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily the official views of Hertford College. Hertford College is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1137527. CONTENTS CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE 4 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW 2019-20 6 HERTFORD HIGHLIGHTS 15 Principal Will Hutton’s Valediction – Professor Tony Wilson 16 Virtual John Donne Lecture 2020 – Susie Orbach 18 Law’s Power – Dr Kate Greasley 28 Before the Storm – Professor Martin Maiden 32 Ten Years as Hertford Dean – Professor Alison Woollard 36 Hertford Bookshelf 38 HERTFORD YEAR 43 The Hertford Society – Graham Jones, Secretary of the Hertford Society 44 Academic Office – Lynn Featherstone, Registrar & Director of Admissions 48 The Bursary – Jamie Clark, Bursar 52 The Library – Emma Smith, Fellow Librarian 54 College Archives – Dr Lucy Rutherford, Archivist 56 Chapel – Mia Smith, College Chaplain 60 Development – Frances Wheare, Director of Development 64 Subjects and Research 68 Student Life 102 JCR Annual Report – Rebecca Simpson (2018) 104 MCR Annual Report – Samuel East (2018) 106 Music – Nathan De Giorgi (2018) 108 Politics And Economics Society – George Priestley (2018) 109 Sport – Sofia Baldelli (2018) 110 Environment and Ethics – Laura Watson (2019) 113 Arts – Eve Dickie (2018) 114 AFTER HERTFORD 115 Hashim & Family Shahnaz Ashan (2006) 116 The Black Peril ‘Quarantour’ – Soweto Kinch (1996) 120 Alumni Announcements 124 Obituaries 126 2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 3 EDITOR’S NOTE This has been an extraordinarily difficult year. The following pages reveal some of the many ways in which the fellows, staff and students of Hertford have kept calm and carried on. The editor would like to thank all those who have helped put together this issue, especially Olga Batty, Alicia Povey and everyone in the Development Office team. PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW 2019-20 Will Hutton writes: he shelves in my office have role of stressing the need for caution in been emptied of books and the the University’s plans. One member of Tremoval men have descended our COVID-19 group joked I must have on the wonderful Principal’s flat with sounded like Cato the Elder with my its breathtaking views over Radcliffe repeated warnings that face-to-face Square. This, my final review of the year teaching was never likely to succeed. The (and the nine before), comes in the experience of Trinity Term proves that, 100th edition of the Hertford Magazine. pedagogically, online teaching should This anniversary, 2020 and my 70th never be considered second best. The birthday all align to bring my very happy real problem, as everyone knows, is and fulfilling years at Hertford – filled that it’s the entire Oxford experience with bike rides, Hertford Conversations, that the virus is extinguishing – from innumerable Principal’s Collections and the Union to the River, from the College High Table dinners – to a close. Thanks Bar to the Chapel Choir. to so many of you who have shared If those are Oxford’s eternal verities, such generous messages about what what has changed over the last nine the college has achieved under my years? There are three broad clusters of leadership, and how you feel about me. activity where I detect real change. The Believe me, I return the affection to you first is the commitment to innovation. – with interest. Hertford is a very special I recall my very first heads of house place. meeting with the then Vice-Chancellor Of course, this academic year in 2011, when it was proudly announced will always be remembered as the that two innovation officers would year COVID began. Michaelmas and be recruited. My ears pricked up. Six Hilary seem like dreams. Did we really months earlier I had co-founded a welcome the freshers at a 120-strong think tank, the Big Innovation Centre, dinner last October, and hold a lecture and become an apostle of Open series on the Constitutional Crisis Innovation, the transformative impact without a thought of social distancing? of General Purpose Technologies and Then, students could move freely in the urgent need for universities like and between colleges, and the idea of Oxford to reproduce the high-tech giving a tutorial in a face mask would revolution spearheaded in the US by its have seemed risible. Now it is the new universities. normal. What would the criteria be for their It’s been a surreal way to finish my selection, I asked, and what were the Principalship: round after round of Zoom markers for success? Could Oxford calls, and playing the unaccustomed rebalance the UK economy in the 6 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW 2019-20 | Hertford College Magazine | 7 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW wake of the financial crisis, and look ideas that could become start-ups. for business partners to transform This has now become All Innovate, a emergent ideas into high-tech goods pan-University scheme. We have also and services, from medicines to become one of the hot spots for the robots? I was firmly rebuked. Oxford study of Computer Sience and Artificial had no such responsibility or aim. The Intelligence and, with the arrival of our University certainly welcomed financial new Philosophy Fellow, Carissa Véliz, contributions from business, but within the accompanying ethical issues. very strict terms: business must support The second area is access. We all pure academic research, untroubled by know Hertford’s proud record with the commercial applications. Afterwards Tanner Scheme, but when I arrived just only one head of house said she 59% of our offer-holders were from supported what I had said. state schools – certainly above the That exchange would be impossible University average of 55%, but nothing now. Professor Ian Walmsely and particularly special to boast about. Professor Chas Bountra have led a Neither Hertford nor Oxford could transformation as successive Pro Vice- really say we were scouring Britain for Chancellors of Innovation, supported the very best. I leave with Hertford’s by an extraordinary culture change. Our figure at 81%, and the University’s at academics view start-up companies as 68%. Has academic excellence been a badge of success, and see no clash compromised, as some of the old guard between academic research and real- in the big-name colleges darkly warned? world applications; indeed, they actively Hardly. This year more than half our welcome the possibility . The University’s finalists achieved firsts, putting us in the achievements are spectacular. Over Norrington Top Ten. the last two years we have had more For Hertford this commitment has start-ups and pulled in more research always been in our DNA. I was lucky funding than any other university. We that the 50-year anniversary of the have three so-called unicorns and OSI launch of the Tanner Scheme fell in my (Oxford Science Innovation) is a £600 Principalship in 2014, so that fellows, million fund to support Oxford start- lecturers, the academic office and ups, one of the largest in any global alumni were all put on their mettle to university. make the Hertford tradition thrive. We The ambition is huge, and the deal now keep a firm track on our annual that the University’s Jenner Institute access metrics, reporting applications, struck with Astra Zeneca to mass offers and acceptances by subject area produce a COVID-19 vaccine is not and school to our Governing Body. Every an one-off: it is part of an innovation fellow knows their admission decisions ecosystem that now has global – and students’ subsequent academic standing. Hertford has played its part performance – will be reviewed by their by convening conferences, speaking for peers. This coming academic year we, the cause, and signalling that we are jointly with Balliol and Wadham, plan innovation friendly. At least half a dozen to report them formally in a publicly of our fellows are involved in start-ups, available document, independently not to mention some students, and it audited and reviewed, as part of our was Hertford, Pembroke and Wolfson joint access initiatives in the East of who launched Tri-Innovate back in 2015, England. a student competition for innovative Our message is to apply to Hertford 8 | Hertford College Magazine | 2019-20 PRINCIPAL’S REVIEW if you are academically able. As far as I know Hertford offers more beds than any other college to Oxford’s My friend of UNIQ summer school, where potential applicants can sample the Oxford 30 years, Alan student experience. We have some 100 Rusbridger, Principal fully trained student ambassadors who visit schools to spread the message, of Lady Margaret and we have greatly strengthened our Hall, introduced a access and communications capacity. foundation year to give Dr Kathryn Boast, a new appointment made possible thanks to the generous disadvantaged students support of an anonymous donor, with ‘near miss’ results specialises in recruiting candidates, particularly women, in STEM subjects. the opportunity to take Nathan Stazicker combines schools dedicated exams that outreach work with great social media content. They are steadily increasing would qualify them for student interest in Hertford, and last Oxford entrance. year over 3,000 young people were touched by our efforts. We are delighted that, partly as a result of our outreach work, around 650 applied to us directly. It’s only fair to acknowledge that the University has been making great have become steadily more concerned strides as well.