The Edition A Review of 2016 Contents It is that combination of fun, friendliness and purpose that makes St Ed’s such a The Update special place. From the Master 2 From the Dean 4 From the Senior Tutor 5 From the Bursar 6 From the Development Office 7 Students News Academic Success 11 From the CR 12 Research Students’ Conference 14 Sports News 16 From the Master Fellows From the Von Hügel Institute 19 “A torrent” is probably the best way Fellows News 22 to describe the onset of the new New Fellows 24 academic year at St Ed’s. Nothing really prepares you for 1 October. Alumni On that day, over 260 new students Alumni News 29 – more than half the student body – Alumni Events 34 arrive from over 74 countries to start their studies at Cambridge. In a hectic two weeks we have to brief them, house them, badge them, photograph From the Faraday Institue 37 them, matriculate them, organise their A tribute to Sue Lowdell 38 supervisions, and get them off to lectures. The tutorial office, the CR and the College staff are at the forefront of coping with this deluge, but the energy that the new students bring washes through the entire College and invigorates everyone. It is a thrilling start to every year. As the floodwaters calm, more familiar features of the College re-emerge: the routines of tea trolley, hall, chapel, supervisions, graduation ceremonies, council, and governing body reassert themselves and remind us that there is an underlying order. One person who has played a signal role in establishing this order is Sue Lowdell, who worked in the Master’s office for 14 years. Sue organised her last inauguration See Matthew on YouTube: ceremony and retired in November. ‘St Edmund’s Cambridge’ There is more about Sue later in The Edition, she will be much missed. Looking into the future, the College’s ambitious building plans are now 2 THE EDITION From the Master complete and sit before the City’s Another critical part of this therefore paying more attention to Planning Committee for approval. To development activity relates to what preparing them for the interviews get them this far has required a huge we are doing now in the College and presentations that inevitably team effort, ably led by the Bursar, to and with our students. Last year we accompany future job application work through all the details of the particularly celebrated our Catholic processes in whatever fields they schemes. The plans are very exciting ethos, highlighting our faith-friendly choose. For those who are attracted and, once approved and built, will more outlook. As part of the centenary to the entrepreneurial life, we are than double the square footage of the celebrations for the College chapel, drawing on our contacts in the very College. we installed beautiful new front steps lively Cambridge technology economy and a sculpture of St Edmund. The to help them visualise what such a The first part – Mount Pleasant Halls, celebrations were crowned by the career might entail. The College itself as it is currently called - will add visits of Cardinal Archbishop Vincent is something of a role model in the around 150 graduate student rooms Nicholl and the Duke of Norfolk. It world of start-ups and rapid growth! and 30 flats for postdocs and younger was also in this faith-friendly vein that Our focus on entrepreneurship was fellows. While student numbers have we launched the first AC Randeree launched with a very successful evening and will continue to grow, the emphasis Scholarship to nurture British Muslim attended by students, fellows and of the new block is on housing all community leaders and public alumni, interested in exchanging ideas. students who wish to live in college. intellectuals – something which Anatole At the moment we can only meet von Hügel set out for St Edmund’s to Lastly, no start of year term would around half of this demand and, as do for the UK Catholic community be complete without Christmas property rents in Cambridge rise, this some 120 years earlier. dinners and pantomimes. We remain is becoming a more urgent need. the only college in Cambridge where The plans are very exciting the students’ dramatic efforts are The second part – the East Court, and ... will more than double matched by the fellows’ and doing this with a new dining hall, CR and research the square footage of the is as much a part of being in the St facilities – will be delivered in several College. Ed’s family as eating together in hall phases as soon as we can raise the or gathering around the tea trolley in money. There is more on these projects the CR. It is that combination of fun, later in The Edition. This part of the This year we are focusing on a friendliness and purpose that makes scheme will depend on the College theme of entrepreneurialism and our St Ed’s such a special place, and why raising donations of £20 million, and students’ future career choices. Many submitting to the start of year torrent to help us do this we have appointed a of our students aspire to progress is such a bracing and enjoyable ritual. full-time Development Director who their careers in the research world, will start early in 2017. She will build but many of those taking more applied Wherever you are reading this, I know on the fundraising and alumni relations subjects, such as law, medicine, land that being part of that torrent has work that we have successfully grown economy, business and finance, need to changed your life for the better. over the last five years. be thinking of life beyond Cambridge almost as soon as they arrive. We are Matthew Bullock THE EDITION 3 From the Dean The change to the Chapel entrance the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr Eamon Martin, who celebrated has made a remarkable difference Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. The Duke Mass for all our benefactors, past and not only to the Chapel itself, but of Norfolk, Earl Marshall of England present, and preached. also to the configuration of the and the senior Catholic layman in college buildings around the Chapel. the country, whose ancestor funded The second Chapel Centenary The new entrance has ‘lifted’ the the acquisition of the College, also Concert took place on in March, at Chapel’s physical and symbolic joined us, along with Viscount and Lady which Johanna Messner played Baroque profile in a way that couldn’t have Hailsham, (Douglas and Sarah Hogg), and Modern pieces for solo cello. The been envisaged. The illumination Mr Mark Brenninkmeyer, the former Chapel was the perfect setting for such after dark has served to enhance the chairman of the C&A clothing chain, Mr a performance, both acoustically and effect. The sculpture of St Edmund Urs Schwarzenbach, a Swiss financier, atmospherically. has also been of great interest who has shown great generosity to to visitors and is now a favourite many Catholic causes here and abroad, In April, we were treated to a concert location for photographs, especially and Ilyas and Mara Khan, the principal combined with a lecture and a poetry on graduation days. A plaque will funders of the Chapel Project. recital. Poems in English and Babylonian, soon be installed with information were sung and recited by Stef Conner about St Edmund and the sculptor. The new entrance has ‘lifted’ and Jennifer Sturdy, accompanied by Andy Lowings and Mark Harmer on The close of the Chapel’s Centenary the Chapel’s physical and a replica of the oldest extant stringed year coincided with the College’s symbolic profile instrument, the famous Golden Lyre principal annual celebration, the of Ur, found in the Royal Tombs of Ur Norfolk Commemoration and Earlier in the year, in February 2016, (Iraq) in 1929. Feast in May. We were honoured the Commemoration of Benefactors to have present the Papal Nuncio, was presided over by one of our most Guest preachers during the year have His Excellency, Archbishop Antonio distinguished alumni (MPhil, Education, included the Venerable Peter Townley, Mennini, the Pope’s personal 1998), the Archbishop of Armagh the Archdeacon of Pontefract from representative to Great Britain, and and All-Ireland, the Most Reverend the Church of England Diocese of 4 THE EDITION Wakefield; the Rev’d Dr Gabriel Everitt, a monk of Ampleforth and former headmaster of the school there; Fr Tony Currer, an English priest working at the Roman Curia in the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, with special responsibility for relations with the Anglican Communion and the World Methodist Confederation; and Fr Richard Ounsworth, a Dominican friar, who teaches scripture and New Testament Greek at Blackfriars, Oxford, a Permanent Private Hall of the University. Music in the Chapel has been given a shot in the arm by our (relatively) new Director of Chapel Music and Organist, Louisa Denby. Apart from directing the Chapel Choir, Louisa has set up the St Edmund’s Chapel Schola, which draws its members from the College and around the university. Its main raison d’etre will be to sing a full Latin Mass once a week during term-time, and to join with the Chapel Choir for special occasions. From the Senior Tutor Energy levels have once again chefs supply excellent meals: Gruyere Pontigny was a reminder soared as new and old students ice-cream anyone? Guest speakers and of the College’s connections arrive back in College after the the heady mix of a bright, curious and with other Edmundian summer vacation.