St John's College Alumni eNewsletter - July 2023
July 2023
St John's impact on broadening Oxford's undergraduate admissions
At St John’s we’re proud to have a thriving Inspire Programme that works to raise the attainment and aspirations of pupils aged 5 to 18 from the local community, our link regions and across the country. Last year, over 4000 pupils attended one of our in-school or virtual workshops or were welcomed to in-college visits, study days and summer schools.
Whilst our work isn’t limited to engaging those that might apply to St John’s or even to Oxford, we’re delighted that many of pupils do. In each year that the Inspire Programme has been running, more participants went on to study at Oxford than any other university.
In May 2023, the University published their 6th Annual Admissions Statistical Report summarising the undergraduate admissions data by region, disadvantage, school type, gender, ethnicity and disability. Included within this report are several breakdowns by subject and by college setting out where progress has been made and where there is still much work to be done.
College News
Kendrew Songwriting Competition: 2023 Winners
This year's winning song is "Don’t Hide" by Yvonne Ile (Jesus College). Second prize went to "Improbable Things" by Ashleigh Davies (2019, Engineering Science). The panel also gave an honourable mention to Leo Geyer (St Catherine's College) for "Blink."
Memorial Service for Professor Donald Russell
For those who were unable to attend the Memorial Service for Professor Donald Russell FBA (1920-2020) on Friday 14 April 2023 we are pleased to share this recording of the service. Professor Russell was the longest serving Tutorial Fellow in the history of the College.
Alumni News
Scholars' Library: Mark Abley on 'Strange Bewildering Time'
Organised by Rhodes House, we are delighted to share their monthly book talk series. For July's event, Mark Abley Yancy (1975, English) will discuss his book Strange Bewildering Time with Yan Chen (2019, Comparative Literature).
Can you help a St John's student visiting North America?
Two St John's students will be travelling across North America this summer and would like to connect with the College's alumni in the region. The students will be visiting Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Miami, Washington, San Diego, LA, Chicago and Toronto. If you can help please email us.
Meeting Minds Oxford September 2023
This year's Meeting Minds will run from 22-24 September. There is a wide variety of talks, tours and panels on offer including a talk from St John's President, Professor Dame Sue Black, on forensic anthropology and human identification.
‘Teasing Out Contingencies’ by Quilla Constance
Quilla Constance (1998, Fine Art), aka Jennifer Allen, most recent exhibition is now on show at The Higgins Bedford. The exhibition features new large-scale oil paintings and a costume-installation and will be available to visit until January 2024.
Events
College Society Dinner - SAVE THE DATE
Friday 15 September
Women's Network Dinner - SAVE THE DATE
Saturday 16 September
Professor Simon Whittaker's Retirement Lunch
Saturday 30 September 2023
Donald Russell Memorial Lecture
Thursday 19 October 2023
Alumni Carol Service - SAVE THE DATE
Saturday 9 December 2023
Alumni Publications
The Rt Revd Dr Lawrence Cross (1975, Modern History)
An Illusion of Division? (Bonfire Books, 2022)
Dr Mantha Zarmakoupi (2002, Archaeology)
Shaping Roman Landscape: Ecocritical Approaches to Architecture and Wall Paiting in Early Imperial Italy (J. Paul Getty Museum, 2023)
Alumni Guest Room Bookings
We are pleased to announce that we have improved our online booking system. Alumni can check availability, book and pay for rooms within Alumni House online. The new booking system is far more user-friendly and can be found on the Alumni Benefits page of our website.
To make a booking, you will need to enter a promotional code to identify yourself as an alumnus/a and this can be found in the monthly e-newsletter.
FAQ’s
Please click here to find answers to frequently asked questions, along with further details about the Alumni Guest Rooms.
TW Magazine
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- Read TW 2022 and other publications online.