2013 Annual Report - Jesus College - University of Cambridge

MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER I Jesus College Annual Report 2013 5
Message from the Master
Ian White
“This feeling of ancient seclusion [in Jesus College] is
preserved today by the great open spaces of Butts Green,
Jesus Green and Midsummer Common, which shield
the College on three sides from the menace of
Cambridge suburbs ranged round in solid phalanx…”,
Country Life, 1928
Frequently over the past year, my attention has been
drawn to the beauty of Jesus College and the impact
that this has, not only on the collegiality of its members,
but also on the impression it makes on visitors and the
relationships forged as a result. I have been struck how
similar comments are made by those in very different
spheres and stages of life, and not only by Jesuans. Over
the past weekend, for example, I have heard senior visitors from overseas who hold major
national roles describing how conducive the environment is to discussing major issues,
and children from schools in inner London describing how inspired they have been by the
College as they have learnt about new subjects. Benefitting from the hard work and
expertise of those maintaining the buildings, looking after the gardens and providing
excellent hospitality, the beauty of the College, for many, creates an environment where
ideas can be exchanged more readily, and solutions or opportunities sought with a sense
of common purpose. For many, of course, the key feature of Collegiate Cambridge is that
the colleges provide that secure and special place where students can be stretched and
stretch themselves, follow their aspirations and achieve goals which they had not
previously felt possible.
This year of course, we are delighted by how the refurbished Chapel and Marshall Courts
have enhanced the College. The new accommodation for students has been greatly
welcomed and I have no doubt that it will help current and future cohorts of students to
thrive and excel in the coming years. Our commitment to providing important facilities
continues with great focus now being placed on the potential opportunity to acquire the
Wesley House site which could provide dedicated space for collective intellectual activities,
for meetings, collaborative project work, a hub for our ever-growing graduate community
and for hosting visitors, all areas in which the College’s provision is currently limited. I am
particularly grateful to those who have given and indeed continue to contribute to the costs
involved in the upkeep and enhancement of our buildings for the benefit of the wider
College community. It is greatly appreciated.
Indeed our students have thrived over the past year. Their performance at Tripos has
again been excellent, the College moving up to 6th place in the Tompkins League Table,
and a record number of our finalists being awarded first class degrees. This was matched
by the performance of our graduate students who also contributed so much to the life of
the College. For the second time this year, we invited certain local Cambridge alumni of the
College to the Graduate Conference and I believe that we all enjoyed the diversity of what
was presented, from a talk by a PhD student on doing origami with individual DNA
molecules to a fascinating account of the “killing fields trial” in Cambodia, from an MPhil
student, who until recently was based there in the Australian Embassy.