Undergraduate Student Guide 2012-2013 - Selwyn College ...

12. SELWYN COLLEGE: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
12.1 THE PAST
Selwyn College was founded in memory of George Augustus Selwyn, a remarkable bishop who
personified both the reformed parochial churchmanship of the earlier Victorian age and the finest colonial
missionary endeavour of a later time.
Selwyn, born in 1809, became a Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge in 1827. In 1833 he was ordained
deacon and in 1841, at the age of 32, he was offered the Bishopric of New Zealand. The copious
achievements of Selwyn’s New Zealand episcopate were the fruits of athleticism (including skilled
horsemanship), physical courage and endurance, soldierly self-discipline, and a grand order of pastoral
flair and insight. In 1868 he became the Bishop of Lichfield, where he died in 1878. A memorial
committee was formed to set a fitting tribute to this remarkable man and to recommend:
“That the foundation of a College at Cambridge, to be called the ‘SELWYN COLLEGE’, be submitted to
the Church at large, as a worthy object by which to perpetuate the noble name and labours of the late
Bishop of Lichfield; such College to include provision for the education of the sons of Clergymen and
others, to fill posts of Missionary work whether at home or abroad.”
Selwyn College was founded by Royal Charter in 1882. It attained full collegiate status in the University
in 1957. Over the last fifty years, the profile of Selwyn has evolved (particularly with the admission of
women in 1976) to that of a typical college.
12.2 THE PRESENT
One of the abiding strengths of the Cambridge system is its colleges. Cambridge colleges provide a
unique living and learning environment, which allows the development of fellowship and community
spirit and stimulates intellectual interaction across disciplines. At Selwyn, men and women from all
backgrounds live and study together within an environment which encourages academic achievement,
provides pastoral care and nurtures lifelong friendships.
In the next few years, the West Cambridge and North West Cambridge developments will form a truly
new balance for the University as a whole and will place Selwyn at its geographic core. It will create a
massive concentration of science and technology Faculties spread over 60 hectares in partnership with
some of the world’s major technology companies. These will form the University’s largest ever building
developments over the next 25 to 30 years and their aim is to provide modern research and teaching
facilities for the 21 st Century.
12.3 THE FUTURE
12.3.1 Selwyn College Association
All alumni of the College automatically become members of the Selwyn College Alumni Association
whose aim is to involve alumni in the life of the College. The Alumni Association is run by a committee
comprising alumni and Fellows, and administrative support is provided by the Development & Alumni
Relations Office. The Alumni Association holds an annual dinner and AGM in September, and members
of the Committee are encouraged to attend other events and reunions organized by the Development &
Alumni Relations Office to offer their support and feedback.
12.3.2 The Development & Alumni Relations Office
The focus of the office is to build relations with alumni and encourage them to become more involved
with the College. This takes many forms, from phone calls, emails, letters, meetings, and establishing
Year Group representatives, to organizing reunions, careers events and donor recognition events, which
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