Downing 2010 cover opt b_Layout 1 - Downing College - University ...

DOWNING COLLEGE ASSOCIATIONHere ‘at home’ in the Lodge, it’s been another busy year. Jane has just returnedfrom a week being Vice-Presidential at the British Association for Dermatologymeeting, though the year has been a sad one for us with the death of her motherin the spring. Jessica is close to completing her MA at Goldsmith’s, begins aninternship in London next week and is tackling a very difficult job market inbetween times. It is a continuingly busy year for me. In February I gave the J.P.Flynn lecture at Yale University in honour of the memory of this eminentpsychologist. I became a member of the newly formed Independent ScientificCommittee on Drugs, chaired by Downing alumnus Professor David Nutt, whowas summarily dismissed as Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse ofDrugs for trying to provide the Government with independent, rather than policyconstrained,scientific information on the harms of addictive drugs. The rest ofmy summer will now be dominated by writing a renewal of my programme grantbefore the start of the new academic year, the success of which will be vital if myresearch is to continue. The signs are not good, however, for the buoyancy offunding for academic research over the next period. I was also delighted recentlyto hear the news that I have been awarded an Honorary D.Sc. degree by theUniversity of Birmingham, where I obtained my Ph.D. and despite having beenrather fully involved in the lively campus events of 1968. The degree ceremony islater this week and I am looking forward very much to visiting Birmingham again.Finally, my sincere thanks go to a most energetic President of the Association,Peter Thomson, to the Treasurer Norman Berger and, of course, to theHonorary Secretary John Hicks and the entire executive committee for all theirhard work. John will stand down as Honorary Secretary and Editor this yearand I am immensely grateful for his constant hard work both on behalf of theAssociation and for the good of the College. The Association’s support for ourstudents is vital and we greatly appreciate all that you do. I look forward toseeing many of you here at the Alumni day and Association dinner inSeptember and during the year ahead.Professor Barry Everitt Sc.D. F.Med.Sci. F.R.S.Master’s Lodge, July 2010T HE S ENIOR T UTOR WRITESThe pressures on higher education change over time. For the College at themoment this involves competition. We are competing for scarce financialresources with others who depend on State funding. We are competing to obtaincustomers for our conference business, which is vital to make up the shortfallarising from the reduction in State funding for the education of our students.15