Regent's Now Magazine 2019 WEB

Dr Stephen McGlynn, Director of Operations
REGENT’S NOW COLLEGE LIFE
Building a Regent’s
for the Future
This summer, I had the pleasure of seeing my first
cohort of fresher undergraduates finish their Finals
and return - for their first alumni event - to graduate
in September. A month later, I found myself dressed
in sub-fusc, bowing before the Vice Chancellor in the
Sheldonian Theatre, asking (in Latin, of course!) that
our students be matriculated.
Witnessing the Oxford ‘circle of life’ has offered a time
not only to reflect on the changes that the College has
experienced over the past few years, but also to look
to the future, and consider how our students can stay
engaged with Regent’s once they finish.
Investing in Refurbishment
The most prominent recent changes for me are those
to our buildings and fabric, which have benefited
from significant investment over the past five years.
We have kick-started a rolling refurbishment of our
student accommodation and have made some of the
‘tired’ communal spaces more fresh and modern,
refurbishing the Main Block kitchenettes and creating
four new private bathrooms in the Vinson corridor.
The College kitchen equipment has been completely
renewed and, thanks to a timely gift from an alumnus,
the Hall tables have been sanded and stained.
Perhaps the most long-awaited development has been
that of the ‘Gould Doorway’, a new doorway by the JCR
staircase, linking Main Block and the Quad through
to the Angus and Gould blocks. While several old
members may miss the days of having to climb through
the window, I am most grateful for the generous
donation that made this possible, especially now that I
don’t have to run quite so far if the fire alarm sounds!
The College Library and the Chapel have both
benefited from new facilities and redecoration – only
the beginning, in fact, of what we have planned for
these spaces.
Much-Needed Space for
Our Growing Community
In the longer term, we have ambitious plans to develop
our estate, and our much healthier operating financial
performance has allowed us to move forward with
these as real possibilities. We are currently in the
planning stages for the development of graduate
accommodation at a property on Banbury Road, and
are in the feasibility stages of exploring mansard
extensions to the main site. These developments will
allow us to offer much needed space, incorporating
The annual Christingle service in the newly refurbished chapel
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