University College Oxford Record 2020

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT
DIRECTOR
When I wrote my entry for the
2019 Record, I had only been
at Univ for a few months. My
opening paragraph read, “Univ
feels like home and I couldn’t
be happier.” This remains very
true, though it has been quite a
year. Sadly, it is a home that I have
visited just three times since March.
In those months we have been running
the Development Office remotely.
Most of the post has been printed and sent
from my landing, using my frustrating, one-sided
home printer, and I am on first name terms with
my village post office. They are bemused by the
far-flung destinations of my cards, letters, and
packages. If you have phoned the office you might
have had your call answered by Alex, or his very
patient partner Charlotte. Charlotte is actually a
JRF at Exeter – I have been amused, and gratified,
to hear her answer the phone “Hello, Univ
Development Office.” They have been valiantly
covering all the office phones from their home.
I am appreciative too, of the wider community
for their patience as we establish new work
practices, and grateful to my team who have
been heroic in establishing new ways of working
and communicating with our Old Members.
The Development Office has tried its best to
continue its work during the lockdown. We have
cancelled or postponed a large number of events
in the UK and the US; most notably the Master’s
leaving weekend has been postponed until July
2021. We have also tested the water with virtual
events, though we are aware that a lot of people
probably spend too much time in front of their
computers at the moment. The virtual William
of Durham Day and the panel event “Looking
to the Future” both received positive feedback.
From September we hope to
arrange dual events. By this I mean
that they will either be available
virtually or both physically and
virtually. Therefore, you will be
able to save these dates in your
diary, knowing that if it is not safe
to attend, the event will continue
online, and you can attend from the
safety of your home.
Some colleges have arranged virtual
Gaudies – we, however, have felt that these
weekends were special because they allowed Old
Members to reconnect properly with classmates.
We do not believe that this can be replicated
online. So instead we have chosen to postpone
and shuffle upcoming Gaudies. This is disruptive
for us all, but we think the Gaudies will be better
for it, and we would ask you to bear with us as
things are re-arranged.
In the last year we organised, often with the
generous support of volunteers, 56 events (of
which 22 were impacted by COVID-19) for
1,111 Old Members and their guests. Eleven of
these were outside the UK and two were virtual.
Ultimately, like everyone in the world, we have
been forced to make quick and unprecedented
decisions. With the benefit of hindsight, there are
some things that we might have done differently,
but generally I think we have responded well.
Other than COVID-19 there have been two
very major and notable milestones this year in the
history of Univ. The first is the retirement of Sir
Ivor Crewe after twelve years as Master. Both Ivor
and Jill are members of the William of Durham
Club and are looking forward to remaining active
parts of the wider College community. They will
be very much missed, though, for their leadership,
companionship, and vision. We are delighted to
50 University College Record | October 2020