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October 2022

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News

We are Sports University of the Year

Durham University has been named Sports University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

As a member of our alumni community you’ll know that sport is at the core of Durham student life, with a huge range of sporting opportunities available at both a recreational and elite level. Our college sport programme is the largest in the UK with over 700 teams across 18 sports.

This achievement demonstrates our commitment to providing an outstanding student experience and to giving students access to the widest range of opportunities. Sport at Durham inspires the extraordinary.

Fond farewell to Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Antony Long has been associated with Durham University for almost 40 years, having been a student here from 1985.

He has twice served as head of our Geography Department and has been Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost since November 2016. He served as Acting Vice-Chancellor and Warden from August 2021 until January 2022.

Professor Antony Long will retire on December 31, 2022.

Tour of Britain welcomed to St Mary’s College

St Mary's College hosted the start of Stage 3 of the UK’s most prestigious cycle race, the AJ Bell Tour of Britain, this week.

Over 100 of the world’s top professional cyclists assembled in the beautiful grounds of St Mary’s College for the Tour’s first Stage in England. After leaving St Mary’s, the Tour headed out towards the North Pennines before heading back through County Durham and then on to Sunderland.

His Majesty Charles III

We offer our warmest wishes to His Majesty King Charles III for a long and successful reign.

We are proud to have close associations with His Majesty. It was our pleasure to award him an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law in 1998 and, more recently in 2018, to welcome him to the University to unveil a commemorative plaque in honour of his ancestor Dame Elizabeth Bowes.

The University recently paid tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, who also had numerous links with Durham, following her death early in September.

Durham BFI Partnership

Earlier this year we were thrilled to announce our creative partnership with the BFI. Launching the partnership, we were delighted to offer students and staff access to the BFI Player streaming service showing critically acclaimed classic, cult and archive films.

We have also enjoyed a flurry of activity with the BFI Careers Week, student placement at the BFI, support for Durham Film Festival, Chinese Film Week and Queer Film Week, and the Year Abroad film competition.

Events

Convocation & Dunelm Society Dinner

Convocation
Thursday 13 October 2022, 5.30pm (GMT)
Combined In-person and virtual event
Convocation is the annual meeting of alumni. We hear from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen O'Brien, on the past year and a view to the future along with the opportunity to ask your questions. Everyone is welcome to join and this year you can join us in person or online so you can participate from wherever you are in the world.

Dunelm Society Dinner
Thursday 13 October 2022, 7pm (BST)
This year’s venue for the Dunelm Society Dinner in London is a spectacular eighteenth-century hidden gem in the City. Built in 1735, Armoury House, is the headquarters of the Honourable Artillery Company Regiment. We will dine in the magnificent Long Room which is hung with an array of portraits and flags on beautiful wood-panelled walls.

Upcoming Events

Durham Inspired: Live - Mental Health Awareness Interactive Workshop 'Explore the Interrelationship between Mind & Body' (Virtual)
Monday 10 October 2022, 6.30-7.30pm (BST)
In recognition of World Mental Health Day, join us for this 1-hour interactive mindfulness workshop. Using Stephen Porges ‘Polyvagal Theory’ and somatic practices we delve into finding ways to alter the autonomic nervous system.

When the Dust Settles: Lessons from Turbulent Times (Durham Alumni Energy Chapter Event)
Tuesday 11 October 2022, 6 - 7.30pm (BST)
Alumni and friends are invited to join the Chapter for their next event with guest speaker, Professor Lucy Easthope. Professor Easthope is a Professor in Practice at Durham University's Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience and author of the Sunday Times bestseller When The Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster.

50 Years of Collingwood Reunion Dinner, 1972-1983
Saturday 15 October 2022
Collingwood’s 50th Golden Anniversary will take place over the course of the academic year 2022-23. We will be celebrating the deep and lasting sense of friendship and community that so many of you will recognise and treasure. The Class of 1972-1983* are invited to join us for a reunion dinner in college on 15 October 2022. Tickets are £40 each and include a drinks reception and a three-course meal.

Black History Month at Durham BFI Film Club - The Harder They Come with Host Dr Kenny Monrose
Wednesday 19th October 2022, 5-6pm (BST)

Dr Kenny Monrose is lead researcher on the Black British Voices Project and author of Black men in Britain: an ethnographic portrait of the post-Windrush generation. He will host a special event centred around Perry Henzell’s classic crime drama The Harder They Come, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. If you would like to watch the film in advance, you can do so through the BFI Player. A free 14-day trial is available.
Event registration here.

Durham Inspired: Live - Can Perpetrators Change? (Virtual)
Thursday 20 October 2022, 6-7pm (BST)
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we welcome Nicole Westmarland, Professor of Criminology and Director of the Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse.
During this virtual talk she will present her award-winning research on domestic abuse perpetrators, looking at why some people use violence and abuse against the people they say they love, and what works in terms of changing their behaviour.

Evening Reception in Kuala Lumpur with Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien
Monday 31 October 2022 from 7pm
It is our great pleasure to invite you to join our new Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien, senior Durham University colleagues, and fellow alumni and friends, for an evening reception on Monday 31 October 2022, from 7pm.

Transferable skills with Phil de Glanville, former England Rugby Captain
Tuesday 1 November 2022, 6.30 - 7.30pm (BST)
During this informative virtual event, Phil de Glanville, former Bath Rugby and England Rugby captain and Director of Hanover Fox, will discuss transferable skills. He will share his own journey across five different sectors in his career, including professional rugby. Discussing what core skills are needed in any job, and how can you prepare to move into new sectors during your career.

Evening Reception and Lecture in Singapore with Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen O'Brien and Professor Petra Minnerop - The Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement and COP27
Friday 4 November 2022 from 7pm
We invite you to join our new Vice-Chancellor and Warden Professor Karen O’Brien, Professor of International Law Petra Minnerop, senior Durham University colleagues, and fellow alumni and friends, for an evening reception and lecture on Friday 4 November 2022, from 7pm in Singapore.

Evening Reception in Tokyo with Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien
Sunday 6 November 2022 from 7pm
It is our great pleasure to invite you to join our new Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O'Brien, senior Durham University colleagues, and fellow alumni and friends, for an evening reception on Sunday 6 November 2022, from 7pm.

Celebrate Ogden at 20
Wednesday 30 November
To celebrate the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics' 20th birthday, we are planning a series of special events on 30 November 2022. There will be an open day at the Ogden Centre, with exhibits on cosmology and particle physics.
In the afternoon we will unveil a sculpture, host a lecture by 2019 Physics Nobel Laureate Professor Jim Peebles, then hold a mini-symposium on 'Five key questions about the Universe' (the lecture and the symposium will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person).

50 Years of Collingwood Reunion Dinners
November 2022 – April 2023
Collingwood’s 50th Golden Anniversary will take place over the course of the academic year 2022-23. We will be celebrating the deep and lasting sense of friendship and community that so many of you will recognise and treasure. Each Class are invited to join us for a reunion dinner in college between November 2022 and April 2023. Tickets are £40 each and include a drinks reception and a three-course meal.

View all upcoming events

Check our events pages regularly for all of the upcoming alumni events across the world.

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Alumni

Alumni News

Look out for your digital copy of Dunelm magazine
We are sure you agree that we all have a part to play in achieving environmental sustainability, and here at Durham, we are making significant progress in this area. To this end, we are keeping in touch with our Alumni Community increasingly more by email which helps us communicate with each other more frequently and in a much more sustainable way. Your digital copy of your Dunelm alumni magazine will be with you shortly via email. If you would like a printed copy, just let us know and we can send one out to you.

Class Notes

Oliver Hamlet (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Van Mildert, 2013-16) has been awarded a Kennedy Scholarship to undertake the Master of Public Policy programme at the Harvard Kennedy School in the 2022-23 academic year. After graduating, he was a strategy consultant before joining the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as a Government Advisor.

Bex Lindsay (Law, St John's, 2005-08) was awarded Silver Medal in the BullsEye Award category of the British Podcast Awards for Getting Emotional; a podcast about obscure emotions you may have felt, but had no idea there was a name for. Each week we'll focus on a different feeling or notion and talk to guests who can tell us more about where they came from, and if they've felt them too.

Student James Nugent is taking part in the Finland Ironman challenge (a 2.4-mile swim through 18-degree waters, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a full 26.2-mile marathon) to raise funds for a community in Lusaka, Zambia. The money will help local communities through sport by providing equipment, and feed children in an orphanage.

Professor Fuschia Sirois (Department of Psychology), has distilled her game-changing insights into a new book to help procrastinators understand the issue, and how to tackle it. ‘Procrastination: What it is, why it’s a problem and what you can do about it’, is published by the prestigious American Psychological Association, and offers evidence-based hope for anyone who finds that procrastination is negatively impacting on their life.

Henry Timms (History, Collingwood College 1995-98) received his Honorary Dr of Letter at this summer’s Congregation. He is the President and CEO of the Lincoln Centre of Performing Arts in New York, and founder of ‘Giving Tuesday’, which has so far raised over $7m for good causes. He follows his Durham housemate, Jon Boden (Medieval Studies, Collingwood College 1995-98), who was awarded his Honorary Dr of Music in the last Summer Congregation in 2019.

Colleges

St Cuthbert's Society

For the first time in three years, St Cuthbert’s Society was able to hold its annual Alumni weekend at the start of September. Around forty alumni came together to discuss how Durham and the Society have changed over the years. Highlights of the weekend included a tour of the Bailey and Cuth’s new multi-purpose space at Brooks house. The display of college memorabilia proved popular, with many pieces inspiring elaborate tales and explanations.

St John's College

St John’s College was delighted to welcome alumni back for two Five Year Reunions, one of which was long-awaited as it had been postponed due to the pandemic. We are also looking forward to celebrating our SCR’s Golden Jubilee this month with our alumni and friends.

St John's College

Our new blog We Met at John’s’ celebrates next year’s anniversary through tales of how partners have met in the 50 years since we started to admit women as undergraduates.
We have also been delighted to hear from our students who have benefitted from our Student Opportunities Fund, whether through academic development or extracurricular enrichment.

Stephenson College

Stephenson College hosted the International Futures Youth Summit in September 2022. It was a fantastic opportunity to invigorate the policy debate on the purpose, practice and funding of international youth mobility. Keynote speakers included Agnieszka Parol-Górna, Coordinator of the European Youth Capital 2023 in Lublin, Poland and Julie Ward, campaigner and former MEP.

University College

On 15th November we will be bringing the Durham Castle 950th Anniversary celebrations to London! Join Professor Wendy Powers, College Principal, for an informal evening gathering and an opportunity to reconnect with other Castle alumni at London’s Clothworkers’ Hall.

Book now

Departments

Postgraduate Open Days

Interested in postgraduate study at Durham? With options for taught and research Masters, as well as PhD, our Open Days are the best way to find out more. With the choice to attend in person or online, book your place now.

Postgraduate Open Day: 23rd November 2022
Online: 28th November – 4th December 2022

Alumni Fee Scholarship

Don’t forget about the alumni discount available on postgraduate courses!

Department of Biosciences

A Ukrainian teenager who has been studying in Britain scored four A's at A-level and was accepted into Durham University while his father fights on the front line in his home country.

Zorian Tytych, 18, aced all four of his A-levels in Physics, Maths, Biology and Chemistry and will study Biological Sciences from September.

Business School Chaplaincy Network

Our Chaplaincy Network has been accepted to join the Inter Faith Network for the UK - this achievement affirms work over recent years to develop a diverse chaplaincy team serving students and staff of all faiths, beliefs and worldviews.

It will enable the Chaplaincy Network to raise the profile of its interfaith work here at Durham and connect it to a national network of faith communities and academic/educational bodies engaged in interfaith dialogue.

Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience

We hold an annual conference every year, which runs in conjunction with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. Dates this year are 12th & 13th October 2022, Ustinov Room, Van Mildert College and via Zoom.

Speakers are David Shukman, former science editor for BBC News, Colin McQuistan, Practical Action and Apiniti Jotisankasa, Kasetsart University, Thailand.

Libraries and Collections, new exhibition: There Was Light: Amunhotep III and his Dazzling Age

Using the collections of the Oriental Museum, this exhibition focuses on pharaoh Tutankhamun’s family, particularly his father and grandfather, together with the courtiers who surrounded them.

The new exhibition explores the dazzling age of the boy king.

Libraries and Collections, new exhibition: Guardians of the Silk Road's Heritage

Showcasing the work of the professional artists and craftswomen who preserve and transfer traditional knowledge and skills, adapting them for new audiences and popularising Central Asian folk art.

Alongside photographs of the women practicing a variety of traditional craft techniques will be examples of their textile work.

Durham Book Festival

We are once again looking forward to partnering with the annual Durham Book Festival, set to take place from 13 – 16 October.

This year’s Festival includes bestselling writers, such as Alexander McCall Smith, home-grown talent such as Fiona Hill, as well as leading thinkers discussing their work, alongside new films, commissions and Workshops to enjoy.

Get Involved

Netherlands Alumni Chapter Launch

We were excited to launch the Netherlands Alumni Chapter in the Hague last month. Chapter Lead Sebastian Marland said “It was wonderful to meet everyone and start this community. I started the chapter because I wanted to bring the magic of Durham to the Netherlands and enable Durham graduates to find like-minded people to chat with and have a wonderful time.”
Interested in connecting with alumni in your local city or want to find out about starting your own alumni chapter?

Get involved

Dunelm Days

A global celebration bringing together Durham alumni, supporters, friends and family.
Organised by Durham graduates around the world, in-person and online events will take place throughout November 2022.
Get involved with the fun by either organising or attending in-person or online events near you!

Get involved

Durham Venture School

The second cohort of the Durham Venture School (DVS) got off to a great start at the end of August. DVS is a six-month enterprise accelerator programme that aims to help break down the barriers faced by those wanting to pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
A major element of the programme is the involvement of the Durham alumni community; they provide support as mentors, workshop presenters and guests in our ‘meet the entrepreneur’ sessions. They add a huge amount to the programme and provide a source of inspiration to the cohort - we couldn’t do it without their continued commitment and support.

Get involved

DUBS MBA Mentoring Scheme

Are you a Durham MBA alumna/us who had their life transformed by the programme and now would like to share their experience with the new cohort of MBA candidates? The mentoring scheme is a cornerstone of the MBA programme at Durham University Business School, and we are looking for new mentors to join the current exceptional group of alumni. We match one student to one mentor, and the commitment is to meet every 6 weeks (online or in person).

Get involved

Spring Congregation 2023

Graduation is one of the largest events on the University calendar.
Are you interested in joining other alumni and DARO staff members on the alumni stand at Congregation this Winter, January 5 and 6 2023 to welcome new graduates into our alumni community?

Get involved

BA English Literature Alumni Case Studies

The Careers Advisers at Durham support students and graduates across all disciplines to provide enhanced careers support.

We are currently collating a series of individual case studies to support new and current students in exploring future career options.

If you are a graduate of BA English Literature and interested in writing a short case study, please e-mail using the link below.

Get involved

Retail

Gifts from Durham University Retail Office

Here at the Retail Office, we strive to provide staff, students and alumni with the best possible merchandise, to commemorate their time here at Durham. With stock ranging from stationery and jewellery to clothing and glassware, there is sure to be something that will take your fancy.

Shop now

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