January 2022
On behalf of Ustinov College, we would like to wish you a very happy 2022! The New Year is a time of celebration, resolutions, and renewal, and this year is no different. Ustinov College has a proud legacy of postgraduate student development, and we would like to renew this commitment to our students in 2022—both past and present.
COVID-19 has impacted Ustinovians here and across the world, as in-person events were cancelled in favour of virtual learning and social activities. The start of the 2021-2022 academic year saw the reintroduction of face-to-face and hybrid events. These included the 100th anniversary celebration of the Neville’s Cross College Association held at Neville House, our Halloween and Christmas family parties, an Induction and Christmas formal organised by the GCR at the Hub, and a number of GCP events such as The Equation of the Universe (Café Scientifique, Seminar and Conference) and Posada Mexicana: a Christmas celebration (Ustinov Intercultural Forum).
As restrictions were reintroduced at the University, our adaptable postgraduate community took them in stride, moving to virtual and small scale events. We hope you join us for the upcoming online event ‘Cantando viene’ A Book about Living Tradition on January 28th from 18:30-19:30.
https://www.eventbrite.es/e/entradas-cantando-viene-a-book-about-a-living-tradition-249200434207
The latest issue of the Ustinovian, which featured the theme ‘Celebration’, is now available! https://issuu.com/ustinovcollege/docs/6471_the_ustinovian_210x297_digital
Our scholarly publication, Pantomath, is currently accepting expressions of interest for our next edition. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with some information about your interests by emailing us at ustinov.publication@durham.ac.uk
As always, we love to hear from our alumni. If you would like to reconnect with your College community, you can get in touch with us by emailing ustinov.alumni@durham.ac.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Past News from Ustinov College
July 2021
What’s coming up at Ustinov College?
We have a range of amazing events and activities taking place so why not find out how you can get involved with life at Ustinov in 2021?
Graduate Common Room update – Summer BBQ 2021
It's been an unusual year for the GCR, but we're pleased to announce that the Ustinov Summer BBQ is returning! The date this year will be 31 July and as usual it'll last from around midday until late at night. We'll once again be holding it at Van Mildert College and are hoping to feature the usual combo of free food, live music and other entertainments - for current students, friends, family and alumni! Please be assured that the event will run in line with all appropriate Covid-19 measures.
We know many of our recent alumni may not have said goodbye to Ustinov in the way you wanted, so here is your advance notice that if you wanted to come back, meet old friends and enjoy a proper send-off then this would be a great chance. We hope to see many of you there!
For info, please see: http://ustinovgcr.com or Facebook: Ustinov College GCR – Durham University
Global Citizenship Programme opportunities
• Alumni contributions to GCP event
The Ustinov Global Citizenship Programme is hosting an interactive event for students by students to connect new graduates with Ustinov alumni. The event will take place virtually on the 29 of June from 13:00 to 15:00 and will function as an informal Q&A.
We’re looking for Ustinov alumni who are willing to speak to new graduates about their experiences navigating the workforce either in the UK or abroad. The event will be informal and will simply facilitate conversations between students and alumni to allow them to ask any questions relating to job searching, job applications/process and how to make the most out of their Durham experience. If you’re interested and willing to help students make the transition from Durham University into the workforce easier, please contact Sam Seikaly at samantha.seikaly@durham.ac.uk
• Alumni contributions to The Ustinovian / The Pantomath
Help us celebrate Ustinov!
Our upcoming Summer edition of The Ustinovian will focus on the theme of celebration and will feature contributions from across our College community, including our alumni worldwide. If you would be interested in contributing to the magazine, please email ustinov.publication@durham.ac.uk by 31 July 2021 with either submissions or to ask any questions you may have. Submissions should be no longer than 1000 words and should have some relation to the ‘celebration’ theme.
Showcase your academic research and interests!
The Pantomath, which aims to reflect and celebrate the breadth and depth of research and scholarly activity undertaken by the entire Ustinov College community, is looking for new submissions. We are looking for short (500-1000 words, bibliography not inclusive) summaries of your academic work or interests. Format will follow the Harvard referencing style. Please consider that your audience will not be specialized and reduce technical terms where possible. Contributions are warmly welcomed from our alumni so if you want to contribute to the issue, just let us know by emailing ustinov.publication@durham.ac.uk by the 31 July 2021.
We look forward to hearing from you very soon!
June 2021
Would you be interested in contributing to Ustinov College’s Scholarly Journal, ‘Pantomath’ and showcasing your research interests?
Recently launched in 2020, ‘Pantomath’ aims to reflect and celebrate the breadth and depth of research and scholarly activity undertaken by the entire Ustinov College community, and we are currently looking for new submissions. We are looking for short (500-1000 words, bibliography not inclusive) summaries of your academic work or interests. Format will follow the Harvard referencing style. If you would like to contribute, please consider that your audience will not be specialized and any technical terms should be reduced, where possible.
Contributions are warmly welcomed from across our College community, and we are particularly keen to hear from our alumni. If you would like to contribute to the upcoming issue, or just have some questions about what would be involved, let us know by emailing ustinov.publication@durham.ac.uk and we will be delighted to assist. Deadline for article submissions is 31 July 2021.
If you would be interested in checking out the most recent edition, you can find it online with our other College publications.
We look forward to hearing from you!
April 2021
Ustinov College have provided a full virtual programme of events and activities across this academic year, with Global Citizenship Programme (GCP) activities taking place throughout Michaelmas and Epiphany terms. Session topics have included: the US Election, International Language Day, the experiences of a Rwandan refugee now working in a North East NGO, the impact of music during the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of Brexit on Britain, the neuroscience of magic, celebrations for the Lunar New Year and an event discussing music and queer identities in Victorian literature.
As part of our celebrations for International Women’s Day 2021, Ustinov College held sixteen student-led interviews with inspirational women, as part of our ‘Ustinov meets’ series.
Interviews were conducted via Zoom with inspirational women from a range of sectors in public life, including the emergency services, higher education, health, research, the media, publishing, music, and the arts. Interviews were led by our Global Citizenship Programme Scholars and Fellows. More information about the programme, including the brochure is available here.
Our Graduate Common Room (GCR) continues to work hard to provide an engaging and supportive experience for members, with virtual events such as formal dinners and a jazz night, complete with pre-ordered dinner packages delivered to accommodation, entertainment and the Principal’s speech delivered via Zoom! Christmas and Valentine's Day were celebrated by exchanging gifts between students in an anonymous (and Covid-secure) way. To continue promoting wellbeing among our students the GCR has also arranged decorating and baking competitions, with a box of chocolates as a prize. The GCR has also continued to offer their usual weekly Quiz Nights and Live Mic events throughout the pandemic as well as film nights and other virtual activities.