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“The crown of life is neither happiness nor annihilation. It is understanding.”
These words, credited by Vera Brittain to her fellow Somervillian Winifred Holtby, seemed like a good way to start this term’s newsletter. When the world is experiencing more than its fair share of convulsions, the hard-won wisdom of former Somervillians is a reminder of what our community has always sought to achieve, both for others and within ourselves.
And what a lot there is to understand today! We started the new year with our Principal Catherine Royle providing expert analysis on the US action in Venezuela in her capacity as a former ambassador to that country. Later this term, our understanding of the world will expand still further at our Spring Meeting, when former Chief Historian of the Foreign Office Gill Bennett OBE (1969, History) and Sir John Scarlett KCMG, former Chief of MI6, discuss how Russia sees the world.
Here at Somerville, meanwhile, understanding of every kind continues to be advanced across all fronts. The successful completion of our crowd-funder for the Bethany Smith Environmental Award will ensure Bethany’s legacy inspires future generations, while the story of Sudanese Sanctuary Scholars Zeinab and Hadeel is an object lesson in the radical power of hope.
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Turning the Tide on Language Loss | Finch Ward (2024) is a French and Linguistics student fascinated by marginalised language loss. Here he explains how his Thatcher Scholarship will enable him to pursue his academic curiosity to its end.
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READ MORE ➟ |
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“I carry Sudan with me” | Zainab and Hadeel are two of our newest Sanctuary Scholars. Both Sudanese and now living as flatmates, they told us how they plan to shape Sudan’s future through their studies at Oxford. |
READ MORE ➟ |
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A Diplomat’s View on the Venezuela Crisis | Having served as Ambassador to Venezuela under Hugo Chávez, our Principal Catherine Royle’s views were in great demand at the start of this year, following the US military operation.
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READ MORE ➟ |
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Young Alumni Doing Business Differently |
Luca Webb (2019) joined us to explain how he and other Somervillians made the unorthodox decision to reject conventional career pathways and join a cutting-edge construction business – and why they’ve never looked back.
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READ MORE ➟ |
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Forthcoming Events |
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As always, we have a packed calendar of events for the term ahead, and we hope our new streamlined email format will make it easier for you to join us at one or more of these! |
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Medics’ Day7th March 2026 |
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Join Professor Kamila Hawthorne MBE (1979), Dr Xand van Tulleken (1996) and special guests for a day of talks and discussion exploring the three paradigm shifts that are currently reshaping the NHS.
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BOOK HERE ➟ |
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Dorothy Hodgkin Memorial Lecture10th March 2026 |
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Join Principal Catherine Royle as she welcomes noted science writer Georgina Ferry for her lecture "An exemplary life: the scientific and humanitarian legacy of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin".
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BOOK HERE ➟ |
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Spring Meeting 14th March 2026 |
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The Somerville Association Spring Meeting welcomes Gill Bennett OBE (1969), former Chief Historian of the FCO, and Sir John Scarlett KCMG, former Head of MI6, to discuss how Russia sees the world.
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BOOK HERE ➟ |
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College of Sanctuary Concert 14th March 2026 |
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Our Sanctuary Programme has now welcomed 29 scholars from regions including Ukraine, Sudan and Afghanistan. Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and conversation in support of this vital work.
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BOOK HERE ➟ |
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History Day 21st March 2026 |
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Join Somerville’s History Fellows, Professors Benjamin Thompson, Natalia Nowakowska and Faridah Zaman, for a day exploring current research and the wider historical community at Somerville.
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BOOK HERE ➟ |
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Barbara Harvey Memorial 22nd March 2026 |
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Friends, colleagues and former students of Somerville’s long-standing fellow, the pioneering medieval historian Barbara Harvey CBE FBA, are warmly invited to join us for a celebration of her life. |
BOOK HERE ➟ |
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That brings us almost to the end of this term’s Somervillian. There are just three small points left to note:
If you matriculated in 1995, 2005 or 2015, then don’t forget to sign up for your reunion on 11th April 2026. Did you receive a New Year Honour this year? We’ll be publishing our round-up of honours later this month, so please do let us know. Green-fingered or artistically-minded? There’s still time to sign-up for our burgeoning Gardening and Art History Clubs.
We hope you have a lovely Spring and look forward to seeing you at Somerville or elsewhere soon!
Warm regards,
Somerville College Development Team
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