Principal's Welcome

Principal'sWelcome MaggiDawn

Welcome to this edition of Mary ’ s. We are delighted to bring you reports of our College activities and projects, alumni news, and much more! It’ s been a year of recovery as we have begun to emerge from the pandemic, reopening College spaces one by one, and relaunching activities from online to in-person. As I write, we are back to something like ‘ normal’ , but the tenor of this recovery has not at all been ‘ going back’ , rather we have been moving forward into the future. Having learned a lot through the pandemic, we have both strengthened our College traditions and launched some new projects.

We are celebrating a number of new endeavours. Lumière comes to Durham every other year, and this year for the first time we hosted one of the installations at St Mary ’ s. For four nights in a row, the front terrace was lit up by Jim Campbell’ s 'Scattered Light' , a giant web of 1,600 LED lights programmed to flicker on and off, creating the illusion of figures moving across the terrace. Hundreds of visitors stood in front of the College entrance, intrigued by the moving figures and the story they told.

For the first time we introduced a music Fellow at Mary ’ s. Matt Warren, who teaches in the Music Department, has overseen the development of College music, organising small ensembles for College events, evenings of music, readings and poetry, and the relaunch of the Chapel choir, culminating in a short choir tour to Edinburgh. Our new internship program also got off to a flying start, and we are expanding the program next year to include students working on biodiversity, as well as journalism, social media, library management, and alumni relations. Our first St Mary ’ s College Ph.D scholar, Lewis Robinson, has made a great start on his postgraduate studies. All of this activity is a testament to the uniqueness of College life – the talent and imagination of our student body, the commitment of the staff team, and the ongoing support of our alumni who have contributed their time, skills, and financial resources to get these projects off the ground.

One of the highlights of the year has been the arrival of our new Steinway pianos. The whole University has become a ‘Steinway University ’ , meaning that some of our rather old pianos have been replaced by beautiful new instruments. The arrival of the pianos happily coincided with our celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the Fergusson Building – 70 years since Mary ’ s moved from buildings spread across the Bailey up to the hill, to what is now the Fergusson Building. Our evening of celebrations included a lovely archival display by Anne Elliott, our alumna and archivist, and a series of performances on the piano including everything from Bach and Beethoven to jazz and original indie-rock compositions. We have enjoyed visits from Katie Corrigan, former Mayor of Durham, and David Saddington, who gave the after-dinner speech at the Epiphany Dinner, and a student workshop on biodiversity. Inspired by his visit, we are developing further areas of wildflowering around the grounds, with the Environmental Society playing a leading role. Our Arts Society have recently completed a stunning new mural in the Bar, and as always, our College sports, arts, and theatrical groups have flourished, as well as groups dedicated to volunteering and peer-to-peer welfare. These and many more events, achievements, and awards fill the pages of this edition, and I hope you will enjoy reading more about what has been a rich and exciting year.

In closing, I want to thank the College community for my time at St Mary ’ s. It has been an honour and a pleasure to preside over the College for the last three years, despite the fact that most of that time has been overshadowed by the pandemic. I am proud of all we have achieved despite the restrictions. To have emerged as a strong community with a whole set of new endeavours is really something to celebrate, and is a testament to the strength and resilience of the whole college community. Later this year, when I return to my Professorial role in the Department of Theology and Religion, I shall hand over the reins to Professor Adrian Simpson, who I know will take the College on to the next phase with confidence and aplomb. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Mary ’ s in the next chapter. Thank you to all of you who have made my time at Mary ’ s so rich and rewarding.

Best wishes as always,

The Rev ’d Professor Maggi Dawn