WARDEN’S REPORT 2021 tested the mettle of all aspects of the College – academic, financial and cultural. Though many of us were hopeful that some sense of normality would return to the world in 2021, it was not to be, as a new variant of the coronavirus swept across the globe and sent many cities, including Melbourne, back into extended lockdown. Then, when we weren’t in lockdown, we were adhering to government mandates around mask-wearing, density limits and check-in procedures, among other things. This meant there was ongoing disruption to teaching and living arrangements at Trinity, but, after successfully navigating the challenges of 2020, we were well-equipped to give our students the best possible experience under the circumstances. Our teachers in the Pathways School and Theological School continued to deliver lectures and tutorials online, and our Residential College staff ensured that students felt part of a community and thrived both academically and personally despite the interruption to usual College life. The ongoing nature of the pandemic meant the College faced continued financial challenges as it became clear that the effects of the pandemic would persist for years, not weeks or months. As a result, the College undertook an important restructure to align our staffing and service operations with markedly reduced revenue. This restructure necessitated a number of redundancies, reorganisation of work groups and relinquishing some of our leased teaching facilities. These decisions were not made lightly, and sadly affected a number of valued and long-term staff, but were required to ensure the longevity of the College. I am very grateful to everyone in our community who supported Trinity College in 2021. That includes our staff, who, often working from home or living on the College grounds, continued to deliver an exceptional educational or residential experience for our students, and the members of our alumni network and greater community who kindly donated to the College or offered words of support. I am also very proud of our students from all three divisions, who worked hard, supported each other, and took the challenges of the year in their stride. I continue to be grateful to Kerry Gleeson, who was appointed to the role of the Board Chair in May, former Chair Charles Sitch and members of the Board and committees for their support during this testing year. Here are our updates from each area of the College – I believe they reveal how we were tested and how well the College continued to deliver on its core promises to students.
2021
3
ANNUAL REPORT
