Postmaster and the Merton Record 2025
FROM THE WARDEN
The last twelve months have brought many global challenges, political, environmental and technological. Much of the time College feels like a haven and the year I’ll describe below has the rhythm and quality that (Covid years apart) will feel very familiar. Global issues inevitably have an impact, but our priority is to respond in ways that protect our community and uphold the excellence at the heart of everything we do.
It is always a pleasure to welcome our new freshers at the start of Michaelmas term and I am impressed by how quickly and seamlessly they are integrated into the Merton community. Formally inducting them into College, watching them write their names in the College Register and sitting with them at their matriculation dinner as they start to make friends that will stay with them for life, is a pleasure and a privilege. When I talk to those returning to the Jubilee Lunches we hold for those who matriculated in the 1960s and 70s, it is the friendships made, often in those Freshers’ Week meetings and events, that consistently feature highest in people’s treasured memories of College.
The Choir and Girl Choristers have had a busy year once again. They recorded Gabriel Jackson’s The Christmas Story in Michaelmas term (the first of two choir CDs recorded this year), and of course there were the usual beautiful Advent and Christmas carol services. There was a Choral Evensong broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in Hilary term, which marked the start of a collaboration with the Britten Sinfonia. There was a wonderful Passiontide series of concerts culminating in the St John Passion at the University Church. There have been tours to the Netherlands for the Choir, and to Windsor and Westminster Abbey for the Girl Choristers, with more to come. In December there will be a ten-day choir tour to Japan, via Hong Kong, including concerts in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Osaka. Each time I think the talents of our Choir and Girl Choristers cannot get any better, they prove me wrong – and I couldn’t be happier about it. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ben Nicholas, Reed Rubin Organist and Directorof Music, and to the Chapel team. There is an interview with Lizzie Casey, our Chapel and Choir Manager, on page 96 where you can read more about the work that goes intoplanning and running these events.
In November I travelled to New York with our Development Director, Mark Coote, to take part in the MC3 reunion weekend and to catch up with our North American alumni.
This was the first of two trips to the US this year, as we were back there in May for Merton in Manhattan, which coincidedwith the University’s alumni weekend attended by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey (1985). Mertonians wereable to see two Wardens for the price of one at a wonderful evening hosted by Amna Nasser (1997). It is always a pleasure to meet alumni whether in Oxford or elsewhere. I am touchedby the genuine warmth and affection for the College and theenduring sense of community that exists.
One of the final events of Michaelmas term is the Rent Audit lunch, when we host the tenants on the College’s estates for lunch in College. The function of this gathering has changedover the centuries. Today it is an opportunity to get together and celebrate a different section of our Merton community, some of whom have been farming the College’s estates for generations. This is a counterpoint to Warden’s Progress in July each year when a small number of us travel from Oxford to the College’s estates (recently to Surrey and Suffolk on some very hot days in early July). This year’s Rent Audit lunch was particularly special because it was an opportunity for us to thank John Gloag who has retired after 32 years of service to the College. John has been a magnificent Estates Bursar and Land Agent and we will miss him.
In Hilary term we welcomed to College our new Chaplain, The Revd Canon Justin White. Justin read Engineering at Oxford, and had a career in management consultancy, before reading Theology at Trinity College, Cambridge and training for ministry at Westcott House. He has held a number ofposts, including as Dean of Chapel at Winchester College, and came to us from the Woodard Corporation where he was Senior Provost. He has settled into College life very quickly and anyone who has had the opportunity to visit the Chapel this year or listen to the livestreamed services will have seenthat it is thriving. While The Revd Canon Dr Simon Jones acted as both Chaplain and Head of Welfare in College, these roles grew substantially during the 22 years of Simon’s tenure, particularly that of welfare.
With Simon’s departure we took the opportunity to recognise this development, splitting the two roles and appointing a new Head of Welfare in College (Dr Helen Webster) alongside our new Chaplain. In January we also welcomed our new Land Agent, Sophie Tidy.
We held this year’s Equality Conversation in College in March. Dr Janaki Srinivasan’s topic was ‘Inclusions and Exclusions in the Digital Age’. Her research examines the political economy of information technology-based development initiatives, focusing on how gender, caste and class shape the use of such technologies. The rapid rise of AI and technological developments are reshaping all areas of life, including higher education, and conversations around how this is happening, what the effects may be, and crucially whether this can be done in a way that is fair and inclusive of all members of society, are vital. It is good that the Merton Equality Conversations can play a part in this process.
Trinity term inevitably has an exam focus. There was plenty of academic success in College again this year. In November 2024 the decision was taken to discontinue the Norrington Table (pleasingly we therefore finished at the top of the table), so I can’t record our position in this year’s Norrington Table. I can report, however, that our students continue to thrive academically, both in their degrees and beyond. Our academics have also had another outstanding year. Professor Sir Andrew Wiles was awarded the Basic Science Lifetime Award, honouring his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem; Professor Simon Hooker was elected to the fellowship of the American Physical Society; Professor James Binney was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal; Professor Matt Higgins was elected as a new Fellow by the Academy of Medical Sciences and as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization; and Professor Daniel Grimley was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
We are blessed with a wealth of talent in both our student body and among our fellowship, and it is always sad to say farewell to our student cohorts that graduate each year, who then join the ranks of our alumni community. This year we also said farewell to Professor John Geddes, who retired as WA Handley Professor of Psychiatry; to Dr Nathan Lane, Economics Tutor, who moved to a post at LSE; and to our cohort of Early Career Researchers, who bring such richness to the College.
In Trinity term we were delighted to host two more scholars as part of the Africa Oxford initiative (AfOx): Dr Marie Korsaga, an astrophysicist from Burkina Faso who studies dark matter (she is the first female Burkinabe astrophysicist); and Dr Rachel Titus, based at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, who specialises in public health and health advocacy. We are very pleased to support this programme, which is designed to provide exceptional African researchers with an opportunity to build international networks and focus on aproject of their choice, away from teaching and administrative duties at their home institutions.
One of the great pleasures of being Warden is being able to celebrate the success of our students. One way we do this is via the Sports Recognition dinner in Trinity term each year. This is an opportunity to recognise the sporting talents of our students across a range of disciplines and includes those who represent the University, including this year Oliver Douglas (tennis), Christopher Sneddon (rackets), Teresa Habib Meriggi (boxing), Grace Beglan (real tennis), Miranda Bate (lacrosse), Lucy Williams (competitive dance) and Daniel Orton (who coxed the Oxford women’s Blue Boat in The BoatRace). There is always much to celebrate at a College level too. This year the Merton and Mansfield rugby team won the plate for Cuppers, and the women’s football team (a Merton-Mansfield-Wadham combo) reached the Cuppers final fornthe first time. There was success on the river too, with the Women’s 1st VIII getting their blades in Torpids, and the Women’s 2nd VIII repeating this success in Summer VIIIs. The Men’s 1st VIII finished seventh on the river in Torpids (their best position since 1966) and moved into the first division in Summer VIIIs.
One of the particular markers of esteem at the Sports Recognition dinner is the award of a small number of ties and pins which have previously been known as Haigh Awards, but which were renamed the Lisle Awards this year in recognition of the important and integral role in sport at Merton playedby James Lisle, our wonderful groundsman for 36 years, who sadly passed away in January.
I wrote in last year’s Postmaster about the College’s commitment to sustainability via the creation of a sustainability working group, whose role was to recommend to Governing Body a set of sustainability goals (which were agreed in 2024) and a sustainability policy to underpin those goals. I am delighted to report that the working group’s recommendations have been accepted by Governing Body and the College’s first Sustainability Strategy document is available on the College’s website. Having completed its remit, the working group has disbanded, but we now have a Sustainability Forum which meets regularly, and consists of Fellows, staff, students and alumni who are tasked with keeping this strategy under review. In our sustainability endeavours we are supported by Jilly Mowbray, a new Colleges Sustainability Officer, who we share with a number of other colleges. As a measure of the College’s success in this field, the College was awarded Gold Status in the University’s Green Impact Awards in June.
One of the other developments this year has been the establishment of a Strategic Space review group in College. Unfortunately, the new library building that had been planned for Rose Lane will not be possible in that location, due to planning difficulties raised by the Council as a result of the proximity of the proposed building to the medieval city wall and the medieval ditch alongside it. The requirement for more library space and more flexible study spaces within College remains a recognised need. We are continuing to look for ways to fulfil our ambition to expand and improve library provision for our students, as well as meeting the other strategic space needs of the College for the next 760years.
The delay in the new library project has given us an opportunity to reset our fundraising priorities. There are increasing demands for graduate funding particularly affecting (but not limited to) the Humanities, and the protection of the tutorial model remains core to our mission. The political and financial pressures facing the higher education sector make this even more pressing than it was when we launched the 750th campaign. Fundraising for these priorities, as well as for a number of capital projects, will be our focus for the coming years. I am very grateful to the principal donors of the library project. They have engaged thoughtfully in discussions around repurposing their original gifts, not only demonstrating their close affiliation and affection for Merton, but also recognising other key fundraising priorities for the College. Their support aligns closely with our overall strategic goal of fostering an outstanding and vibrant community in which individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and excel. There will be more information about ourfundraising plans to come.
The blazing sunshine in June provided the perfect conditions for a host of garden parties and events in Fellows’ Garden, including the Merton Floats production which this year was Euripides’ Helen, and the Merton Society Garden Party. It was wonderful to see so many alumni returning for this event and catching up with old friends. The Merton Society held a number of other events during the year, includinga Christmas concert in Temple Church, the Merton Society lecture (this year delivered by Professor Steven Gunn on the topic ‘An Accidental History of Tudor England’), and a London dinner with Andy Cato (1991) as the guest speaker.
The Merton Society is very active and successful and weowe a huge debt to Dame Philippa Whipple (1984) who has been its President for the last six years. She steered the
Society though Covid, ensuring that the alumni community continued to feel connected even while we were all physicall isolated, and under her leadership the organisation has gone from strength to strength. We are particularly grateful to Philippa and her husband Sam Whipple (1983) for their work in establishing a mentoring scheme for recent undergraduate leavers. The Garden Party was Philippa’s final event in the role as she has now handed over the presidency to John Booth (1976). John already has exciting plans for next year’s events, so do look out for those and attend if you can.
Sadly, there are members of the Merton community who have passed away in the course of the year. Their names are included in the In Memoriam pages. I would like to mark in particular the loss of Professor Sir George Radda, who was a chemistry student at the College before later becoming a Fellow. He had a distinguished career, receiving numerous prestigious honours and awards, and is very fondly remembered in College.
Sadly, we also saw the passing of Professor Béla Novák, the College’s Professor of Integrative Systems Biology, who was a brilliant scientist, a passionate researcher, and a cherished mentor and colleague. He had been a member of the fellowship since 2007 and was known for his kindness, generosity and warmth.
This year also saw the loss of The Revd Mark Everitt who served as Chaplain and Tutor in Russian from 1963 until his retirement in
Our thoughts are with their families.
This has been another busy year in College with many successes to celebrate and lots of opportunities for the Merton community to come together, but, as I mentioned above, there are political, financial and AI-related challenges that will have a potential impact on universities around the world. It is important to value and actively sustain what we do in College, which is exceptional and which enables our students and our wider community to thrive. We cannot be complacent.
It has been a year of changes and milestones, such as our first Sustainability Strategy. We have also embarked on a significant programme of maintenance to our buildings and those visiting the College will see scaffolding in Front Quad as we undertake maintenance and repairs to Front 4 and 5, as well as on the side of the College facing Christ Church Meadows as we carry out stonework repairs. Change is necessary if we want things to stay as they are, as Lampedusa famously tells us. We willcontinue to strive to ensure that things change, in order to ensure that the things we value, excellence and a strong senseof community, continue to be at the heart of the College experience for students, staff, Fellows and alumni.
Professor Jennifer Payne, Warden
Rugby
After a gutting loss in the Iffley bowl final last year, the combined might of Merton, Mansfield, Corpus Christi, Somerville, St Catherine’s, Regent’s Park and Linacre stormed to spectacular victory over Keble this Trinity term. Merton College, represented by Eddie Bolland and Ben Hayes (both 2023), put in splendid shots and carries for the full 80 minutes to take home the plate against Keble.
It was a long road to the sunny 10 May celebration under the posts. Still sore from the double casualties of last year’sdefeat and the graduation of star scrum-half Myles Kelly(2020) the year before, the boys nevertheless marched to an unexpected victory in the first match of Michaelmas, afriendly against future plate rival Keble. Joined for the first time by the game-changing talents of Leeds-native Bolland, a seasoned veteran of University Rugby League, the squad took home a win after an early two-try setback. This early boost was followed by bloody glory over St Peter’s in therain and mud of the Merton sports ground to conclude a solid first term.
Hilary would prove more difficult. CCSMM was knocked out of contention for the cup by a girthy squad of Teddy Hall’s finest, notwithstanding the growing Rugby League skills of Hayes and Bolland both, the proud American having honed his craft alongside the seasoned second row with University victories against Brunel, Brighton and the Tabs. Licking their wounds, the boys nevertheless continued the push towards the Iffley plate under the direction of Merton neighbour and Corpus captain Freddie Spence, who through unprecedented recruitment efforts signed on a 20-strong squad to meet thechallenges of Trinity.
Bolstered by these developments, the boys braved the scorching English sun to put up a crushing six tries against Balliol-Hertford in the dusty semi-final at University Parks. Not a week later, the crowds gathered at Iffley to watch what loyal fans of Merton rugby know was certain to be a brutal rematch: the plate final against Keble. The pitch was a battlefield from the start – spectacular broken noses, savage scrums, and fury increased to repeated yellow-card heights.
CCSMM inched forward with a series of hard-won tries, but it was not until Mansfield prop Victor Angelov’s historic breakaway try that the stubborn Keble squad, watching the man of the match bound across the pitch unhindered, were finally broken in spirit. Victory at Iffley had been won.
Triumph secured, the team paused to capture it for posterity in full view of the Bannister track. It was an apt sight for a victory so resounding it might well be compared to that record-breaking run which Bannister’s fellow Mertonians of today serendipitously followed 71 years and four days later.
As Bolland and Hayes enter their third year, Merton rugby continues in studly glory. Next year could be, for the first time in the College’s storied history, the year of the cup.
Proudly, …..Ben Hayes (2023) ….. Rugby Captain 2024–25 …
The Merton Society
Another busy year for the Society on all fronts! We have had a fantastic programme of activities for Mertonians of all ages. All events have been enthusiasticallyNattended by Mertonians and their guests. We kicked off with the London Michaelmas drinks in November, followed by the Christmas Concert performed by the Merton Choir in Temple Church. In April 2025, the Merton Society Annual Lecture was given by Professor Steven Gunn (1979) about his forthcoming book, An Accidental History of Tudor England (now published). The event was again hosted by Patrick Long (1995) at the Lazard offices.
May 2025 saw the welcome return of the Merton Society London Dinner after the lacuna of lockdown, held at Vintners’ Hall with guest speaker Andy Cato (1991). Andy gave a sell-out audience a fascinating talk about his own personal journey from DJ with Groove Armada to leading advocate of sustainable farming and accidental TV star.
In June we held the Garden Party in College, attended by more than 400, following the AGM. This was an opportunity to say a big thank you to Dame Philippa Whipple (1984) who has retired as Society President after six very active years. She leaves a lasting legacy in her contributions in the role, particularly the Merton College Mentoring Programme. Shehas kindly agreed with her husband Sam Whipple (1983) to continue nurturing the programme, which is going from strength to strength.
Earlier in June, the new Career Insights working group held its inaugural gathering for current students, involving sessions on networking, confidence, coaching and interview techniques. Thanks to Pippa Shirley (1983) and the Senior Tutor, Dr Jane Gover, for leading this project.
I am delighted that John Booth (1976) has accepted the Council’s invitation to be our new President and very much look forward to working with him over the coming months on the programme for the next years, hopefully with some exciting new venues for events, and building on all the current initiatives.
A big thanks goes to the Warden and team at the Development Office, my fellow executive members, John Booth as President and Dr Gregory Lim (2006) as Secretary, as well as all Council members, for their full and energetic support without which none of this could have happened.
Mark Davison (1978) …. Chair
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ADDENDUM …. An Injection of Old Rum — Merton Rugger Buggers in 1965
