Heather Hancock was formally admitted as the 45th Master of St John’s College on 1 October 2020 in a small ceremony in the College Chapel. In her address she observed that ‘we can learn a lot about ourselves in how we respond to challenging times’. You can view a recording of Heather’s speech on the College’s YouTube channel.
There are many Johnians who are playing an important part in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we will continue to share their stories with you in our communications. You can read about the experiences of people working in College in the ‘Pandemic stories’ series, featured on the College’s news pages and social media platforms. It includes perspectives from Porter Mark Nelligan on the frontline of the College’s operations and from Ross Agnew in the Admissions Office, where planning is underway for the 2021 admissions cycle, which will feature an entirely online interviewing process.
While the current situation means that we cannot welcome alumni into the College, we will do our very best to keep you up-to-date with developments in the College and connected to one another through virtual events.
Events
Over the summer we adapted our events programme and hosted a range of events online, including talks from Fellows, Johnian Society Day and a celebration for our 2020 graduands. We will continue to offer virtual events to stay in touch with Johnians, and we will keep an eye on government guidance.
Alumni benefits
Access to the College site continues to be restricted to students, staff, Fellows and those with specific business in the College by prior arrangement, as detailed in our visitor policy. Regrettably, therefore, many of the alumni benefits we offer and much of the activity that alumni enjoy in College remain suspended or postponed.
• Dining privileges and accommodation in College are not currently available to alumni.
• All Johnian reunion dinners that were due to take place in 2020 have been postponed, and we are reviewing the forward schedule.
Written by
Susannah is the Head of Alumni Relations at St John’s. She oversees alumni events and communications, including the online alumni community on Johnian Hub, and encourages Johnians to stay in touch with each other and the College.
