Master's message to alumni
A message from the Master, Sonita Alleyne, to all College alumni
It is an honour and a privilege to be Master of Jesus College as we deal with the COVID-19 situation with intelligence, kindness and patience. Our community is one that is practical but most importantly grounded in our humanity.
I am reaching out today as I know the current situation has left some people feeling lost and worried, particularly if you fall into an at-risk category. At Jesus, I have been struck by how we have come together and supported one another; as Jesuans I wanted to provide you with an update on the College and share some of our plans for alumni during this time.
We regret that we have had to cancel or postpone many of the wonderful events with alumni that ordinarily make Jesus College such a thriving and busy environment. With uncertainty ahead, it may be a long while until we are able to see you in person again, but we would very much like to hear from you nonetheless. Our community reaches far beyond our College grounds.
We especially want to reach out to anyone who is over 70 and is responding to the government’s call to self-isolate for twelve weeks. We will be starting a communications initiative to be in touch with you specifically via telephone and email. Please let us know if you would like to hear the latest College news, give us an update on how you are doing at the moment, be in touch with other Jesuans, or simply just have a friendly chat – we would love to hear from you.
For all Jesuans near and far, the team from Development and Alumni Relations, while working remotely, is available by telephone Monday to Friday on +44 1223 339301 between 9am and 4pm GMT and would be delighted to speak with you. They are also available via email through development@jesus.cam.ac.uk
Life inside Jesus continues, albeit at a distance. Our students are showing resilience and maturity in the upheaval to their studies. I am particularly proud of our third year students whose final term, a time for celebration and reflection, has been completely disrupted. This term I had the privilege to have an extended conversation with every single one of the 143 third year students during my recent “third year review” process. I got to know what they thought of Jesus, how they were preparing for finals and most importantly what they want to do next. Those in-depth conversations made me even more proud to be the Master of Jesus College and I can assure you that come July there will be another dynamic, innovative and adventurous set of young people joining the ranks of Jesuan alumni. I was very heartened by a piece in Varsity that came out on Sunday, written by a couple of our fabulous third year students.
Whilst the majority of our students have left College as advised by the Vice-Chancellor last week, some are unable to do so and we are honoured to support them in their home at Jesus College. Our College welfare team are looking after students, and staff are transitioning to remote working, where possible, as a result of the government announcement on Tuesday.
We are exploring new ways to stay engaged with our alumni community. We have a reputation of warmth and friendliness and we are keen to see that continue. Keep an eye out for email updates and posts on Facebook and Instagram. We are thinking of you. Please look after yourself and your communities in these uncertain times, and know that Jesus College will always be here to support you in whatever way we can.
Sonita Alleyne, OBE
