University

28 Sep 09

The 50th anniversary of Oxford’s former all-women’s colleges gaining full collegiate status was the theme of the third Alumni Weekend on 25-27 September.

Called ‘Meeting Minds - An Equal Citizenship’, it offered a packed three-day programme of more than 120 events to inspire and entertain alumni, staff, students and friends of Oxford.

It was an opportunity to showcase the achievements of female Oxonians – from Sarah Outen’s recent record-breaking solo journey to row across the Indian Ocean, to the astonishing stories of the first women principals in Oxford.

Three high profile alumni, Baroness Gillian Shephard, Dame Pauline Neville-Jones and Lord Bingham, spoke in a session ‘Security and liberty: Striking the right balance’. Baroness Shephard, former Cabinet minister and a graduate of St Hilda’s College, described her time at Oxford as ‘an overwhelming experience’, like ‘being offered rich cake and asked if you would like to eat it all’. Dame Pauline is a former BBC Governor and Chair of the British Joint Intelligence Committee and Lord Bingham is a former Senior Law Lord.

Nicola Horlick, dubbed by the media as the city ‘superwoman’, and executive coach Peninah Thomson discussed ‘A Woman’s Place in the Boardroom’.

There were also special sessions for families, allowing all ages to join in the fun by including children’s stories, creative writing workshops and a tour of some unusual exhibits at the Museum of Natural History.

The Weekend celebrated the 2009 International Year of Astronomy by looking at the Radcliffe Observatory’s contribution to science over the last 161 years. There were workshops on the Galaxy Zoo project, where members of the public can help to classify scientific data, and an Astronomy Question Time. Guests even had a chance to look through the Wetton Telescope and hold a meteorite.

Other highlights included Oxford authors Val McDermid, Joanna Trollope and Francesca Kay discussing their work; Dame Stephanie Shirley speaking on autism; Paul Gambaccini tracing the treatment of sex, drugs and rock and roll in 20th century popular music; and Professor Paul Collier from the University’s Centre for the Study of African Economies discussing global poverty.

The ‘hidden gem’ tours have now established themselves as firm favourites on the programme and were fully booked once again this year. Attendees were able to see behind the scenes at some of the most well-known Oxford institutions and landmarks. They explored the depths of the Bodleian Library, went on guided walks around the Botanic Garden with director Timothy Walker, and discovered the history of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Photographs and podcasts from 2009 will be available from the website soon and those interested in booking next year’s event on 24-26 September 2010 can visit the Alumni Weekend website to complete our 2010 sign-up form.