St Cross College, Oxford

The Alumni & Development Office at St Cross is now entering its second year of operation. During the first year, we have worked to build on the alumni relations activity already in place at St Cross under the auspices of the Alumni Association. All graduates of St Cross College automatically become members of the Alumni Association on leaving College, at no charge, and we hope to continue to expand the range of events and facilities available to our alumni.

Keeping in Touch

We are keen to maintain as complete and accurate list of alumni as possible, so we would be grateful if you would take a few moments to complete the contact details form enclosed with the Record. This will ensure that we are able to keep you informed about St Cross news and events.

Events

2004-5 was a busy year for new events as we held two drinks receptions, one in December in London and another in College in early summer. All members and friends of the College living or working in and around London were invited to come along to the splendid surroundings of the Royal Society on 13th December, and the occasion proved very successful.

In June, the focus moved to Oxford, and guests were able to enjoy the evening sunshine with Pimms in the Quad on June 10th. A pair of mallards who had taken temporary residence at St Cross also joined in the fun. Next summer, we intend to combine the Summer Drinks Party with the traditional St Cross Encaenia drinks reception, so the event will be held on Wednesday 21st June.

The Alumni Reunion Lunch, now fondly known as Fred's Lunch in honour of its founder, Fred Hodcroft, continues to be a hugely successful occasion in the St Cross calendar. This year, around 70 alumni, current, former and Emeritus Fellows, friends and associates of the College gathered for a three-course lunch in College. The atmosphere was as usual full of genial reminiscence, and Fred welcomed everyone back to St Cross.

St Cross Website

Reports of all College events with photographs, along with news from around the College and information for alumni and friends of the College, are to be found on the St Cross website, at www.stx.ox.ac.uk. The site is updated regularly and we are planning a complete overhaul to make it more interactive in the near future. If you have any ideas of what improvements you would like to see on the site, do let me know.

Re-launch of Crossword

Following an absence of 18 months, the St Cross newsletter was re-launched in August 2005 with a new look and a new name. We hope that Crossword will provide an opportunity for alumni to share their personal and professional news, as well as giving information about events and developments at St Cross and all the news from around the College. Please do send in your contributions and photographs.

Plans for the future

As with all other educational institutions, St Cross needs to raise funds in addition to the fees and other income it gets from government and students in order to meet its running costs, and provide proper support and facilities for its students. To this end we have begun the serious task of fundraising, both to boost the level of endowment the College has and to support the several exciting development projects we hope to realise in the coming years.

We hope to build on the main site at St Giles to provide additional student accommodation in the heart of the Oxford, adding life and vibrancy and a greater sense of community to the College. Outline planning permission has already been granted, and we are hoping to secure detailed planning permission very soon.

This year we have been very fortunate in being granted matched funding from the Colleges Contributions Scheme for every unrestricted gift the College receives. We hope that everyone who is able to make a contribution will help us to maximise this generous support.

St Cross is a young and poor College and will need to look beyond its immediate members (Fellows and alumni) for financial support. If any members do have links with the corporate world, with companies or Trusts that might be interested in supporting the College, do please get in touch.

Joëlle Hoggan
Development Executive
St Cross College
OXFORD OX1 3LZ
T: + 44 (0)1865 278480
E: joelle.hoggan@stx.ox.ac.uk