College Community
Gifts to support the College community, this year totalling £217,000, continue to enrich the student experience: music, sport and drama are thriving at all levels.
In the arts, we established the KALAs — The Keble Arts Leadership Awards — made possible through generous funding from Keble alumnus Mike Fawcett (1972 Literae Humaniores). The awards recognise and celebrate artistic excellence and leadership: students who are initiators, innovators and doers. We also launched the Nabila Walji Photography Prize (see below). The Poets at Keble and The Poet’s Essay series continued (see below), along with the Keble Debates.
The termly Keble Debates are focused on topical issues in the arts, and are open to all. Recent events have included an evening with best-selling author Nicholas Shakespeare; a discussion on the Sonnet with Professor Christine Gerrard (St Hilda's 1977, Chair of the English Faculty), Barbara Scott (Fellow and Tutor in English, Lady Margaret Hall), and Vincent Gillespie (1972, Emeritus J R R Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language and Keble Honorary Fellow); and 20th Century Poetry with guest Ell Potter (2014), actor, writer, and award-winning narrator. This series of events is generously endowed and hosted by Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen (1976 Philosophy and Theology). Chapel life continued to flourish (see below for a report from the Chaplain), and a variety of sports teams enjoyed sponsorship from the Talbot Fund to support new kit and facilities. MCR and JCR projects included community-building creative activities including a ceramics class, and a picnic in the University Parks to welcome new graduates.
The Jonathan and Amanda Phillips Awards — The JAAPAs — honouring former Warden Jonathan Philips and his wife Amanda, celebrated outstanding student contributions to arts, sports and volunteering amongst other areas. Sierra Sparks (2021 DPhil Engineering Science) was one of this year’s winners — Sierra has made significant contributions to College life through her roles as the MCR Equality and Diversity Officer and Keble College Boat Club (KCBC) Women’s Captain.
Interview with Sierra Sparks, 2021 DPhil Engineering Science
“My two years at Keble so far have been extraordinary. Despite the large number of students, the College community is tight knit and special, and the people of the college — including the students, staff, and fellows — are what truly makes it shine. Some of my favourite experiences have been in regular day-to-day interactions, like the post-rowing practice breakfasts in our beautiful dining hall, to spending some time with friends working in the H B Allen Centre Cafe. These communal spaces of the college are often where the strength of the Keble community is most evident, and where I feel most lucky to belong to the community. Keble is a large, vibrant, and international college where there is always something to be involved with, and the welcoming atmosphere has helped me to develop my confidence as a student leader, which has translated to my academic and professional work.”
The Nabila Walji Photography Prize
On the 17 November, we launched the first Nabila Walji Photography Prize, in memory of Nabila Walji (1993-2022). Nabila was a writer, photographer, epistemophile and anthropologist studying Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology MSc at Keble who sadly passed away last year.
More than 200 images submitted by 32 students between November and February, including photos taken in the Netherlands, New York, Newfoundland, the Romanian mountains, Paris and Oxford. The winning image was taken by Alexander Sauer (2019 MSc Statistical Science), as part of his 5-image submission for the prize, described the it as “just a picture of a moment that makes you pause for a second”.
The winning entry, taken by Alexander Sauer (2019 MSc Statistical Science).
Poets at Keble
The Poets at Keble series, established in 2012, is going from strength to strength. It has attracted internationally-renowned poets, both emerging and established, from a wide range of backgrounds, and has been a very popular series in the university community and beyond - all events are free and open to the public, they have attracted academics and students alike, and health professionals and psychologists. The events, which take place termly at Keble College, have had audiences of up to 140. Professor of English Matthew Bevis also runs The Poet’s Essay series with psychoanalyst Adam Phillips. Events in the last year have included seminars with a focus on Elizabeth Bishop and Randall Jarrell. This series is generously funded by alumnus Jason Pontin (1986 English Language and Literature).
Chapel and Music
Chapel life has flourished in 2022-2023. Alongside our regular weekly services, the Chaplain hosted a range of discussion lunches, with topics as diverse as “Using Origami to design Space Satellites” and “Michelangelo’s Poetry,” and a broad range of social and wellbeing events. Our Organ and Choral Scholars continued to develop their musical talents through performing at the highest level under the direction of the celebrated harpsichordist and conductor Christopher Bucknall. Highlights of the year included our famous Advent and Christmas Carol Services, and a very moving Holocaust Memorial Day Service, led jointly by Keble Choir and OxfordShir (a local Jewish Choir). The speaker, Rabbi David Mitchell, spoke about his own time at Oxford as a student, when he opposed the visit of the holocaust denier David Irving, and the importance for each generation of having the courage to be an “up-stander” not a “by-stander”. A range of special events celebrating College sports, Valentines Day, and College Families, drew a very large and diverse group of students, emphasising our key Chapel value: whoever you are and whatever you do or don’t believe, you are welcome here.
Sports
In sport, the KCBC, netball, football, rugby and cricket teams continued to enjoy support of alumni via the Talbot Fund, supporting facilities and kit, such as netball posts, required because of an upsurge in interest in the sport, and a new cricket kit.
Rowing at Keble has a strong tradition and KCBC remains the largest club or society in terms of student participation, with 75 current students actively involved, 28 of whom were new to the sport at the beginning of the year. The numbers may be greater than ever but the reasons for being part of KCBC remain the same as ever, providing a fantastic way of engaging in the camaraderie of sport, of keeping fit, making friends, and contributing to the life and community of the College.
