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An end of term message from President Professor Jonathan Michie

June 25, 2020

I write this just as I would ordinarily have been preparing to welcome you to Kellogg’s annual Garden Party. I trust you’ll be aware of just how impressive the gardens look at present, through the photos and videos that have been posted throughout lockdown by Jason during his regular visits to the College to ensure that all services continue in good working order. Thank you Jason – for your vital work, and for the regular photos and videos, including the impressively noisy bumble bee you filmed this morning!

Instead of welcoming you to our Garden Party, then, I will wish you well over the summer months. And don’t worry – I’ve put the champagne on ice for when we do get the chance to gather together again in the College gardens, to celebrate Kellogg’s continued success.

In the meantime, thank you for bearing with us over the past few months – including to the many students who have been resident on site throughout the lockdown period.

A special thank you to all the College staff, who have ensured that everything that could and should have been done, was done, and done well. I often say that our College staff perform their continually impressive quality of work behind the scenes – this time literally so, having achieved it all in our new virtual world.

I know that you will all join me in conveying the College’s best possible wishes to those of our students who are finishing this year. I always urge our graduating students to return to the College as and when they can, but this time we really do need our completing students to return just as soon as circumstances permit, for us all to enjoy both a reunion and a proper send-off. I am acutely aware that the ‘Class of Covid-19’ Alumni deserve our special attention over the coming months, which I’ll make it my business to deliver.

So, to you all – stay well, and please make sure you have a break. To those of you currently working on creating a Covid-19 vaccine – good luck! And I realise that far greater numbers of you will be working on a range of other aspects of responding to this crisis – both to deal with the current crisis, and looking forward already to try to limit the risk of future pandemics and to mitigate the damaging effects that these would otherwise have wreaked.

Do keep in touch with the College, via our website, social media, email and, where possible, in person. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you soon, not just virtually – enjoyable though our virtual Fellows evening was – but in person. Thank you!

Watch Professor Michie’s message: