Katie Hickson reflects on five years on the trustee board of the SJCR. A St John’s student from 2013 to 2016, she returned to the SJCR as an external trustee in 2021, later serving as Chair. As she steps down from the Board, Katie looks back on her journey with John’s and her time with the SJCR.
St. John’s College is a special place for many during their three, four, or sometimes more years spent at Durham University. I have been hugely fortunate to have extended the amount of time I’ve been involved with college life by serving as first a trustee, and then Chair, of the St. John’s Common Room over the past 5 years.
I have many happy memories of my time at Durham, and although I was ostensibly doing an English degree between 2013 and 2016, I spent most of my time enjoying life in college – spending time with friends in the Bailey Room or John’s bar, taking up a variety of roles from Open Day Rep to Freshers’ Week Coordinator, and making the most of many social events (including taking a group selfie at high table during Freshers Formal one year, leading to an email from the Food and Formals Officer the next day banning all phones at formals with immediate effect). I did also have my fair share of long library sessions and dissertation meltdowns, although these were helped by Senior Tutor Dr Mark Ogden’s mysterious Krispy Kreme donut hunts during exam season and the excitement of graduation on the horizon.
Fast forward a few years and I still held my memories of John’s in high regard when a vacancy arose to join the trustee board. Taking on the role of trustee in 2021, and subsequently becoming Chair in 2022, has been hugely rewarding over the years – although not without its challenges. At the time of joining, the impact of the pandemic was felt keenly by all in College and particularly by those members of the SJCR Exec who were trying to navigate social activities around rules and restrictions that seemed to change daily. As a consequence, engagement with the SJCR was lower than in previous years and there were plenty of opportunities to improve the way the charity was run.
It has therefore been both a joy and privilege to witness the transformation of the SJCR over the past 4 years. Supported by talented Presidents and committed members of the Tier One exec, along with dedicated external trustees, we have changed our governance structure to that of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (protecting our trustees from personal liability), improved policies and processes for the benefit of the students, and introduced a new strategic framework for objective setting and decision making across the board.
I am hugely grateful to all those who have taken a role in the SJCR, including all members of the Tier One executive over the years and particularly the Presidents I have worked with in this time: Molly Byford, Alice Butler, Thomas Jackson, Anna Robinson, Emily Martin, and Oliver Davis, as well as current and former external trustees: Carys Harper, Martin Hodgetts, Susie Curtis, Angela Cook, David Tait, Natalia Falancinska and Adrian Davis. Being on the board can be a huge amount of work but is also incredibly rewarding, and everyone named here has made a direct and meaningful difference to the student experience at John’s.
And so, after countless train journeys to Durham, many hours in the Vasey Room, a couple of invitations to high table (no more selfies) and too many risk assessments to even try to add up, I am now handing over the role of Chair of the Board to Dr Adrian Davis, who will bring a refreshed style of leadership and renewed vision to the board over the coming years. Thank you again to everyone who has been a part of my extended journey with St John’s College and the SJCR – I’m sure I will be back again soon!
