September alumni newsletter 2023
Welcome to your September alumni newsletter. It’s been a quieter few months on campus since the students went home for the holidays, so this month we’re excited to see campus full of life again. This month our York and London campuses will be welcoming new and returning students to campus with a range of fantastic activities.
This month the alumni team will also be sending your annual alumni magazine to the printers, confirming the Class of 2023 pin badge winner and announcing an upcoming alumni event for our Ripon alumni.
Upcoming short courses
Did you know York St John offers a wide range of short courses suitable for both Continued Professional Development (CPD) and personal interests? These are offered in a range of formats, with some offered entirely online. Our professional courses and workshops cover a wide range of subjects, for example: health and social care, counselling and mental health, leadership and team development and education. We also offer a range of personal development workshops to improve your skills and knowledge in a particular area, and perhaps try out something new, including life drawing and British sign language.
Two upcoming courses you might be interested in are:
- British Sign Language course. Over 9 weeks this course will both teach you the foundations of the language, and help you to understand and support BSL users. For more information and to book you place please visit our webpage Introduction to British Sign Language.
- Supporting Pupils Wellbeing Through Physical Education. This course will equip you with the tools and practical knowledge to support your students emotional wellbeing through physical education. For more information and to book your place please visit the Level 4 in Supporting Pupils Wellbeing Through Physical Education
You can complete this online form to enquire about any of our courses or to discuss the development of a bespoke programme for your business/employees .
Alumination
Have you completed your alumni snapshot yet? We’d like to receive as many snapshots as possible from our fantastic alumni community so we can showcase our alumni community on Alumination.
Complete your snapshot: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/alumination/
Browse Alumination: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/alumination/
York 10k
Early last month, our community team ran the York 10k after months of training and preparation. We’d like to say a massive thank you to our runners, and to everyone who has already supported them.
All of our fantastic team completed the race in under 90 minutes with some runners completing their 10k in less than an hour! You can find out more about the day on our blog and you can keep supporting our runners on JustGiving to meet their £1500 target until Friday 8 September.
Podcasts
Did you know that some of our departments, teams, projects and Institutions have their own podcasts? Our English Literature department and the Institute for Social Justice both have podcasts which explore the research they undertake and the projects they’re working on.
Find out more about the Pass It On: A Words Matter Podcast on Spotify.
Find out more about the Conversations in Social Justice Podcast on Spotify.
Campus tour
Have you been wondering what some parts of campus are used for these days? Recently, York St John created a video campus tour for our prospective students, covering every area of our campus and our sports campus at Haxby Road.
You can watch it on YouTube for free.
Welcome Week
This month, we’ll be welcoming new and returning students back to campus. A few things might have changed since you studied with us, but some things never change and the basics of welcome week is one of them! Welcome Week is when students move into their accommodation, visit campus as students rather than applicants, and begin making friendships that will last a lifetime. The tradition of buying various things, including plants and posters to decorate their new rooms is also a time honoured tradition.
You can read all about this year’s Welcome Week on our website, including a new addition of crazy golf on campus! Some of our Residential Support Assistants have pulled together a list of places they’d recommend students visit in their first weeks living in York. Including the City Walls, York Designer Outlet and the ice-cream boats moored down the Ouse, you can read their full list of recommendations on their blog.
If you’d like to share what you remember from your first month studying with us, please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk.
News from campus
Last month 60 tansy beetles were released into an ‘ark’ habitat at our Haxby Road site as part of ongoing conservation efforts. You can learn more about the tansy beetle and why it is being conserved on our website.
York St John was ranked 19th in our latest NSS survey, with students rating their overall university experience with us positively in a range of areas. You can read about the survey results on our website.
York to host Women’s Rugby World Cup
From one World Cup to another, last month it was revealed that York would be one of the eight cities hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025! This is fantastic news for York and for any local rugby fans hoping to watch elite sport a bit closer to home.
You can find out more about this on the Make It York website.
York unlocked
After last year’s success, York unlocked is back on 7 and 8 October. York unlocked is a free citywide event opening up private residences, unseen areas and various buildings for the general public to see. Many buildings don’t require booking, but some spaces are offering special tours. Buildings include the Guildhall, York Medical Society and many, many churches. Places like Bishopthorpe Palace, Terry’s Clock tower and the Bar Convent are offering exclusive tours too.
Find out more about this year’s event and where you could explore on their website.
Community language school seeks volunteers
The Community Language School is looking for volunteers who are proficient in a language other than English who are enthusiastic about language learning. The School aims to create classes that emphasis language learning in children and teenagers.
You don’t need any teaching experience, just enthusiasm and the ability to commit at least half a year of classes (around 10 Saturdays a year). Find out more about this volunteering opportunity on our website.
EasyFundraising
Did you know you can support our alumni-funded scholarships for free when you complete your usual online shopping? When you shop through EasyFundraising, we’ll receive a donation to our scholarship fund. You’ll never pay extra for your purchases and we never find out what you’ve been buying either.
Find out more https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ysjalumni/
Events
As term begins, why not come back to campus for one of our upcoming events? Including official book launches, research showcase and inaugural lectures, keep an eye out for upcoming events happening this autumn on Eventbrite.
Did you know?
The quad has always been part of York St John … or has it? Established in 1841, we moved to our Lord Mayor’s Walk campus in 1846 and from that point on, most assume we had our iconic quad. But in fact, for over 50 years York St John didn’t have a quad at all, instead favouring a U shaped design.
Find out more about our quad in our latest blog post on WordPress.
It’s never too late to start writing
Last month we were contacted by alumna Nancy Millman (nee Holroyd), who studied at Ripon College from 1961- 1963. After working as a primary school teacher before moving into her family business, it wasn’t until Nancy retired that she found time to fulfil an ambition inspired by one of her English Literature Tutors, Miss Lyle.
The Crown of Shamash was released on 31 August 2023 and follows the Tobias the Woodcarver and the Trelvans as they try to save their home from destruction. You can find out more about the book on Amazon.
If you remember West Wing or Nancy from your time studying at Ripon and would like to reconnect with her, please email alumni@yorksj.ac.uk .
