New Staff

Durham University’s newest college…

If you are a new member of staff, congratulations on your appointment to Durham University. As you may be aware, Durham is a collegiate university and this has a significant bearing on the lives of students and of many staff. In addition to being part of their department and of the wider University, the colleges allow students to feel part of a smaller and more immediately supportive living community. Each college supports a wide range of clubs and societies and encourages students to play as active a part in both the academic and social aspects of being at University as possible. Students tend to be proud of the spirit within their colleges and have very strong loyalties to them, maintaining links with their ‘home’ long after they have left the university.

… invites you to get involved

Josephine Butler College is the first new college in Durham City for 30 years and took its first new students at the start of the 2006-7 academic year. It is sited on South Road, between Collingwood and Ustinov Colleges and consists of fully self-catered, en-suite residences and a comprehensive suite of social areas and facilities. We are keen to involve as wide a variety of people in the development of the college as possible.

… and network with staff

Staff and members of the local community play a key role in all of the colleges. There are two main ways in which they can get involved at Butler - being a member of the Senior Common Room or being a College Mentor. The SCR both has a role as a 'social club' for staff (which may involve the SCR getting together for meals (sometimes a formal meal with students and sometimes just as the SCR), organising wine tasting, seminars, walking groups, sports etc.) and as an avenue for helping students get a wider perspective on life (such as running seminars with them, helping them think about the world of work, encouraging them to get involved in community projects etc.).

… and students

College mentoring involves taking a group of first year students and getting to know them in a positive capacity from their first few days in Durham through to their graduation. It is an opportunity to be instrumental in a modest but sometimes quite crucial way in the lives of young people whilst being part of a mutually supportive college community. The students may come from a disparate set of departments, so the role of the mentor is not to directly help them with their academic work, but to support them in their overall development - for example, meeting with them regularly to ask them about their progress, encouraging them to join clubs and societies, keeping an eye out for any potential problems and even acting as an advocate for them if they find themselves in difficulty. Students value the relationship they build up with their college mentors and often use them for job references at the end of their time at University, and keep in touch for many years after.

… interested? Send us an email and pay us a visit!

If you are interested in becoming a member of Josephine Butler College, please contact Clare Griffin.