At Worcester your membership of the College lasts for life. After graduation, you become an ‘Old Member’ and remain an important part of the Worcester community. You’ll always be welcome at your home away from home in the heart of Oxford.
The Development Team helps support your ongoing connection with College and with the rest of your Old Member community. We want to keep you involved and connected – both to the College and to one another – by organising an engaging annual programme of online and face-to-face events alongside regular communications.
As an Old Member you can enjoy a great range of benefits, including regular publications and special events. We always look forward to welcoming you back to Worcester for your Gaudy, special reunions which happen in College specifically for your year group.
Our Old Member network
“I loved my time as a Worcester undergraduate and believe it’s important to keep these connections going.”
“Worcester is very proud of our community of Old Members. They support us in myriad ways, not only financially, but through their community spirit and generosity. It is incredibly important to us that our Old Members stay connected to the College and each other.”
“I have so many fond memories of my time at Worcester, and just wish I could do it over again. I made friends for life there who have been my biggest cheerleaders and support both in my professional career and personal life!”
“I loved my time as a Worcester undergraduate and believe it’s important to keep these connections going.”
“Worcester is very proud of our community of Old Members. They support us in myriad ways, not only financially, but through their community spirit and generosity. It is incredibly important to us that our Old Members stay connected to the College and each other.”
“I have so many fond memories of my time at Worcester, and just wish I could do it over again. I made friends for life there who have been my biggest cheerleaders and support both in my professional career and personal life!”
Your college for life
As a Worcester Old Member, you’ll always be welcomed back for a visit and a wander in our beautiful gardens. You can also enjoy discounted overnight stays in College and even choose to arrange your wedding in our unique surroundings.
We have an annual events programme specially designed for our alumni including online academic lectures, garden tours, subject dinners and London events for our Young Alumni Group. We also roll out the red carpet to celebrate Gaudy weekends, Golden & Diamond Anniversary reunions, and special events to recognise our generous donors.
As a University of Oxford graduate, your My Oxford alumni card also opens up a host of benefits, including continued access to the Careers Service, Bodleian Libraries and networking through EnSpire Oxford. You can also access exclusive discounts in Oxford and online, join alumni groups to meet like-minded graduates, and continue to enjoy free access to all of the University’s colleges.
Browse our alumni events My Oxford benefits & discounts Worcester Bed & Breakfast
Worcester publications
Keep abreast of the latest Worcester news with our regular publications and termly e-Newsletter. From annual reports in the Record, to engaging features in the Magazine, our publications keep you in the loop about the life of the College, our students and our fellows. There are plenty of alumni features too – if you’d like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re grateful for your support
The Development Team is also responsible for Worcester’s fundraising, working closely with our academics to support their research and teaching, and providing funding to students through scholarships, bursaries and outreach programmes. We also raise funds to support our historic buildings and grounds, ensuring that they’re fit for the 21st century and preserved in perpetuity.
Your continued support allows Worcester to flourish, and provides for students who couldn’t otherwise afford to continue their studies. Worcester only exists thanks to the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, and it’s because of you that we can continue educating students in this incredible, unique setting.
We’ve committed to transparency in our fundraising and now acknowledge how your donations have been used and who they have benefited. A full list of donor names (if permission is given) are included in the annual College Record as well as the regular Donor Impact Report.
Meet our team
Director of Development
Viola Kerr
Viola Kerr
Director of Development
Governing Body Fellow
Viola Kerr is Worcester’s Director of Development and a Governing Body Fellow. She manages the Development and Alumni Relations team and is responsible for delivering our new Development strategy, an essential component in the success of the College’s five-year strategic plan.
Deputy Director of Development
Dr Millie Papworth
Dr Millie Papworth
Deputy Director of Development
As Deputy Director of Development, Millie works with some of Worcester’s most generous supporters, and has oversight of our regular giving and legacy programmes.
She grew up near Oxford and moved away to study, eventually completing a PhD in Italian literature. She decided that her path lay elsewhere in higher education though, so switched into fundraising and philanthropy, and has worked at Colleges in Cambridge and Oxford.
She cares deeply about reducing educational inequality and is a trustee of Oxford Hub.
Database & Stewardship Officer
Carmen Guanzon
Carmen Guanzon
Database & Stewardship Officer
Carmen is responsible for managing our database systems and recording donations.
Regular Giving Officer
Rob Moss
Rob Moss
Regular Giving Officer
Rob is responsible for Worcester’s regular giving programme and donations to the Worcester Fund, including raising funds for the College and its students through telephone campaign support.
Alumni Events Officer
Caitlin Ross
Caitlin Ross
Alumni Events Officer
Cait’s role includes the administration of the alumni events programme. For event enquiries Cait is your contact at omevents@worc.ox.ac.uk.
Development Coordinator
Emily
Emily
Development Coordinator
Emily is the first point of contact for enquiries to the Development Office and provides research and administrative support on a wide range of matters for the Director of Development.
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