The Liverpool Hope University family came together for an emotional Foundation Day ceremony this week, remembering those lost during the pandemic and saying a prayer for everyone impacted by the war in Ukraine.
The Foundation Day service is Hope’s annual celebration of and reflection on its 177 year history, having been founded when three colleges - St Katharine’s, Notre Dame College and Christ’s College - came together.
And this year the service was not only used to appoint Liverpool Councillor Anna Rothery as an Honorary Senior Fellow, it was also an opportunity to remember those close to Hope who’ve passed away in the last two years.
Dr Penny Haughan, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost at Hope, said: “Across the country, and indeed the world, many parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues and children have been lost. We stop today to remember them.
“In particular today, we stop to remember members of our community, both staff and students.”
You can read about those remembered below.
Marie-Therese Lacey, Ecumenical Chaplain and Student Development and Wellbeing Counsellor, said a prayer for ‘displaced people across the world, especially those in Ukraine’.
She added: “May they find light in the darkness.”
In a moving speech, Hope Vice-Chancellor and Rector Professor Gerald Pillay also spoke about the ethos and values of the University.
He said: “The story of Liverpool Hope University really is a story of hope. What we are today is something long held in the imagination of our founders, yet also something bigger and more wonderful.
“You are all part of a great tradition that has grown for more than 177 years. Those who come after us will keep building on this foundation, which we celebrate today.”
The service also saw the award of Hope’s annual ‘Excellence in Learning and Teaching Prizes’ for 2021 and 2022, handed-out each year to staff, teams, Schools or Departments who can demonstrate a commitment to enhancing the student experience.
This year, the prize winners were those who went ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ through the pandemic.
Recipients were Dr Niamh Malone, Principal Lecturer in Drama, for her work in adapting performances for online ‘Zoom’ audiences, alongside Annalaura Alifuoco, Lecturer in Drama and Performance Studies, and Zoe Zontou, Associate Professor in Drama, for their Ghost Stories online performative assessment.
Elsewhere Dr Joshua Gulam, Lecturer in Film, Dr Noel Brown, Senior Lecturer in Film, and Robert Watts received a prize for their Critical Analysis Project: Box of Broadcasts Playlist and Written Forum discussion.
There were also High Commendations for Jane Brie & Linda Kerr, both from Hope’s Early Childhood team, for their Story Writing and links to Child Development presentation, and for historian Ruth Canning’s Castle to Classroom: a virtual reality tour of a sixteenth-century Irish castle.
** Hope remembers students and colleagues from the Hope Community, and others, lost during the Covid period:
Mrs Karen Foxton
Karen was a much- loved Administrator at Hope with a keen eye for order and detail and who, according to those who worked with her, liked things to be right. One colleague, Cathy Walsh, described her as a ‘special and much loved friend to many of us’.“She had a great sense of fun, an infectious laugh and a loyalty that those who knew her will never forget.”
Dr Jamie Murray
A Senior Lecturer in Law at Hope, Dr Murray was a universally respected as a highly-gifted teacher of law and as an academic scholar of considerable repute. Dr Ian Johnson, of Hope’s School of Law, says: “Dr Jamie Murray was always a fount of knowledge and immeasurable assistance to colleagues, a guide and inspiration to students and a true friend; he is sorely missed.”
Professor James Keaton
Former Chair of the Liverpool Hope University Foundation, Professor Keaton worked to bridge the gap between higher education and business. Ian McKenna, of the Liverpool Hope Business School, said: “He was respected and admired by all of us who had the honour of calling him a colleague and friend.”
Professor Andrew Walls
Pioneering historian Andrew Walls was Professor of the History of Missions at Hope and chief patron of the Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity. Hope’s Professor Daniel Jeyaraj said ‘his outstanding contributions lead us to celebrate his legacy’.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
In 2007, humanitarian Archbishop Tutu agreed to his name being given to Hope’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu Centre for War and Peace Studies and he also visited Hope Park. Dr Terry Phillips, Chair of the International Advisory Board for the Centre, said: “The Centre is proud to bear the name of this man who stood not only for justice, but for peace and reconciliation.”
Bishop Vincent Malone
Vincent Malone was ordained priest in September 1955, and his first appointment was as Chaplain to Notre Dame Convent and College on Mount Pleasant – one of Hope’s founding colleges. He was ordained Titular Bishop of Abora and Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool in July 1989. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Liverpool Hope in 2012.
Erin Donald
BA Social Work Level C. Erin joined Hope 2018.
Simon Hartland
PGCE Secondary Biology. Simon joined Hope in 2020.
Jonathan Roberts
BSc Computer Science Level C. Jonathan joined Hope in 2020.
Yi Sun
BA Education Level I. Yi Joined Hope in 2018.
Lydia Tinsley
BA International Relations and Philosophy & Ethics Level C. Lydia joined Hope in 2019.