or planned discussions designed to take an intense
look at a particular aspect of the College’s development.
Much of the detailed work of governance is taken
on by seven Committees of Go Bo: the Academic
and Pastoral Committee and the Finance Committee
are arguably the senior ones, but fully supported by
five others which are Works (especially busy with the
KP project), Development, Nominations, Audit and
Risk, and Investment.
All these Committees meet once a term, always
ahead of the full Go Bo meeting to which their
work contributes. Four of the Committees - Works,
Development, Audit and Risk, and Investments -
are also assisted by skilled advisers approved by
the Fellows. As with all the Fellows, the advisers’
work is unremunerated, but this has never seemed
to diminish their commitment and contribution. Go
Bo is most grateful to them. As a whole, too, Go Bo
is immensely grateful to the Committee Chairmen,
one of whose tasks is, with the Headmaster and his
team and the Bursars, to bring fully prepared papers
and presentations in good time to their meetings to
enable Fellows to fulfil their duties.
In an effort to ensure that the Committees’ work does
not proceed in isolation, the Sub-Warden, Robert
Sutton (Coll, 1966-71), is a member of all Committees
except Academic and Pastoral, and the Warden attends
as many meetings as possible. It will be a rare meeting
when neither Warden nor Sub-Warden is present.
The workload carried by the Sub-Warden is
impressive and most effectively handled.
The Fellows also commit themselves well beyond
Go Bo’s strict business. Fellows attend many of
the events which make up the school’s life outside
the classrooms, they often join house lunches on
meeting days, and are required to attend annually
at least one full morning’s lessons, in which they
have been known occasionally to participate.
The purpose of all this activity is that Fellows are
thoroughly and directly informed so they can deal
with issues, expected or unexpected, with the best
possible effect. At the same time Fellows look at
the school critically, so that the habit of constructive
challenge is well-grounded, enabling Go Bo to
provide full and reasoned support for the operational
management of the school by the Headmaster and
Bursar, and for their development of longer-term
plans with priorities, so that limited resources are
applied as efficiently as possible.
4 The Wykeham Journal 2017
Fellows serve for fixed terms. The last two Fellows
who were elected for a maximum of 15 years leave
us in 2017 and 2018. All Fellows appointed since
2008 can serve 10 years only. At the price of losing
long experience of and deep involvement with the
school, Go Bo is thus refreshed rather more quickly.
Robert Woods (G, 1960-64) retired from Go Bo in
June 2017. He is a natural friendly sceptic, thinking
for himself, seeing for himself, and never afraid to
inject a contrarian view into discussion. He drove
the maturing of the Development Committee for
six years, and helped build a fundraising team whose
productivity regularly exceeds £3 million each year,
without which our losses would mount and our
bursaries would be modest. Robert was the last
of the Cambridge University nominees. Go Bo
will miss him.
We shall also miss John Nightingale (D, 1973-77),
who worked most effectively for all of his 15 years
as a Fellow, on the Academic and Pastoral Committee
from 2004 (of which he was a fine Chairman in
2016 and 2017), and on Development from 2006.
As a senior Oxford historian, he brought immense
knowledge of university requirements to bear on
the school’s preparation of pupils. He also shared
his experience of fundraising at Magdalen with the
Development Committee, to its great benefit; and we
all owe him thanks for his part in the current fine state
of Win Coll’s archives and the splendour of Treasury.
As to refreshment, Sir Stephen Cobb (A, 1975-80)
joined Go Bo in March 2017 as the Lord Chief
Justice’s nominee, bringing to us a fine legal mind,
and great experience from the Family Division.
We also welcomed Andrew Sykes (K, 1970-74)
as an elected Fellow, with his wealth of knowledge
of financial services. He joined the Finance
Committee, and the Investment Committee
where he was previously an adviser.
Much of the above the reader will be able to find in
precise and extensive form in the College’s Reports
and Financial Statements over the years. I hope
I have been able to add some colour to a governance
structure that is familiar to us, but inevitably less
clear to those who do not work within it.
It is also a chance to thank all those who work on
and around Go Bo for their effective commitment
to the school’s well-being, today and in the future,
without which the school would be diminished,
and this Warden’s contribution modest indeed.