Lancaster is one of only a handful of universities to operate within a collegiate structure that breaks down the population in to smaller communities. All of the students join a college and as a member of staff, you will be afforded the same privilege.

There are eight undergraduate colleges and one postgraduate college at Lancaster and the choice is yours. If you don't know which to choose before you start here you will be assigned to one, but you can always change your affiliation later if you find one that you'd like to be part of.

How can I get involved?

There's a variety of ways you can join in. If you are interested in finding out more about staff events within the College or are interested in volunteering, do get in touch with the College Manager Jo.

Come to a Syndicate meeting

All University employees who are senior members automatically become members of the College Syndicate, which usually meets once per term. This happens before the meeting of the University Senate and will discuss the Senate agenda and any matters relating to the College. Syndicate provides a useful forum in which senior members can discuss University matters and raise particular items of interest, and a light lunch is provided to attendees.

It is normally attended by the College Officers, the JCR Executive and a few members of staff who don't hold a formal role. We're always welcoming new faces! Our Syndicate meetings have been scheduled for 1 pm on 7 November 2023, 26 February 2024 and 11 June 2024. If you would like to attend a Syndicate Meeting then please get in touch with the College Manager.

Come to a social event or join us on a College trip

We arrange several social events for senior members each term and join in with collaborative '9 College' events. You can come on your own or with somebody else - they don't have to work here or even be a member of Furness! We occasionally host wine or whiskey-tasting events or lunchtime talks with people with something of interest to talk about. These events enable staff from a variety of departments to meet each other informally, and we hope to welcome you on as many of them as take your fancy!

Nine College Staff Quiz

Do you enjoy quizzing? Staff are invited to join other members of their College for a weekly lunchtime quiz in Fylde Common Room, during the Summer term, commencing week 22. If you are interested in joing our team and meet members, we have a private Teams channel. Please contact your College Manager, Jo who will add you to the group.

Saturday 16 March Furness Memorial Day and Furness Fellow presentations

For the first time, on Saturday 16 March 2024 from 12noon until 10.30pm, we will be hold our first College Memorial Day.
Thanks to the gracious permission of those involved, we will bring together the Nick Lewis Football match and the Richard Slatter Pool Competition in the hope we can have a day of commemoration (and hopefully celebration) which will be enjoyed by both past and current members of the college.
Early evening, there will be Furness Felllow presentations, followed by live music in Trevor Bar. Open to all staff, students, alumni, friends and family. If you are interested in attending and would like further information, please contact the Furness College Manager.

The provisional date for the next Furness Memorial Day is Saturday 15 March 2025. Information will be posted on the website and on our Alumni Facebook group.

Network - Join us for a meet and greet

Join us when we host a 'Meet and Greet' for all new and current staff who are affiliated with Furness College. New starters to the university are encouraged to join us and meet staff from other Departments who all have one thing in common, you are all members of Furness College. So join us over the lunchtime period where you can relax, find out more about the College and we'll provide the refreshments.

We have scheduled in the following dates for this academic year:

• Term 1 - 29 November 2023.
• Term 2 - 6 March 2024.
• Term 3 - 5 June 2024. Please register for Senior Members Networking, Term 3, if you'd like to join us at this event.

All events will take place in the Furness TV Room between 12.30 and 1.30 pm. If you would like to join us, please register via LibCal, Network booking so we can order enough refreshments.

Join in on Graduation Day

Graduation Day is one of the key events of the year as we see our students off in style. The University encourages staff members to sit on the stage for the ceremony and will send out details about hiring robes (at no cost to yourself of course) in advance. Registration opens during the summer term and details can be found on the graduation webpage. Our College celebrations will take place on Friday 19 July 2024. Furness College invites all those sitting on the stage to join us in the college for the celebrations, as our guests.

Give us a talk or start a group

If you have something interesting to talk about and want to give a presentation we can facilitate a lunchtime talk in our TV room. In the past we've had talks on managing the Lake District, exploring the Chornobyl exclusion zone, and the history of the University and the Lancaster County Mental Hospital. All very varied! If you'd like to set up a group such as a book club or lunchtime walking group we can help facilitate that. If this is of interest to you, please contact Jo Dickinson, the Furness College Manager.

Take up a college role

Aside from the informal opportunities we occasionally recruit for more formal roles within the college team, for those that want to take on something else besides their main employment within the University. The Principal, Dean, Senior and Deputy Advisor are all honorary roles, as are the College Advisor Team.