People
Meet the Welfare Team
Revd Vance Vidal, Chaplain
Vance is currently the Chaplain at Selwyn, having come to Dunedin from America via seventeen years in the Bay of Islands and seven years of parish ministry in Southland and Central. A chaplain once before, at the University of Arizona, Vance has also taught high school English and Drama for over twenty-five years in Arizona and Northland and has been involved as a director in many community and youth theatre groups. Now his time is divided between Selwyn and area churches and environmental groups and developing with his family a small block west of Mosgiel.
He often can be seen rushing about Dunedin in his red dented PT Cruiser with an ancient bearded collie hanging out the back window. Mysticism has made him a "contrarian" at heart. He loves skiing, tennis, working out the back on the tractor, and — while most people are partying at 3am — surfing Yahoo! Finance to catch the next dip in the market. Of his new role at Selwyn, Vance says, "It's sweet to be working again in a university community. I've really missed it!"
Sub-wardens
Matthew McGovern, in various capacities and roles, has now spent four of his eight years at The University of Otago as a resident at Selwyn College. He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics. He is currently undertaking a PhD in Quantum Optics, looking to complete it this year, while in his leisure time has taken on a role of a rowing coach for a local team.
Kirsten Walsh comes to Selwyn from Medley Hall, one of the residential colleges owned by the University of Melbourne, where she was the Senior Residential Tutor. She completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History and Philosophy of Science and a Masters in Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Early Modern Natural Philosophy at the University of Otago.
Mikaela Ingram comes to Selwyn with previous experience as a Resident Assistant at Carrington College. She was also awarded the L'Oreal Marketing Scholarship at the University of Otago in 2009, and has managed twenty Otago student exchange participants with AIESEC in Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, India and Romania.
Night Porters
Stan Westwood & Danny Taimalieutu are the College's two Night Porters.