The Clare Dilettante Society
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2010 - 2011
Patron: Sir Nicholas Barrington KCMG CVO
President: Mark Schenk (ms652@cam.ac.uk)
Treasurer: Ahir Shah (as2021@cam.ac.uk)
Secretary: Alison McDougall-Weil (afm35@cam.ac.uk)
The Dilettante Society was originally founded back in 1882 by a group of students. It served as a forum for informal discussion where undergraduates and fellows could meet and debate issues in a relaxed environment. The topics were varied, but the format for the meetings was well standardised: a speaker would talk on the subject of interest for between 20 and 30 minutes, followed by a general discussion where everyone would have a chance to air their views.
Unfortunately, the Dilettante Society has not had a constant existence. Every so often, interest in the Society would wane and the Society would fold. However, it has always, eventually, been revived. The current Society dates its own renaissance to 1997, when an alumnus of the College and the Society, Sir Nicholas Barrington, became an Honorary Fellow and took measures to bring it back to life.
For more information, please contact Mark Schenk ms652@cam.ac.uk