The St George's House year runs from the beginning of September. The House is closed in August for cleaning, refurbishment and redecoration of the public rooms and the bedrooms. This year more extensive work was undertaken externally with the replacement of some windows, painting and repairs to the roof. The maintenance to a high standard of the seventeenth century buildings that comprise St George's House is a constant challenge.

The Autumn saw the re-launch of the Clergy Courses at the House. These have been a feature of its work since St George's House was established some forty years ago. However, last year the opportunity was taken to review the courses and to revise them in the light of the needs of today's clergy. In October 24 clergy came together for ten days to discuss how they talked about God in the context of many issues facing contemporary society. In pursuit of this aim, each day was dedicated to the examination of one particular issue. That issue was tackled through Bible study, book reviews, discussion and debate. There was also the opportunity to listen to an expert speaker on the subject In that way, each day offered the opportunity to think through a major issue facing contemporary Church and Society. The participants came from different Christian traditions and entered into lively and engaging conversation. As a result, they returned to their place of ministry refreshed and reinvigorated, and speaking more confidently and convincingly about God.

The House has also this term been the venue for the Windsor Debates inaugurated in the Summer by the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce. These are intended to create an awareness and understanding of contemporary issues that impact on business from an economic and cultural perspective. The first debate considered the impact on business from an economic and cultural perspective. In September the debate moved to skills and the question of whether the UK has the skills for tomorrow. The final discussion of 2007 tackled the topical issues of terrorism and security. Whilst no one could argue that the topics debated were of the highest magnitude, the Chamber found that the benefits of the debates transcended the subjects discussed. Delegates leading high-level and pressurised lives enjoyed taking time out from their jobs for blue-sky thinking, and came away energised and focussed.

The Windsor Leadership Trust continued to meet at the House in order to promote its vision for leadership. The Trust believes that exceptional leadership can have a powerful and positive impact on society. Its goal is to provide inspirational programmes for leaders from all sectors who have, or will have, the potential to shape the future of their own organisations, and society. By bringing them together at key stages of their leadership journey, the Trust creates opportunities for them to interact with, and learn from, other leaders from very different walks of life. Each year 150 leaders from around 50 different organisations, across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, take part in the Trust's programmes. The spread of countries and sectors represented is growing. From its ten years of experience, the Trust knows that when dynamic, committed and potentially influential leaders, who would never ordinarily meet, are introduced to stimulating speakers and given space to reflect on their roles, there are huge personal and professional benefits.

In November a major international consultation was organised by St George's House in partnership with the University of Virginia. This focussed on 'Public Purpose and Public Support of Research-Intensive Universities'. The objective of this consultation was to focus high-level consideration on problems that transcend national boundaries and to develop a framework for advancing the public purpose and public support of research-intensive universities. The international composition of the participants reflected the proposition that the returns from the activities of research-intensive universities extend across national border, and, as such, institutions of higher education face common challenges and opportunities for collective action. The boundaries of study and academic employment are no longer local, as a sizeable fraction of students and faculty reside and conduct their scholarly activities in multiple countries. Through new forms of collaboration, research-intensive universities can make greater contributions to advance health, security and education in poor and developing countries. This consultation set the stage for a broader, more public exploration of policy questions related to the public purpose and public support or research-intensive universities which will take place at the University of Virginia in November 2008.

The House has completed its Leadership Initiative on AIDS. Developing out of its international programme of work on AIDS over the past five years, it was felt that the House could play a particularly useful role in the sphere of leadership in the AIDS movement. The global AIDS crisis will not be harnessed until there are sufficient numbers of people who appreciate the problem and are willing to implement solutions. This means there is a substantial need to grow the numbers of people who understand the challenge of AIDS and are committed to doing something about it. This Leadership Initiative aimed to create a network of global influencers to support a comprehensive response to HIV and AIDS by developing and implementing a leadership framework that ensures and fosters active and sustainable engagement. It is hoped that this Initiative will have contributed to the production of a cadre of individuals of influence to engage in the response to AIDS and policy debates.

Finally, the fifth joint higher education consultation with the Council for Industry and Higher Education and the Society for Research in Higher Education addresses the theme of 'Leadership in an Age of Supercomplexity'. The aim was to share ideas and experiences of the evolving connectedness between higher education and business. Just as universities are becoming more business-like, so businesses are becoming more knowledge-centred. The discussions explored ways in which the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences on leadership and management can be shared between higher education and business. The consultation focussed on:

• The impact on UK universities, in terms of styles and philosophies of management and leadership, of business concepts and the impact of new governance arrangements.
  
  
• Leadership in both the business and HE sectors in an age of 'supercomplexity' where both sectors face global competition, radical organisational change and pressure to manage and lead their organisations in times of uncertainty and complexity

The discussions were informed by inputs from leading thinkers in the field, and also involved open discussion and sharing of delegate knowledge and experiences.

In addition to these particular events which have been highlighted, the house continues its range of work with its Fellows and regular partners. Information on these activities can be found on their respective web sites:

www.2waytrust.com

www.open-agenda.co.uk

www.bshf.org

After a lull around Christmas, the House now has a very full and varied programme through to next July.

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