Portal:University_of_Oxford
Portal:University of Oxford
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The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation. It grew rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to Cambridge where they established what became the University of Cambridge. The two English ancient universities share many common features and are jointly referred to as Oxbridge.
The University of Oxford is made up of thirty-nine semi-autonomous constituent colleges, four permanent private halls, and a range of academic departments which are organised into four divisions. Each college is a self-governing institution within the university, controlling its own membership and having its own internal structure and activities. All students are members of a college. Traditionally, each of Oxford's constituent colleges is associated with another of the colleges in the University of Cambridge, with the only exceptional addition of Trinity College, Dublin. It does not have a main campus, and its buildings and facilities are scattered throughout the city centre. Undergraduate teaching at Oxford consists of lectures, small-group tutorials at the colleges and halls, seminars, laboratory work and occasionally further tutorials provided by the central university faculties and departments. Postgraduate teaching is provided in a predominantly centralised fashion.
Oxford operates the Ashmolean Museum, the world's oldest university museum; Oxford University Press, the largest university press in the world; and the largest academic library system nationwide. In the fiscal year ending 31 July 2023, the university had a total consolidated income of £2.92 billion, of which £789 million was from research grants and contracts.
Oxford has educated a wide range of notable alumni, including 30 prime ministers of the United Kingdom and many heads of state and government around the world. 73 Nobel Prize laureates, 4 Fields Medalists, and 6 Turing Award winners have matriculated, worked, or held visiting fellowships at the University of Oxford, while its alumni have won 160 Olympic medals. Oxford is the home of numerous scholarships, including the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest international graduate scholarship programmes. (Full article...)
The position of Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford was founded in 1918 shortly after the end of the First World War. Ferdinand Foch, or "Marshal Foch" (pictured), was supreme commander of Allied forces from April 1918 onwards. The chair was endowed by an arms trader, Basil Zaharoff, in Foch's honour; he also endowed a post in English literature at the University of Paris in honour of the British general Earl Haig. Zaharoff wanted the University of Paris to have a right of veto over the appointment, but Oxford would not accept this. The compromise reached was that Paris should have a representative on the appointing committee (although this provision was later removed). In advance of the first election, Stéphen Pichon (the French Foreign Minister) unsuccessfully attempted to influence the decision. The first professor, Gustave Rudler, was appointed in 1920. As of 2014, the chair is held by Michael Sheringham, appointed in 2004. The position is held in conjunction with a fellowship of All Souls College. (Full article...)
Ian Smith (1903–1972) was a rugby union wing who played 32 Tests for Scotland and two Tests for the British Isles. Born in Australia and brought up in New Zealand, he moved to England and was educated at Winchester College, before studying at Oxford University and later Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby (having only played football at school); he captained the university team to victory against Cambridge in the 1923 Varsity Match, scoring two tries. He was eventually selected for Scotland, for whom he was eligible because of his Scottish parents. He toured with the British Isles (now known as the British and Irish Lions) to South Africa in 1924, and played all four matches in Scotland's first ever Five Nations Grand Slam in 1925. He represented Scotland until 1933 when he captained them in their Triple Crown winning season. His 24 international tries, all scored in the Five Nations or Home Nations, was an international record until 1987 and a record for the Five/Six Nations until 2011. Smith still holds joint possession of the Scottish record. (Full article...)
New College was established in 1379 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, and stands on Holywell Street and New College Lane to the east of the city centre. It was founded in conjunction with a school, Winchester College, with the intention that students from Winchester would progress to New College, and both institutions have buildings by master mason William Wynford. At the time of its foundation, it was the largest Oxford college, and now has about 420 undergraduates and 180 postgraduates. The buildings include a large chapel, in which the college choir of boys (educated at the nearby New College School) and men sing regular services. The large grounds include part of the old Oxford city wall, and the college is still inspected once every three years by the Lord Mayor to ensure that the college is maintaining the wall as William of Wykeham promised. New College Boat Club represented Great Britain in the 1912 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal for rowing. Former students include the politician Tony Benn, archbishop Henry Chichele (founder of All Souls College), the judge Lord Goff of Chieveley, and the actor Hugh Grant. Past or present fellows include Richard Dawkins, Marcus du Sautoy, Isaiah Berlin and H. L. A. Hart. (Full article...)
Articles from Wikipedia's "Did You Know" archives about the university and people associated with it:
- ... that the Scots American War Memorial (detail pictured) has a poetic line by Ewan Mackintosh who was killed while observing fighting at Cambrai?
- ... that William David Davies was the first Welsh non-conformist to obtain a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Oxford?
- ... that former Gloucestershire cricket captain Sir Derrick Bailey founded an airline and based the colour of its planes on the racing colours of his South African father?
- ... that English mathematician and geographer Robert Hues served his master Thomas Grey, the last Baron Grey de Wilton, while Grey was imprisoned in the Tower of London?
- ... that Rev William Cotton, vicar of Frodsham, Cheshire, introduced the skills of beekeeping to New Zealand in the 1840s?
Events for 25 March relating to the university, its colleges, academics and alumni. College affiliations are marked in brackets.
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