University College, Oxford
Encyclopedia
.
University College (in full The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ"), is a constituent college
of the University of Oxford
in England
. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment
of £110m. It has a claim to being the oldest Oxford college.
. This later date still allows the claim that Univ is the oldest of the Oxford colleges. Until the 16th century it was only open to Fellows studying theology
. As Univ grew in size and wealth, its medieval buildings were replaced with the current Main Quadrangle in the 17th Century. Although the foundation stone was placed on 17 April 1634 the disruption of the English Civil War
meant it was not completed until sometime in 1676. Radcliffe Quad
followed more rapidly by 1719, and the Library was built in 1861. Univ began to accept female undergraduate students in 1979.
runs through the college, but its main entrance is on the High Street
and its grounds are bounded by Merton Street
and Magpie Lane
.
A specially constructed building in the College, the Shelley Memorial
, houses a statue by Edward Onslow Ford
of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
— a former member of the college, who was expelled for writing The Necessity of Atheism
— depicted lying dead on the Italian seashore. Rumour has it that the sunken area around the statue was once filled with water and live goldfish as a student prank. Another apparently common student prank involving the statue has been to paint his genitalia bright colours; for this reason, the statue's appendage is somewhat smaller than it used to be.
Innovation and Best Practice Award. The Univ Alternative Prospectus offers student written advice and guidance to potential Oxford applicants. The award recognises the engagement of the college community, unique newspaper format, forward-thinking use of social media and the collaborative working between staff and students.
of any Oxford (and perhaps Cambridge) College. It is read before every Formal Hall, which is held Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at Univ. The reading is performed by a Scholar of the College, the same person doing it for a whole week, and whoever is sitting at the head of High Table
(typically the Master or the most senior Fellow
at the table if the Master is not dining). The Scholar does not need to know it by heart, although it is not unusual for people to do so.
(who was a master of University College) and two UK Prime Ministers: Clement Attlee
and Harold Wilson
(a Univ fellow
). US President Bill Clinton
and Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke
were also students.
As well as poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
(expelled for writing The Necessity of Atheism
) for whom there is a memorial in college
University College alumni include a Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
, author of the Narnia books C. S. Lewis
and a Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Sir V. S. Naipaul
. Actors Michael York
and Warren Mitchell
attended the college, as well as broadcaster Paul Gambaccini
.
It is due to the college's lack of a mathematics fellow (this is no longer the case) that Professor Stephen Hawking
read a natural sciences degree and ended up specialising in physics. A perhaps more unusual alumni is Prince Felix Yusupov
, the assassin of Rasputin.
Univ has the highest proportion of old members offering financial support to the college of any Oxbridge college with 28% in 2007.
(sometimes described as the "first modern chemist") and his assistant (Robert Hooke
, architect, biologist, discoverer of cells) lived in Deep Hall (then owned by Christ Church
and now the site of the Shelley Memorial
). The former made a contribution to the completion of University College's current Hall in the mid-17th Century.
Samuel Johnson
(author of A Dictionary of the English Language
and a member of Pembroke College
) was a frequent visitor to the Senior Common Room at University College during the 18th Century).
and the Devas Club
. News about and obituaries
of former students are included at the end of each issue.
Previous editors include Peter Bayley, A. D. M. Cox and Leslie Mitchell
. The current editor is Dr Robin Darwall-Smith.
University College (in full The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ"), is a constituent college
Colleges of the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford comprises 38 Colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university, and all teaching staff and students studying for a degree of the university must belong to one of the colleges...
of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
of £110m. It has a claim to being the oldest Oxford college.
History
Some claim the college was founded by King Alfred in 872. However most agree its foundation was in 1249 by William of DurhamWilliam of Durham
William of Durham , who is said to have founded University College, Oxford, England. He probably came from Sedgefield, County Durham and was educated at Wearmouth monastery and in Paris, France....
. This later date still allows the claim that Univ is the oldest of the Oxford colleges. Until the 16th century it was only open to Fellows studying theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. As Univ grew in size and wealth, its medieval buildings were replaced with the current Main Quadrangle in the 17th Century. Although the foundation stone was placed on 17 April 1634 the disruption of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
meant it was not completed until sometime in 1676. Radcliffe Quad
Radcliffe Quad
The Radcliffe Quadrangle is the second quadrangle of University College, Oxford, England...
followed more rapidly by 1719, and the Library was built in 1861. Univ began to accept female undergraduate students in 1979.
Campus
Logic LaneLogic Lane
Logic Lane is a small historic cobbled lane through University College in Oxford, England, so-called because it was the location of a school of logicians. It links the High Street at the front of the college with Merton Street to the rear, which is also cobbled...
runs through the college, but its main entrance is on the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
and its grounds are bounded by Merton Street
Merton Street
Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled lane in central Oxford, England. It joins the High Street at its northeastern end, between the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art and the Eastgate Hotel at the historic east gate of the city...
and Magpie Lane
Magpie Lane, Oxford
Magpie Lane is a narrow historic lane in central Oxford, England. It leads south from the High Street where it is at its narrowest, now completely pedestrianised as a pavement, and north from the cobbled Merton Street....
.
A specially constructed building in the College, the Shelley Memorial
Shelley Memorial
The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing a pamphlet on The Necessity of Atheism....
, houses a statue by Edward Onslow Ford
Edward Onslow Ford
Edward Onslow Ford , English sculptor, was born in London. He received some education as a painter in Antwerp and as a sculptor in Munich under Professor Wagmuller, but was mainly self-taught....
of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
— a former member of the college, who was expelled for writing The Necessity of Atheism
The Necessity of Atheism
The Necessity of Atheism is a treatise on atheism by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, printed in 1811 by C. and W. Phillips in Worthing while he was a student at University College, Oxford. A copy of the first version was sent as a short tract signed enigmatically to all heads of Oxford...
— depicted lying dead on the Italian seashore. Rumour has it that the sunken area around the statue was once filled with water and live goldfish as a student prank. Another apparently common student prank involving the statue has been to paint his genitalia bright colours; for this reason, the statue's appendage is somewhat smaller than it used to be.
Univ Alternative Prospectus
The Alternative Prospectus is written and produced by current students for prospective applicants. The publication was recently awarded a HELOAHELOA
HELOA is the Higher Education Liaison Officers Association of the United Kingdom.Higher Education Liaison Officers work mainly in Universities in the UK and deal mainly with liaising with schools and colleges concerning Higher Education....
Innovation and Best Practice Award. The Univ Alternative Prospectus offers student written advice and guidance to potential Oxford applicants. The award recognises the engagement of the college community, unique newspaper format, forward-thinking use of social media and the collaborative working between staff and students.
Grace
University has the longest graceGrace (prayer)
Grace is a name for any of a number of short prayers said or an unvoiced intention held prior to or after eating, thanking God and/or the entities that have given of themselves to furnish nutrients to those partaking in the meal. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing...
of any Oxford (and perhaps Cambridge) College. It is read before every Formal Hall, which is held Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at Univ. The reading is performed by a Scholar of the College, the same person doing it for a whole week, and whoever is sitting at the head of High Table
High Table
At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly traditional and prestigious UK academic institutions At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly traditional and prestigious UK academic institutions At Oxford, Cambridge and Durham colleges — and other, similarly...
(typically the Master or the most senior Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at the table if the Master is not dining). The Scholar does not need to know it by heart, although it is not unusual for people to do so.
Original version
Gratiarum actio in collegio magnae aulae universitatis quotidie ante mensam dicenda.
SCHOLAR — Benedictus sit Deus in donis suis.
RESPONSEResponse (liturgy)A response is the second half of one of a set of preces, the said or sung answer by the congregation or choir to a versicle said or sung by an officiant or cantor...
— Et sanctus in omnibus operibus suis.
SCHOLAR — Adiutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini.
RESPONSE — Qui fecit coelum et terras.
SCHOLAR — Sit Nomen Domini benedictum.
RESPONSE — Ab hoc tempore usque in saecula.
SCHOLAR — Domine Deus, Resurrectio et Vita credentium, Qui semper es laudandus tam in viventibus quam in defunctis, gratias Tibi agimus pro omnibus Fundatoribus caeterisque Benefactoribus nostris, quorum beneficiis hic ad pietatem et ad studia literarum alimur: Te rogantes ut nos, hisce Tuis donis ad Tuam gloriam recte utentes, una cum iis ad vitam immortalem perducamur. Per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
SCHOLAR — Deus det vivis gratiam, defunctis requiem: Ecclesiae, Reginae, Regnoque nostro, pacem et concordiam: et nobis peccatoribus vitam aeternam. Amen.
English translation
That must be said every day before dinner in University College.
SCHOLAR — Blessed be God in his gifts.
RESPONSE — And holy in all his works.
SCHOLAR — Our help is in the name of the Lord.
RESPONSE — Who has made heaven and earth.
SCHOLAR — May the name of the Lord be blessed.
RESPONSE — From this time and for evermore.
SCHOLAR — Lord God, the Resurrection and Life of those who believe, You are always to be praised as much among the living as among the departed. We give You thanks for all our founders and our other benefactors, by whose benefactions we are nourished here for piety and for the study of letters. And we ask you that we, rightly using these Your gifts to Your glory, may be brought with them to immortal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
SCHOLAR — May God give grace to the living, rest to the departed; peace and concord to the Church, the Queen and our Kingdom; and to us sinners, eternal life. Amen.
Former students and fellows
Many influential politicians are associated with Univ including the social reformer and author of the Beveridge Report William BeveridgeWilliam Beveridge
William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge KCB was a British economist and social reformer. He is best known for his 1942 report Social Insurance and Allied Services which served as the basis for the post-World War II welfare state put in place by the Labour government elected in 1945.Lord...
(who was a master of University College) and two UK Prime Ministers: Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
and Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
(a Univ fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
). US President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
were also students.
As well as poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
(expelled for writing The Necessity of Atheism
The Necessity of Atheism
The Necessity of Atheism is a treatise on atheism by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, printed in 1811 by C. and W. Phillips in Worthing while he was a student at University College, Oxford. A copy of the first version was sent as a short tract signed enigmatically to all heads of Oxford...
) for whom there is a memorial in college
Shelley Memorial
The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing a pamphlet on The Necessity of Atheism....
University College alumni include a Poet Laureate Andrew Motion
Andrew Motion
Sir Andrew Motion, FRSL is an English poet, novelist and biographer, who presided as Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009.- Life and career :...
, author of the Narnia books C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
and a Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Sir V. S. Naipaul
V. S. Naipaul
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad "V. S." Naipaul, TC is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism...
. Actors Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
and Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell
Warren Mitchell is an English actor who rose to initial prominence in the role of bigoted cockney Alf Garnett in the BBC television sitcom Till Death Us Do Part , and its sequels Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health , all of which were written by Johnny Speight...
attended the college, as well as broadcaster Paul Gambaccini
Paul Gambaccini
Paul Matthew Gambaccini is a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
.
It is due to the college's lack of a mathematics fellow (this is no longer the case) that Professor Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
read a natural sciences degree and ended up specialising in physics. A perhaps more unusual alumni is Prince Felix Yusupov
Felix Yusupov
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston , was best known for participating in the murder of Grigori Rasputin, the faith healer who was said to have influenced decisions of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna.-Biography:...
, the assassin of Rasputin.
Univ has the highest proportion of old members offering financial support to the college of any Oxbridge college with 28% in 2007.
Other connections
Although not member of University College, the scientists Robert BoyleRobert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
(sometimes described as the "first modern chemist") and his assistant (Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke FRS was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath.His adult life comprised three distinct periods: as a scientific inquirer lacking money; achieving great wealth and standing through his reputation for hard work and scrupulous honesty following the great fire of 1666, but...
, architect, biologist, discoverer of cells) lived in Deep Hall (then owned by Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
and now the site of the Shelley Memorial
Shelley Memorial
The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing a pamphlet on The Necessity of Atheism....
). The former made a contribution to the completion of University College's current Hall in the mid-17th Century.
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
(author of A Dictionary of the English Language
A Dictionary of the English Language
Published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language....
and a member of Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
) was a frequent visitor to the Senior Common Room at University College during the 18th Century).
University College Record
The University College Record is the annual magazine sent to alumni of University College each autumn. The magazine provides College news, including clubs and societies such as the University College PlayersUniversity College Players
The University College Players are the theatrical society of University College, Oxford.The first production was in May 1941 when Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was performed in cooperation with Merton College. Peter Bayley was the senior member from the start till the 1960s...
and the Devas Club
Devas Club
The Devas Club for Young People is a youth club in Battersea, south London, England, which provides sporting, educational and creative opportunities for disadvantaged youth.- History :...
. News about and obituaries
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
of former students are included at the end of each issue.
Previous editors include Peter Bayley, A. D. M. Cox and Leslie Mitchell
Leslie Mitchell
Dr Leslie Mitchell is a leading British authority on 18th century history.Mitchell is historian and Emeritus Fellow of University College and a member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford, England. He has been Dean of the college, appeared in the Univ Revue, and was editor of the...
. The current editor is Dr Robin Darwall-Smith.
See also
- University College Oxford Boat Club
- University College PlayersUniversity College PlayersThe University College Players are the theatrical society of University College, Oxford.The first production was in May 1941 when Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was performed in cooperation with Merton College. Peter Bayley was the senior member from the start till the 1960s...
(college dramatic society) - University ChallengeUniversity ChallengeUniversity Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
television programme (winners in 1976) - List of Masters of University College, Oxford