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University College (in full, the College of the Great Hall of the University, commonly known as University College in the University of Oxford, usually known by its abbreviation, Univ.), is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is a contender for being the oldest of the colleges of the university, and is amongst the largest in terms of population. It is one of the more wealthy colleges with an estimated financial endowment of £68m (2003).
Univ was founded by William of Durham in 1249 (not King Alfred as has been claimed in the past), and until the sixteenth century was only open to Fellows studying theology. As Univ grew in size and wealth, its medieval buildings were replaced with a new Front Quad in 1640, followed by the additional Radcliffe Quad by 1719, and the Library was built in 1861. Univ only began to accept female undergraduate students in 1979.
The Master, Lord Butler of Brockwell, was appointed head of an inquiry into the 2003 Iraq War in February 2004. Her Majesty The Queen is Visitor. Previous Masters include John Albery, Kingman Brewster, Lord Goodman, Lord Redcliffe-Maud, Arthur Lehman Goodhart, and William Beveridge.
A specially constructed building in the College, the Shelley Memorial, houses a statue by Edward Onslow Ford of the poet Shelley – a former member of the college, who was expelled for writing The Necessity of Atheism – depicted lying dead on the Italian sea-shore. 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.
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Notable former students
- Clement Attlee
- Edwin Arnold
- Sir Jeremy Beecham
- William Beveridge
- Robert Boyle
- Jonathan Bowen
- Robin Butler
- Edmund Cartwright
- Robert Cecil
- Bill Clinton
- Chelsea Clinton
- Kenneth Diplock
- Paul Foot
- Paul Gambaccini
- Andrew George
- Philip Hammond
- Bob Hawke
- Stephen Hawking
- Michael Hoban
- Gordon Honeycombe
- Robert Hooke
- Armando Iannucci
- Richard Ingrams
- Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin
- William Jones
- C. S. Lewis
- Nick Mallett
- Luke McShane
- Cecil Mercer
- Warren Mitchell
- Monier Monier-Williams
- Andrew Motion
- V. S. Naipaul
- Nigel Playfair
- John Radcliffe
- Robert Reich
- John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Roger Short
- Peter Sissons
- Charles Sorley
- Stephen Spender
- Adrian Stoop
- Henry Thrale
- William Weld
- Michael York
- Felix Yussupov
Partial list of fellows and lecturers
- Biochemistry: Catherine Pears, Gavin Screaton
- Chemistry: Mark Child, FRS; Tony Orchard, Robert K. Thomas, Paul Burn
- Classics: Barbara Kowalzig, William Allan
- Computer science: Bill Roscoe, Jotun Hein
- Economics and Management: Kate Doornik
- English: Jon Mee, Tiffany Stern
- Geology: Philip England, Gideon Henderson
- Law: John Finnis, John Gardner
- Mathematics: Michael Collins, Peter Howell
- Medicine: Keith Dorrington, Catherine Stoodley
- Modern history: Hartmut Pogge von Strandmann, Catherine Holmes, Kathryn Gleadle
- Modern Languages: Michael Nicholson (Russian)
- Oriental studies: Glen Dudbridge, Mark Smith
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: William Child (philosophy); Ngaire Woods, Marc Stears (politics); Sujoy Mukerji, Katherine Doornik, Tarek Coury (economics)
- Physics: Robin Nicholas, John Wheater, Patrick Baird
- Psychology: Nicholas Rawlins
- See also Fellows of University College, Oxford.
Grace
Univ. has the longest grace of any Oxford (and perhaps Cambridge) College. It is read before every Formal Hall, which takes place every night except Saturday 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, but maybe just the most senior Fellow at the table if the Master is not dining). The Scholar says the lines beginning "SCHOL."; the Fellow says the lines beginning "RESP.".
The Scholar does not need to know it by heart, although it is not unusual for people to do so.
GRATIARIUM ACTIO IN COLLEGIO MAGNAE AULAE UNIVERSITATIS QUOTIDIE ANTE MENSAM DICENDA.
SCHOL. Benedictus sit Deus in donis suis.
RESP. Et sanctus in omnibus operibus suis.
SCHOL. Adiutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini.
RESP. Qui fecit coelum et terras.
SCHOL. Sit Nomen Domini benedictum.
RESP. Ab hoc tempore usque in saecula.
SCHOL. 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.
RESP. Amen.
SCHOL. Deus det vivis gratiam, defunctis requiem: Ecclesiae, Reginae, Regnoque nostro, pacem et concordiam: et nobis peccatoribus vitam aeternam.
RESP. Amen.
Reference
- University College Record, the official annual magazine of University College, Oxford. Issues 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004.
See also
- University College Players (college dramatic society)
- University Challenge television programme (winners in 1976)
External link
1249 establishments | Colleges of the University of Oxford | Educational institutions established in the 13th century | University College, Oxford
"University College, Oxford"