 Coat of arms | |
Motto in English | A world better led, better served and better governed. |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2010 (2010) |
Parent institution | University of Oxford |
| Dean | Ngaire Woods |
Academic staff | Paul Collier,Stefan Dercon,Karthik Ramanna,Jonathan Wolff,Amal Clooney |
| Postgraduates | 144 (2022) |
| 35 (2023) | |
| Location | , England |
| Website | www |
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| The 2015 Blavatnik School of Government building byHerzog & de Meuron onWalton Street inOxford | |
TheBlavatnik School of Government is the school of public policy at theSocial Sciences Division at theUniversity of Oxford inOxford, England, United Kingdom.[1][2][3]
The school was founded in 2010 following a £75 million donation from business magnateLen Blavatnik, supported by £26 million from the University of Oxford.[4]
Oxford University has a long and storied tradition of educating global leaders, dating back to 1096. Over the centuries, it has produced nearly 60 heads of state and government, cementing its role as a hub for leadership and intellectual excellence. Building on this legacy, the Blavatnik School of Government was envisioned as a modern institution to prepare leaders for the complex challenges of the 21st century.[5]
The idea for the School originated in 2008 during a conversation betweenJohn Hood, then Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, andNgaire Woods, who would become the School's founding dean. Woods, as the founding dean, contributed to developing the School's academic structure to address the changing needs of public policy education.[6]. On a train journey back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Hood remarked on Oxford's lack of a grand institution dedicated to public policy or government studies, despite its historical leadership role.[7]
A transformative milestone came in 2010, when businessman and philanthropistLen Blavatnik made a significant donation to support the establishment of the School. The Blavatnik School of Government officially opened its doors in 2012, welcoming its first Master of Public Policy (MPP) students. In 2014, the School introduced the DPhil in Public Policy, followed by the launch of its executive programs in 2015, aimed at senior practitioners tackling critical global challenges.[7]
In 2016, the School moved into its iconic purpose-built home, inaugurated byHRH Prince William. Designed to reflect openness and collaboration, the building embodies the School's commitment to addressing the needs of governments and societies worldwide, rather than solely focusing on academic output.
Since its inception, the Blavatnik School of Government has rapidly risen to prominence, becoming the UK's most prestigious school of government and public policy.
The School's flagship program is the Master of Public Policy (MPP), an intensive one-year graduate degree designed to equip students for impactful careers in public service. Additionally, the School offers an MSc in Public Policy Research and a DPhil (PhD) in Public Policy, a rigorous three-year, full-time research degree. For senior professionals and practitioners, the School provides a variety of executive programs and specialized courses tailored to address specific policy challenges.
Applications are made through University of Oxford's central Graduate Admissions and Funding Office.[8]
TheOxford Institute for Law, Ethics and Armed Conflict (ELAC) is an interdisciplinary research programme based at Blavatnik, which researches and aims to strengthen law, norms and institutions to restrain, regulate and prevent armed conflict. The institute consists of researchers, academics and practitioners in areas such as international law, international relations and philosophy.[9]
ProfessorNgaire Woods is the first Dean of the School.[10] Members of faculty include:
In August 2017Bo Rothstein resigned his position as Professor of Government and Public Policy in protest at Leonard Blavatnik's support forDonald Trump'sInaugural Committee.[16] Rothstein subsequently criticised the School, stating that he had been "excommunicated" and banned from accessing the building; the School and the University of Oxford denied these claims.[17]
Alumni include the youngest mayor in Germany, Marian Schreier;[18] British politicianKeir Mather MP; Rafat Al-Akhali, a former minister of youth and sports in Yemen;[19]Shamma Al Mazrui, the youngest Minister of Youth Affairs in the United Arab Emirates[20] and two members of parliament in Panama,Gabriel Silva andEdison Broce.[21]
The Blavatnik School of Government is located in the University of Oxford'sRadcliffe Observatory Quarter, with its main entrance onWalton Street.[22] The building is designed by architectsHerzog & de Meuron to promote open discussion, interaction and collaboration.[23] The central forum is inspired by the idea of openness and transparency and connects all the floors together.[24] Construction work started in autumn 2013, after some controversy,[25] and ended in late 2015. The building is controlled by a combination of systems and technology that helps minimise its environmental impact.[26]
The building is taller thanCarfax Tower in the centre of Oxford, thus dominating the site[27] and causing opposition to the scheme by local residents in theJericho district of the city and elsewhere.[25][28] The site is immediately to the south of the café/barFreud, in the historic 1836Greek Revival St Paul's Church on Walton Street.[29] The scheme was opposed by the cafe's owner, David Freud, due to its size compared to the church building. The site is also opposite the classicalOxford University Press building. In spring 2013, a public meeting was held inSt Barnabas Church and the building was described as "a concretemarshmallow".[30] A historic wall onWalton Street would be demolished as part of the plans.[29]
Later in 2015, the building was described as "the latest striking building nearing completion in Oxford".[31]
In June 2016, the building received aRIBA National Award.[32] The building was shortlisted for theStirling Prize for excellence in architecture (July 2016)[33] and was awarded theOxford Preservation Trust plaque in the 'new buildings' category (November 2016).[34]
51°45′34″N1°15′53″W / 51.7594°N 1.2646°W /51.7594; -1.2646
