| University College | |
|---|---|
| University of Oxford | |
 Main Quadrangle of University College | |
 Arms: Azure, a cross patonce between four [sometimes five] martlets Or. | |
| Scarf colours: navy, with two narrow yellow stripes a quarter of a scarf-width in from either edge | |
| Location | High Street,Oxford OX1 4BH |
| Coordinates | 51°45′09″N1°15′07″W / 51.7525°N 1.2520°W /51.7525; -1.2520 |
| Full name | The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford |
| Latin name | Collegium Magnae Aulae Universitatis Oxon.[1] |
| Established | 1249; 776 years ago (1249) |
| Sister college | Trinity Hall, Cambridge[2] |
| Master | Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos |
| Undergraduates | 425[3] (2023–24) |
| Postgraduates | 219[3] (2023–24) |
| Endowment | £146.084 million (2023) |
| Visitor | Charles III,The Crownex officio[4] |
| Website | www |
| JCR | Univ JCR |
| MCR | Univ WCR |
| Boat club | University College Boat Club |
| Map | |
  Location in Oxford city centre | |
University College, formallyThe Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford[5] and colloquially referred to as "Univ",[6] is aconstituent college of theUniversity of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the university, having been founded byWilliam of Durham in 1249.[7]
As of 2023, the college had an estimatedfinancial endowment of £146.084 million, and their total net assets amounted to £238.316 million.[8]
The college is associated with a number ofinfluential people, includingClement Attlee,Harold Wilson,Bill Clinton,Neil Gorsuch,Stephen Hawking,C. S. Lewis,V. S. Naipaul,Robert Reich,William Beveridge,Bob Hawke,Robert Cecil,Tom Hooper, andPercy Bysshe Shelley.
A legend arose in the 14th century that the college was founded byKing Alfred in 872.[9] This explains why the college arms are those attributed to King Alfred, why theVisitor is always the reigning monarch, and why the college celebrated its millennium in 1872. Most agree, however, that the college was founded in 1249 byWilliam of Durham. He bequeathed money to support ten or twelve masters of arts studying divinity; a property that became known as Aula Universitatis (University Hall) was bought in 1253.[10] This later date still allows the claim that Univ is the oldest of the Oxford colleges, although this is contested byBalliol College andMerton College.[11][12] Univ was open only to fellows studyingtheology until the 16th century.[citation needed]
The college acquired four properties on its current site south of the High Street in 1332 and 1336 and built a quadrangle in the 15th century.[13] As it grew in size and wealth, itsmedieval 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 theEnglish Civil War meant it was not completed until sometime in 1676.[1]Radcliffe Quad followed more rapidly by 1719, and the library was built in 1861.[14]
Like many of Oxford's colleges, University College accepted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, having previously been an institution for men only.[15]
The main entrance to the college is on theHigh Street and its grounds are bounded byMerton Street andMagpie Lane. The college is divided byLogic Lane, which is owned by the college and runs through the centre. The western side of the college is occupied by the library, the hall, the chapel and the two quadrangles which house both student accommodation and college offices. The eastern side of the college is mainly devoted to student accommodation in rooms above the High Street shops, on Merton Street or in the separate Goodhart Building. This building is named after former master of the college,Arthur Lehman Goodhart.[16]
A specially constructed building in the college, theShelley Memorial, houses a statue byEdward Onslow Ford of the poetPercy Bysshe Shelley – a former member of the college, who was sent down for writingThe Necessity of Atheism (1811), along with his friendT. J. Hogg. Shelley is depicted lying dead on the Italian seashore.[17]
The college annexe onStaverton Road in North Oxford houses undergraduate students during their second year and some graduate students.[18]
The college also owns theUniversity College Boathouse (completed in 2007 and designed byBelsize architects)[19] and a sports ground, which is located nearby onAbingdon Road.[20]
The college is also known for hosting one of the only two remaining statues in the United Kingdom ofKing James II and VII of Scotland, on the south side of the western gateway of the college.[21]
The Alternative Prospectus is written and produced by current students for prospective applicants. The publication was awarded aHELOA Innovation and Best Practice Award in 2011.[22] 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.[citation needed]
University has the longestgrace of any Oxford (and perhaps Cambridge) college.[23] It is read before everyFormal Hall, which is held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The reading is performed by aScholar of the college and whoever is sitting at the head ofHigh Table (typically the Master, or the most seniorFellow at the table if the Master is not dining).
SCHOLAR –Benedictus sit Deus in donis suis.
RESPONSE –Et sanctus in omnibus operibus suis.
SCHOLAR –Adiutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini.
RESPONSE –Qui fecit coelum et terram.
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.
RESPONSE -Amen.
SCHOLAR —Deus det vivis gratiam, defunctis requiem: Ecclesiae, Regi, Regnoque nostro, pacem et concordiam: et nobis peccatoribus vitam aeternam.
RESPONSE -Amen.
SCHOLAR —Let God be blessed 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 for evermore.
SCHOLAR —Lord God, the resurrection and the life of them that believe, who are always to be praised both among the living and among the dead, we give You thanks for all our founders and other benefactors, by whose gifts we are nourished here for piety and the study of letters; asking You that we, using these Your gifts rightly to Your glory, may be led together with them into eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
RESPONSE —Amen.
SCHOLAR —May God grant to the living grace, and to the dead rest; to the Church, the King, and our realm, peace and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life.
RESPONSE —Amen.
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Many influential politicians are associated with the college, including the social reformer and author of the Beveridge ReportWilliam Beveridge (who was a master of University College) and two UK Prime Ministers:Clement Attlee andHarold Wilson (a Univfellow). US PresidentBill Clinton (though he did not graduate) and Prime Minister of Australia,Bob Hawke were also students. Other heads of state and government to have attended Univ includeEdgar Whitehead (Rhodesia),Kofi Abrefa Busia (Ghana), andFestus Mogae (Botswana).Nobel Peace Prize LaureateRobert Cecil studied law at the college, similarlyU.S. Supreme Court Associate JusticeNeil Gorsuch received a DPhil in law as aMarshall Scholar,[24] while formerNATO Supreme Allied CommanderBernard W. Rogers readPhilosophy, Politics and Economics as aRhodes Scholar, and formerCourt of Justice of the European Communities Judge SirDavid Edward readClassics.[25]
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In the arts, people associated with the college include poetPercy Bysshe Shelley (expelled for writingThe Necessity of Atheism), for whom there isa memorial in college; Poet LaureateAndrew Motion; author of theNarnia booksC. S. Lewis; and a Nobel Prize for Literature winner, SirV. S. Naipaul. One of the translators of theKing James Bible,George Abbot, was a master of the college. The actorsMichael York andWarren Mitchell attended Univ, as well as broadcasterPaul Gambaccini.
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It was due to the college's lack of a mathematics fellow (this is no longer the case) thatStephen Hawking read a natural sciences degree and ended up specialising in physics.[26] Other former students includeJohn Radcliffe (physician),William Jones (philologist), andEdmund Cartwright (inventor).Rudolph A. Marcus, a Canadian-born chemist who received the 1992Nobel Prize in Chemistry, received a Professorial Fellowship at Univ from 1975 to 1976. A perhaps more unusual alumnus is PrinceFelix Yusupov, the assassin ofRasputin.[27]
Univ had the highest proportion of old members offering financial support to the college of any Oxbridge college with 28% in 2007.[28][citation needed]
Although not members of University College, the scientistsRobert Boyle (sometimes described as the "first modern chemist") and his assistant (Robert Hooke, architect, biologist, discoverer of cells) lived in Deep Hall (then owned byChrist Church and now the site of theShelley Memorial). The former made a contribution to the completion of University College's current Hall in the mid-17th century.[1]
Samuel Johnson (author ofA Dictionary of the English Language and a member ofPembroke College) was a frequent visitor to the Senior Common Room at University College during the 18th century.[1]
The college produces a number of regular publications, especially for alumni.[29]
TheUniversity College Record is the annual magazine sent toalumni of the college each autumn. The magazine provides college news on clubs and societies such as theUniversity College Players and theDevas Club, as well as academic performance and prizes. News about and obituaries of former students are included at the end of each issue.[citation needed]
Editors have includedPeter Bayley andLeslie Mitchell.
The Martlet is a magazine for members and friends of the college, available in print and online.[29]
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