University College (in full 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 , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1249 by

William of Durham William of Durham (died 1249) is said to have founded University College, Oxford, England.Univer ...

. As of 2018, the college had an estimated financial endowment of £132.7m. The college is associated with a number of influential people, including Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

, Neil Gorsuch, Stephen Hawking,

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

, V. S. Naipaul, Robert Reich,

William Beveridge William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge, (5 March 1879 – 16 March 1963) was a British economist and Liberal politician who was a progressive and social reformer who played a central role in designing the British welfare state. His 1942 ...

, Bob Hawke, Robert Cecil, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

History

A legend arose in the 14th century that the college was founded by King Alfred in 872. This explains why the college arms are those attributed to King Alfred, why the Visitor is always the reigning monarch, and why the college celebrated its millennium in 1872. Most agree that in reality the college was founded in 1249 by

William of Durham William of Durham (died 1249) is said to have founded University College, Oxford, England.Univer ...

. He bequeathed money to support ten or twelve masters of arts studying divinity, and a property which became known as Aula Universitatis (University Hall) was bought in 1253. This later date still allows the claim that Univ is the oldest of the Oxford colleges, although this is contested by Balliol College and Merton College. Univ was only open to fellows studying

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

until the 16th century. 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. As it grew in size and wealth, its

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

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 The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

meant it was not completed until sometime in 1676.

Radcliffe Quad The Radcliffe Quadrangle (or Rad Quad as it is known to students of the College) is the second quadrangle of University College, Oxford, England. The buildings have been Grade I listed since 1954. The quadrangle was started in 1716 and fini ...

followed more rapidly by 1719, and the library was built in 1861. Like many of Oxford's colleges, University College accepted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, having previously been an institution for men only.

Buildings

The Logic Lane Bridge at University College Oxford

The main entrance to the college is on the High Street and its grounds are bounded by

Merton Street Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled street in central Oxford, England.

and

Magpie Lane Magpie Lane is an English folk group, based in Oxford, England. The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992–93 to record ''The Oxford Ramble'', a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Originally ...

. The college is divided by

Logic Lane __NOTOC__ Logic Lane is a small historic cobbled lane that runs 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 St ...

, 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 Arthur Lehman Goodhart (1 March 1891 in New York City – 10 November 1978 in Oxford) was an American-born academic jurist and lawyer; he was Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford, 1931–51, when he was also a Fellow of Uni ...

. A specially constructed building in the college, the Shelley Memorial, houses a statue by

Edward Onslow Ford Edward Onslow Ford (27 July 1852—23 December 1901) was an English sculptor. Much of Ford's early success came with portrait heads or busts. These were considered extremely refined, showing his subjects at their best and led to him receiving a ...

of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley – a former member of the college, who was sent down for writing ''

The Necessity of Atheism "The Necessity of Atheism" is an essay on atheism by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, printed in 1811 by Charles and William Phillips in Worthing while Shelley was a student at University College, Oxford. An enigmatically signed copy ...

'' (1811), along with his friend T. J. Hogg. Shelley is depicted lying dead on the Italian seashore. The college annexe on Staverton Road in North Oxford houses undergraduate students during their second year and some graduate students. The college also owns the

University College Boathouse University College Boathouse is the boathouse of University College Boat Club (UCBC) on the southern bank of the River Thames (locally known as "The Isis") in Oxford, England. It is owned by University College, Oxford. UCBC's Boathouse has be ...

(completed in 2007 and designed by Belsize architects) and a sports ground, which is located nearby on

Abingdon Road Abingdon Road is the main arterial road to the south of the city of Oxford, England. The road passes through the suburbs of Grandpont and New Hinksey. It is named after the town of Abingdon to the south. History Part of the road was known a ...

Student life

Univ Alternative Prospectus

The Alternative Prospectus is written and produced by current students for prospective applicants. The publication was awarded a HELOA Innovation and Best Practice Award in 2011. 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

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

of any Oxford (and perhaps Cambridge) college. It is read before every Formal Hall, which is held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. The reading is performed by a

Scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

of the college and whoever is sitting at the head of High Table (typically the Master, or the most senior

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

at the table if the Master is not dining).

Original version

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.''

English translation

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 is 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 learning; 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.''

People associated with the college

Government and politics

File:Clement Attlee.png, Clement Attlee, former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...

File:Sir W.H. Beveridge, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left.jpg,

, economist File:Harold Wilson (1967).jpg, Harold Wilson, former

File:EWhitehead.jpg,

Edgar Whitehead Sir Edgar Cuthbert Fremantle Whitehead, (8 February 1905 – 22 September 1971) was a Rhodesian politician. He was a longstanding member of the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly, although his career was interrupted by other posts and by ...

, former

Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia The prime minister of Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia before 1964) was the head of government of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, which had become a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, unilaterally declared independence on 11 November 1965, a ...

File:Portrait of Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston.jpg, Felix Yusupov, Russian aristocrat File:John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon by Sir Thomas Lawrence.jpg, John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon, former

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...

File:Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood by Sir William Orpen.jpg, The Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, politician and recipient of the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...

File:Bill Clinton.jpg,

, former President of the United States of America ''(did not graduate)'' File:Robert Reich.jpg, Robert Reich, economic advisor, former

U.S. Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

, and author File:Bernard W. Rogers.jpg,

Bernard W. Rogers Bernard William Rogers (July 16, 1921 – October 27, 2008) was a United States Army general who served as the 28th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and later as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander in Chief, United Sta ...

, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army File:WilliamWeld.jpg, William Weld, former

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

and U.S. presidential candidate File:Hawke Bob BANNER.jpg, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia File:Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Defence.jpg, Philip Hammond, former Chancellor of the Exchequer File:Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch Official Portrait.jpg, Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States File:Festus Mogae 2009-06-23.jpg, Festus Mogae, 3rd President of Botswana File:Chelsea Clinton (cropped).jpg,

Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clin ...

, lead at the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative, daughter of

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pla ...

and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Many influential politicians are associated with the college, including the social reformer and author of the Beveridge Report

(who was a master of University College) and two UK Prime Ministers: Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson (a Univ

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

). US President

(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 include

(Rhodesia), Kofi Abrefa Busia (Ghana), and Festus Mogae (Botswana).

Laureate Robert Cecil studied law at the college, similarly U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch received a DPhil in law as a

Marshall Scholar The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious ...

, while former

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

Supreme Allied Commander

read Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a Rhodes Scholar, and former

Court of Justice of the European Communities The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) (french: Cour de justice de l'Union européenne or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg ...

Judge Sir David Edward read Classics.Famous Univites

Literature and arts

File:Percy Bysshe Shelley by Alfred Clint crop.jpg, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Romantic poet File:George Abbot from NPG.jpg, George Abbot, former archbishop of Canterbury File:Statue of C.S. Lewis, Belfast.jpg,

, author of the ''

Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...

'' File:Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer) by George Charles Beresford (1909).jpg, Cecil William Mercer, novelist File:Andrew Motion, April 2009.jpg,

Andrew Motion Sir Andrew Motion (born 26 October 1952) is an English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009. During the period of his laureateship, Motion founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio reco ...

, former

Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently on the advice of the prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will wri ...

File:Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings.jpg, Max Hastings, historian and journalist File:Nick Robinson.jpg, Nick Robinson, journalist In the arts, people associated with the college include poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (expelled for writing ''

''), for whom there is a memorial in college; Poet Laureate

; author of the ''Narnia'' books

; and a Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Sir V. S. Naipaul. One of the translators of the King James Bible, George Abbot, was a master of the college. The actors Michael York and Warren Mitchell attended Univ, as well as broadcaster Paul Gambaccini.

Science and innovation

File:Stephen Hawking.StarChild.jpg, Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and cosmologist File:Sir William Jones.jpg, William Jones, philologist File:Dr. John Radcliffe Wellcome L0002868EA.jpg, John Radcliffe, physician and academic File:Prof. Dr. Rudolph A. Marcus (cropped).jpg,

Rudolph A. Marcus Rudolph Arthur Marcus (born July 21, 1923) is a Canadian-born chemist who received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his contributions to the theory of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems". Marcus theory, named after him, provid ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning chemist It was due to the college's lack of a mathematics fellow (this is no longer the case) that Stephen Hawking read a natural sciences degree and ended up specialising in physics. Other former students include John Radcliffe (physician), William Jones (philologist), and Edmund Cartwright (inventor).

, a Canadian-born chemist who received the 1992

Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...

, received a Professorial Fellowship at Univ from 1975 to 1976. A perhaps more unusual alumnus is Prince Felix Yusupov, the assassin of Rasputin.The History of Univ
, University College, Oxford. Univ had the highest proportion of old members offering financial support to the college of any Oxbridge college with 28% in 2007.Lord Adonis, Education Minister, 2008

Other connections

Boyle-Hooke plaque, University College, Oxford

Although not members of University College, the scientists

Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders ...

(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.

Publications

The college produces a number of regular publications, especially for alumni.

''University College Record''

The ''University College Record'' is the annual magazine sent to alumni of the college each autumn. The magazine provides college news on clubs and societies such as the

University College Players The University College Players (or Univ Players for short) are the theatrical society of University College, Oxford. History The first production was in May 1941 when Shakespeare's ''The Comedy of Errors'' was performed in co-operation with M ...

and the

Devas Club The Devas Club for Young People (the Devas Institute until 1970) is a youth club in Battersea, south London, England, which provides sporting, educational and creative opportunities for disadvantaged youth. History The Devas Institute was found ...

, as well as academic performance and prizes. News about and obituaries of former students are included at the end of each issue. Editors have included Peter Bayley and Leslie Mitchell.

''The Martlet''

''The Martlet'' is a magazine for members and friends of the college, available in print and online.

Gallery

File:University_College_front_to_the_High_Street_Oxford.jpg, University College, on the south side of the High Street. File:University_College,_Oxford;_aerial_view_with_key_and_scale._Wellcome_V0014175.jpg, University College, Oxford: aerial view with key and scale. UK-2014-Oxford-University College 01.jpg, Main Quadrangle of the college. File:UK-2014-Oxford-University College 02 (Shelley Memorial).jpg, The Shelley Memorial at University College, Oxford. File:University_College_Chapel,_Oxford,_UK_-_Diliff.jpg, The interior of the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

of University College, Oxford. File:University_College,_Oxford;_the_library._Line_engraving_by_J_Wellcome_V0014178.jpg, University College, Oxford: the library. Line engraving by J.H. Le Keux, 1861, after himself. File:University_College_Oxford02.jpg,

Courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

of University College Oxford. File:University_College_Oxford_Boat_Club_Boathouse.JPG, The new Boathouse for the University College Oxford Boat Club. File:Dr_Bowen%27s_Room,_University_College,_Oxford.JPG, Dr Bowen's Room, University College, Oxford. File:University_College_Oxford_Logic_Lane.jpg, A view of

toward the High Street from within University College, Oxford.

References

External links

University College official website

University College JCR website

University College WCR website
{{Authority control 1249 establishments in England Colleges of the University of Oxford Educational institutions established in the 13th century Grade I listed buildings in Oxford Grade I listed educational buildings Organisations based in Oxford with royal patronage Buildings and structures of the University of Oxford