(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 contender for the claim to be the oldest of the constituent colleges of the
University Of Oxford in the
United Kingdom , and is amongst the largest in population terms. 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 current President of its undergraduate student body is Josh Sasto (elected
June 2005 ). The President of its graduate student body is Monte MacDiarmid. Its 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 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; to this end, the statue's appendage is somewhat smaller than it used to be.
__NOTOC__
:See also .
- Biochemistry : Catherine Pears, Gavin Screaton
- , FRS; Tony Orchard , Robert K. Thomas, Paul Burn
- , William Allan
- , Jotun Hein
- Economics and Management : Kate Doornik
-
- , Gideon Henderson
- , John Gardner
- Mathematics : Michael Collins, Peter Howell
- Medicine : Keith Dorrington, Catherine Stoodley
- , Catherine Holmes, Kathryn Gleadle
- Modern Languages : Michael Nicholson (Russian)
- , Mark Smith
- , Marc Stears (politics); Sujoy Mukerji , Katherine Doornik , Tarek Coury (economics)
- , John Wheater, Patrick Baird
-
:See also .
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.
- '' University College Record '', the official annual magazine of University College, Oxford. Issues 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004.
