Vice-Chancellor's Oration 2016
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WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER 2016 • SUPPLEMENT (1) TO NO 5144 • VOL 147 Gazette Supplement Vice-Chancellor’s Oration 2016 One Oxford four divisions, Humanities, Social Sciences, the Humanities. I have read the books sent MPLS and Medicine, whose research is me by academics like Diego Gambetta's Good morning. Colleagues and friends of responsible for this ranking. Engineers of Jihad and Senia Paseta's Irish Nationalist Women. I have met with the University, thank you for taking time My first nine months have been an remarkable young people such as our Moritz to attend the ceremony this morning, and extraordinary and exhilarating experience Heyman scholars, students participating to listen to my perspective and reflections as I have sought to learn as much as I can in the UNIQ summer school, on the LMH as I begin my first academic year as Vice- about the life and work of the University. Foundation year and in the IntoUniversity Chancellor. I have attended strategy meetings of programs, and so many others. I have also divisions, departments and colleges. I have Before we begin, I think we should sit back, on occasion tried to relax in our wonderful spoken to students in their colleges, clubs, take a deep breath, and contemplate the museums, gardens and parks. Not a day goes societies, in open office hours and over fact that we have just been named the by but I reflect on just how fortunate I am to tea. I have attended lectures on Race in the best university in the world, by the most be a part of this place. widely respected global ranking. This is a Curriculum, on LGBT issues, by Women of spectacular achievement. This is the first Achievement, by Peter Ratcliffe on medicine Regulation time we have reached this pinnacle and the and Michael Sandel on ethics, and many I mentioned challenges. One of the first time any British university has. The others. I met with senior women scientists challenges we face is ever growing, ever way was led for us by our Medical Sciences and junior teaching staff. I've talked to more intrusive, ever more constraining Division which has just been named top in alumni and supporters across the globe. I've government regulation. Just last week we the world for a formidable 6th year in a row. sat on several hiring panels, advisory boards learned that the government is planning This ranking is a testament to the calibre of and many University committees. I've to rank the teaching in British universities the academics who are attracted to work listened to every perspective I'd heard and Gold, Silver and Bronze. Learning this here and to the quality of the research they I have been struck by how much we have brought to mind a question I have asked produce. Amidst all the challenges we face, in common: an unassailable commitment myself repeatedly since coming to the we should just take a moment and enjoy this to excellence, a passionate commitment to UK: Why is it that 'elite' is an accolade achievement. research and education, a belief in Oxford as the ultimate meritocracy and a desire always when it comes to sport, and a criticism The ranking is even more impressive when to do better. when it comes to universities? I've never one realises that we are far less wealthy understood why we treasure elite football than most of our global competitors. The I am still learning the ways of Oxford. I teams and elite athletes but denigrate elite endowment of the entire University, colleges would never have imagined seeing myself in universities. and University together, is less than one- clerical bands. I have learned to appreciate The Gold, Silver and Bronze rankings (the sixth of Harvard's and a quarter of Stanford's, the Proctors and, even, Congregation. I HE Bill doesn't mention medals) reminds Yale's and Princeton's. am belatedly grateful for my five years of schoolgirl Latin, and I am trying to us of the Olympics. Britain's performance I cannot guarantee that we will maintain remember the correct title for each Head of in this year's Rio Olympics was spectacular, this ranking for the next seven years. (The House. and the country rightly rejoiced. We finished problem with being at the top is that there is second in the world, ahead of China with a only one direction to go.) But I can guarantee One particular highlight was cycling to population 22 times our size, and we were to do everything I can to ensure that we Cambridge last month with a group of the only country ever to win more medals in maintain an environment conducive to colleagues from Harris Manchester which, the Olympics after the games it hosted. The conducting the highest possible quality of thanks to the fundraising prowess of the explanation for why we did so well is that UK research and attracting the highest possible Principal, The Revd Ralph Waller, raised Sport took a laser-like focus to British sport quality staff. We will face both external and £1,000,000 for mature students and a and invested in success. internal impediments to maintaining this student hardship fund. They identified sports with potential for position and I will talk about some of them I have seen the impact of an initiative global dominance and invested in them. today but I will also be talking about some like TORCH as it serves as a catalyst for They hired coaches and left them to do what of the many extraordinary people across our innovative interdisciplinary activities in they do best, coach. They didn't insist that 65 66 University of Oxford Gazette • Supplement (1) to No 5144 • 12 October 2016 the coaches, while preparing for Olympic governing bodies. Indeed, academics across of the EU, and for the 12% of our research competition, set up feeder teams among the University serve on the governing bodies funding that comes from the EU. I left the children. They didn't subject the coaches to of state schools, and numerous colleges country of my birth, in the EU, on the day a Coaching Excellence Framework requiring have close links with particular schools. I took my last undergraduate exam and I every coach in the country to complete have not lived there since. I have spent my Our press, Oxford University Press, is the same template irrespective of their professional life in universities in different a critical component of primary and special circumstances. They trusted the countries in which one was judged by the secondary education in this country. Over professionals to do what the professionals quality of one's mind not the colour of one's 80% of British schools use a single OUP do best knowing their interest is completely passport. We must maintain that attitude. programme the Oxford Learning Tree to aligned with the national interest. teach children to read. Every year over 11 It is only since the referendum that I have If only the same attitude were adopted million OUP books are sold across Britain's started to think about who is, or is not, a towards universities. Our interests too schools which together educate 8 million citizen of the EU, and of the difficulties of are completely aligned with the national pupils. Over 8,000 individual titles are this separation. Every day I walk down interest. Universities like ours have for available across the range of primary and South Parks Road, I pass the Pitt Rivers centuries served as engines of social secondary levels. OUP has over 5 million Museum whose director, Dr Laura van mobility, as drivers of the economy, as active users of its digital products like Broekhoven, is from the Netherlands. guardians of our culture, as foundations for MyMaths and is one of the largest teacher I move on along the parks and pass our democracy and as generators of new training providers in the UK, offering the wonderfully decorated hoardings ideas. We have proven time and time again training for 100,000 teachers per year, 90% surrounding the vast excavation that is the that we are pretty good at it. Why not trust of which is free to access. The Press seeks to new Beecroft Building for Physics. This us to get on with it? help parents too. Oxford Owl is a free website building is being made possible by the £200 that promotes literacy and numeracy in the million loan from the European Investment Schools home. It provides parents with advice and Bank, then the largest EIB loan ever to a The most recent piece of regulation that has guidance about engaging their children with European university. I walk on and pass been floated, even before the new Higher maths and reading, as well as access to a the wonderfully revamped Weston Library Education Bill has been passed, is that as a wide range of free books. with its open atrium inviting the public in condition of charging a fee above £6,000 (a to explore the unrivalled national treasures In short, our commitment to pre-university figure that covers only a fraction of the cost housed there. This project too was funded education is broad, is deep, and is of very of an Oxford education) we will be required in part by the loan from the EIB. Across the long standing. To set about establishing to establish or sponsor a school or schools. road is the Museum of the History of Science a school locally, however, would be a whose Director is the German-born Dr Silke As an institution populated by educators we, distraction from our core mission of Ackermann.