Professor Andrew Hamilton has taken up his post as the 296th vice-chancellor of the University and laid out some important changes he wants to make in Oxford.
Hamilton particularly wants to improve financial aid with more generous bursaries and scholarships for students applying to Oxford. As the government reduces spending on higher education, the new vice-chancellor believes universities must find other ways of improving funds, including more co-operation with industry and raising tuition fees.
Hamilton has spent the last 28 years working in ivy-league institutions in the United States, including both Princeton and Yale, and has a very impressive track record for fundraising.
He wants Oxford alumni to give more to “ensure future students will have the same opportunities that they had when they were here.”
In the face of the current economic climate, and given funding cuts proposed by the government Hamilton has admitted, “financial sustainability is, without any question, going to be one of the biggest challenges for us.”
OUSU have welcomed Hamilton’s promises saying, “Higher donations will help fund new facilities and Oxford’s exceptional quality of teaching while also making the university’s financial position more stable.”
Jonny Medland, Access and Academic Affairs Officer for OUSU, agrees that the priority should be attracting the best and the brightest regardless of their background. However, he does not see tuition fees as the way forwards. “Raising fees will undermine all the outreach work which Oxford does at the moment, and contribute to the fear of debt which we know discourages young people from applying to university,” he said.
Stefan Baskerville, President of OUSU, supported Medland’s comments. “Fees are not the way forward. The students of Oxford have voted for a fairer and more sustainable system to fund higher education: a graduate contribution scheme. We challenge the University in the coming months to think creatively about the options available for funding higher education, and we look forward to engaging them constructively in that debate.”
Alumni do already donate significant amounts to the University. One student who participated in college alumni phone trawls seeking donations claims former students are “generally positive” and “happy to give”. However, he agreed that the system could be improved.
One St. Hilda’s student said, “I have enjoyed my time at Oxford and as soon as I have enough money I will be happy to give to help future students.”
Another student admitted, “I would only give money if Oxford had helped me become successful. If I struggle to find a good job after graduating, I will definitely have different priorities.”
