Reuben College, Oxford Explained

Reuben College
University:University of Oxford
Motto:Per scientiam illuminabimur (through knowledge we shall be enlightened)
Named For:David and Simon Reuben
Previous Names:Parks College (2019–2020)
Established:2019
President:Lionel Tarassenko
Undergraduates:N/A
Graduates:330
Location:Parks Road, Oxford
Coordinates:51.7584°N -1.2554°W
Location Map:Oxford (central)
Blazon:Argent in pale two Annulets and in base two ErmineSpots in fess Azure all between two Flaunches Vert each charged with an Ermine Spot Or

Reuben College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England.[1] [2] The plans for the new graduate college, preliminarily named Parks College, were announced in December 2018.[3] It is the first new Oxford or Cambridge college founded since 1990, when the postgraduate Kellogg College, Oxford, was established.[4] [5] It is located in the Science Area on the historic Radcliffe Science Library site and took in its first graduate students in the 2021–2022 academic year.

History

The establishment of Parks College was approved by a vote in the university congregation on 7 May 2019.[6] On 11 June 2020, the university announced that it had received an £80 million gift from the Reuben Foundation towards an endowment and scholarships, which would be marked by changing the name of the college to Reuben College.[7] The college was formally renamed on 30 June 2020.[8]

The initial intake of graduate students was in the 2021–2022 academic year with an eventual annual intake of 200 students, studying for research degrees and on taught courses. Initially, there is a focus on three interdisciplinary research clusters, which will be increased to six or eight clusters once there is a full complement of graduate students.

Professor Lionel Tarassenko (head of the Department of Engineering Science) was invited by the Vice-Chancellor, Louise Richardson, to oversee the development of the college as its founding president.[9] The college appointed its first fellows in 2019.[10] Its first vice-president was librarian Catríona Cannon (2019–2021),[11] a role now filled by neuroscientist Esther Becker.[12]

Buildings

The former Radcliffe Science Library (RSL) building is located next to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and consists of three parts:

Reuben College also includes the western wing of the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory and Abbot's Kitchen. In 2019, the university launched a major refurbishment project to modernise and convert these facilities into shared space for the Radcliffe Science Library, museum collections storage and the new Reuben College. The project was completed in 2023.[13] Student accommodation is offered in the newly refurbished building at Farndon Court.[14]

Academic focus

At its launch in 2019, the college identified three initial key areas of knowledge as the focus of its research:[15]

In November 2020, the college announced a fourth academic theme:[16]

Administration

Together with Kellogg and St Cross, Reuben is one of only three Oxford colleges without a royal charter. It is officially a society of the university rather than an independent college.[17] The main difference from an independent college is that the governing body only recommends a president, who is then appointed by Council; in other colleges, the head of house is elected and appointed by the governing body directly. For accounting purposes, the societies are considered departments of the university.[18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Parks College. University of Oxford. 1 December 2019.
  2. News: New Grad College To Share RSL As "Flexible Space", University Reveals. 1 Feb 2019. The Oxford Student.
  3. Web site: Oxford unveils plans for new graduate college. University of Oxford. 2018-12-07. 2018-12-07.
  4. News: Oxford University set to open first new college in almost 30 years, as it seeks to take on Ivy League rivals. The Daily Telegraph. 17 Aug 2018. Camilla Turner.
  5. Web site: The first college for nearly 30 years planned for Oxford University. BBC. 20 Aug 2018.
  6. News: . Question and Reply, Legislative Proposal and Resolution concerning Parks College . Oxford Gazette . Oxford . 15 May 2019 . 5 July 2019 .
  7. Web site: Parks College to benefit from transformational £80 million gift from the Reuben Foundation. Parks College. 11 June 2020.
  8. Web site: Welcome to Reuben College. 2 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200702143209/https://www.reuben.ox.ac.uk/. 2 July 2020. live.
  9. News: Oxford University is planning new graduate college. Oxford Mail. 13 Dec 2018. Andrew Ffrench.
  10. Web site: Parks College People . . University of Oxford . 2019-11-29 .
  11. Web site: What's GLAM got to do with it? . Reuben College . University of Oxford . 2 March 2023 . en.
  12. Web site: Esther Becker . Reuben College . University of Oxford . 2 March 2023 . en.
  13. Web site: Bunce . Alan . How Morgan Sindall Construction helped create Reuben College, Oxford . UK Property Forums . 10 June 2022 . 25 October 2023.
  14. Web site: Accommodation . Reuben College Oxford . 8 February 2023 .
  15. Web site: Oxford’s New College . Quad News . . 6 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200918103214/https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/quad/article/oxfords-new-college . 18 September 2020 . 24 October 2023.
  16. Web site: Ethics & Values research theme.
  17. Web site: Regulations for Parks College. University of Oxford. 5 July 2019.
  18. Web site: Financial Statements of the Oxford Colleges (2017–18) . . UK . 5 July 2019.