Issue 19, 2013 - Balliol College - University of Oxford

college news
this case prophesying correctly the
change in the University, which, with
the cap on numbers agreed with
the City Council, is still struggling
to increase graduate numbers and
struggling to find the correct balance
between those here for only one year
and those here to pursue longer-term
doctoral studies.
And fundraising has turned into
Development, and become a major
part of our normal activity. This
is in many ways connected to the
two previous changes I have just
noted. Their history goes back to
the early 1990s, to the abolition of
the polytechnics, the financial cuts
to the universities, and the rapid
expansion of numbers at greatly
reduced cost per head. Much of
that expansion has been driven
by a growth in the numbers of
women (there are now more women
receiving offers from universities
than men applying; not so, however,
at Balliol, and we are trying to
address this shortfall), and has driven
a consequent expansion at graduate
level. Alongside this, at least until
this year’s increase in fees, the money
accompanying each undergraduate
student has been under continuing
downward pressure. Where other
long-established institutions have
gradually been forced to abandon
tutorial teaching, Oxford has been
able to maintain this traditional level
of support, but only at the cost of
using endowment income. Of course,
if we believe this is the best way to
teach, this is what our charitable
status is for: to allow us to teach what
we believe we should teach, in the
way that is most appropriate. And so
in effect at Balliol we subsidise our
teaching of undergraduate students
Lieder recital at Balliol
by Anne Schwanewilms
and Malcolm Martineau.
Vivian and Drummond
Bone with (centre)
Malcolm Martineau
and Anne
Schwanewilms.
by about £4k per head per year, and
the living costs of those who live and
eat with us by about a further £1k.
Although the fee situation has eased
things a little, Oxford has chosen to
give a very large proportion of that
income (again, rightly, we might well
think) to those less well-off students,
to enable them to study here – more
than any other UK university in point
of fact. In order to continue this level
of subsidy we have to make sure the
buildings are never empty (we now
have no closed period other than
Christmas), which changes the life of
the College somewhat, and we have
to raise money.
So pardon us if this year in
particular we urge all of you who
feel you have benefited from being a
member of the College to support us
for the good of the next 750 years.
We have more than 7,500 of you
whom we know about, some 22 per
cent of you support us regularly, and
our small team in College do their
best to look after you all. This is a
year in which we mark continuity,
but also recognise change, and help
prepare the way for what Balliol men
and women will do next.
750th Service
of Thanksgiving
A special 750th Service of
Thanksgiving (Choral Matins)
will be held in the University
Church at 11.15am on Saturday
2 November 2013, followed by
lunch in Hall for those who wish
to book a place. The preacher
will be the Very Revd Michael
Sadgrove (1968), Dean of
Durham Cathedral. All Old and
Current Members are welcome.
The Chaplain is particularly keen
to invite former choristers and
organ scholars: if you sang in
the Chapel choir or know of
someone who did, please email
chaplains.secretary@balliol.
ox.ac.uk. To book a place for
lunch, please download a booking
form from www.balliol.ox.ac.uk
or telephone 01865 277733 and
ask for one to be sent to you.
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