University of Oxford
North American Office
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Greetings from the University of Oxfords Office in New York!
My colleagues and I hope that you and your loved ones had
an enjoyable Thanksgiving and a Happy Holiday season.
Having visited Oxford three times this fall, I can report that,
as ever, the University community is alight with activity as a
new academic year begins. For me, being in Oxford at the
start of Michaelmas Term is always a renewing experience.
The feeling of energy fueled by the arrival of this years
crop of youthful, optimistic, determined freshers can be
felt throughout the city. It is simply a great time to be in
Oxford.
The sense of optimism within the Collegiate University has
been running high for some time even before the arrival of
the freshers. Shortly after the publication of our Trinity
Term newsletter, Professor Andrew Hamilton was elected to
be the next Vice-Chancellor of the University. Professor
Hamilton comes to Oxford after an outstanding tenure as the
Provost of Yale. In addition to his administrative
responsibilities, he also served as the Benjamin Silliman
Professor of Chemistry while maintaining a world-class
research laboratory. His research interests include
bioorganic chemistry, the design of artificial enzymes, and
new approaches in combinatorial chemistry. Professor
Hamilton will be able to build upon the important work of
our current Vice-Chancellor, Dr John Hood, which has led
to Oxfords recognition by the Times of London rankings as
the top university in the UK for the last five years in a row.
My colleagues and I recently had the pleasure of meeting
with Professor Hamilton and found him to be an energetic,
insightful person who cares deeply about the roles that great
universities can and should play in our ever-changing world.
I look forward to introducing you to Professor Hamilton at
one of our alumni events in the near future.
Regarding alumni events I hope you will have already
noted that my colleagues and I have planned several
gatherings in cities throughout North America. Please try to
arrange your calendar so that you will be able to attend one
of these gatherings. They are a wonderful way of
Michaelmas Term 2008 Newsletter
reconnecting with the
University, your College,
and your fellow
Oxonians. As you will
note, the Chancellor of
the University, Lord
Patten of Barnes, will be
joining us at several of The Chancellor, Lord Patten of Barnes
these venues. An
engaging and enlightening speaker, I am delighted that the
Chancellor has agreed to join us at these celebrations.
As I type this, several high school students from around the
USA and Canada sit in the reception area of our offices
waiting to be interviewed by an Oxford faculty member. I
am pleased to make our offices available each year at this
time to the Admissions Office, which flies faculty members
to New York for two weeks of interviews and information
sessions. More than three hundred students will be
interviewed here in New York, and almost as many in
Vancouver in the weeks ahead. While the primary focus of
this process is for admissions for undergraduate programs,
my colleagues from Oxford are able to provide advice
regarding graduate programs as well. I share this
information with you in the event that you know a student
who you think might be interested in applying to Oxford.
If so, please direct him or her to the University website
(www.oxford.edu) where a great deal of information about
the Collegiate University and the admissions process can be
found. If you or the student you know should have
additional questions, please feel free to have them contact
my office via e-mail at events@oxfordna.org. Who knows,
maybe that young student will end up being among one of
the new crops of freshers next year!
Best regards,
Michael G Cunningham, FRSA
Director, University of Oxford North American Office
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OXFORD UNIVERSITY SOCIETY
Alumni Events Around North America
This term weve highlighted several branches around North America, including
Philadelphia, Bermuda, Toronto and some of our newly formed branches.
Please visit www.oxfordna.org or email alumni@oxfordna.org to find the branch nearest you.
Philadelphia
www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/philadelphia
It gives us great pleasure to announce the establishment of the
Philadelphia Branch of the Oxford University Alumni
Society. In the past two months, we have reached out to over
500 Oxonians living in the greater Philadelphia area and have
received enthusiastic responses toward meeting at future
events. We have heard from classes 1956 through 2006 and
nearly every Oxford University College.
Our first unofficial event was held on Saturday 8 November
at the Chestnut Hill home of Christopher (Oriel, 1975) and
Lindsey (Somerville, 1975) Lane, who introduced us to their
remarkable historic maps of Great Britain and Oxford. Chris,
a co-owner of The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd., and an
appraiser on the PBS Show, Antiques Roadshow, highlighted
a few pieces from the collection and entertained the group
with stories
about how
zograscopes
are often
misidentified
as Georgian
shaving
mirrors.
A resounding
response
from event
attendees was
that we must
do this again! Many thanks to Chris and Lindsey Lane for
Based on this hosting us in their beautiful home!
reaction, the future of the Philadelphia Branch of OUS is
looking very bright!
Plans are now afoot to meet as a small organizing team to
discuss future official branch events (lectures, theater and
exhibit visits, social events) - stay tuned to learn more about
our activities - and do let us know if you will be in the area!
Katharine Woodhouse-Beyer
(Trinity, 1990)
artel2003@aol.com
Michaelmas Term 2008 Newsletter
Bermuda
www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/bermuda
A crowd of nearly 500 people gathered for Guy Fawkes
celebrations organized by the Oxford & Cambridge Society
of Bermuda. Guy Fawkes Night marks the foiling of the
Gunpowder
Plot of the
5 November
1605 in which
a number of
Catholic
conspirators,
including Guy
Fawkes,
attempted to A scene from the Guy Fawkes celebration.
blow up the
Houses of Parliament in London. This event was held at the
historical Fort St Catherine in Bermudas first settlement of
St Georges. Survivors of the shipwrecked Sea Venture
stumbled ashore this beach in 1608 giving it added historical
resonance.
This was a new event for the Oxford & Cambridge Society
and organizers were delighted with the turnout. Bonfire night
celebrations have been very few and far between in Bermuda
since fireworks were banned in the 1960s.
Organizer Becky Ausenda explained that the process of
obtaining licenses was a little complicated and fundraising
was also an issue since the event was free to the public. But
the feedback has been very gratifying and it was worth the
effort. We wanted to have a family event that both our
members and the community would enjoy. Being able to
revive a tradition that has almost died out was an added
bonus.
In January 2009, well be hosting a reception for the Christ
Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford, who will be participating in
the 2009 Bermuda Festival. Our annual Oxford &
Cambridge Boat Race Dinner will be held in April. Please
keep an eye out for upcoming events information.
Rebecca Ausenda
(St Hildas, 1989)
rebecca.ausenda@partnerre.com
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Toronto www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/canada_toronto
Under the leadership of Branch President Jenny Mercer
(St Hildas), the Toronto Branch continues to be active
with successful social, sporting and cultural events in
recent months, both on our own and in collaboration with
Cambridge and other British and Ivy League University
groups. Together with the other Universities we held a
United States Election Forum on 7 October with
presentations on the issues and the candidates. While our
third Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race on 14 September
was equally enjoyable, that pleasure was tinged by the fact
that Cambridge beat us soundly.
On the first Thursday of each month, the Branch holds a
lunch at La Maquette restaurant in Toronto. An
inter-university pub night is scheduled for 27 November at
the Duke of York.
We are planning events for next year (including an Annual
Dinner, hockey, cricket and rowing events, a soire
musicale) and would welcome any Oxford women or men
who would like to get involved. Please contact Jenny
Mercer at jenny.mercer@bharchitects.com or our
Secretary at ous.toronto@sympatico.ca.
Michaelmas Term 2008 Newsletter
New Branches
The Oxford University Society is happy to announce the
formations of new branches across America. If you live in
Austin, TX, Kansas City, MO, or North Carolina, and
would like to become involved with OUS, please send an
email to the following contacts:
Austin, Texas
John Gates (St Catherines College, 2002,
Harris Manchester College, 2004)
john.gates@stcatz.oxon.org
Kansas City, Missouri
Mike Schorah (Keble College, 1982)
mike.schorah@gmail.com
North Carolina
Nathaniel Goetz (St Antonys College, 1999)
nathaniel.h.goetz@gmail.com
OUS wants all alumni to have an Oxford community in
their home town. If you are interested in starting up an
OUS branch in your area, please send an email to
overseas.branches@alumni.ox.ac.uk. Well be happy to
contact alumni on your behalf to help you get started.
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University of Oxford North American Office Michaelmas Term 2008 Newsletter

SAVE THE DATE!

The Chancellor, Lord Patten of Barnes, Saturday 2 May: Washington, DC
will be hosting receptions for Oxford Alumni & Join the Chancellor for a day-long program
Friends throughout the United States in 2009. with several discussions featuring
Invitations will be sent in the new year. Oxford Academics and Alumni.
Tuesday 28 April: Toronto, ON The day will end with a drinks reception
Wednesday 29 April: Boston, MA for all attendees.
Friday 1 May: New York, NY
Saturday 2 May: Washington, DC
Sunday 3 May: Houston, TX
Monday 4 May: Dallas, TX
Tuesday 9 June: Chicago, IL
Wednesday 10 June: Los Angeles, CA
Thursday 11 June: San Francisco, CA
Friday 12 June: Seattle, WA
Visit www.oxfordna.org for more information.