Parks College, Oxford

Parks College is a new constituent college of the University of Oxford in England.[1][2] The plans for the new graduate college were announced in December 2018.[3] It is the first new Oxbridge college since 1990, when the graduate Kellogg College was established.[4][5]

Parks College
Oxford
LocationParks Road, Oxford
Coordinates51.7584°N 1.2554°W / 51.7584; -1.2554
Established2019
Named forParks Road
PresidentLionel Tarassenko
Websitewww.parkscollege.ox.ac.uk
Map
Location in Oxford city centre

It will be located in the Science Area on the historic Radcliffe Science Library site. Its name is a reference to its location on Parks Road, Oxford.[1] 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.[6]

History

The establishment of Parks College was approved by a vote in the university congregation on 7 May 2019.[7]

The planned initial intake of graduate students is in the 2021–2022 academic year with an eventual annual intake of 200 students, studying for research degrees and on taught courses. Initially there will be a focus on three interdisciplinary research clusters (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Environmental Change, and Cellular Life), which will be increased to six or eight clusters once there is a full complement of graduate students.[1]

Professor Lionel Tarassenko (Head of the Department of Engineering Science) has been invited by the Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson to oversee the development of the college as founding president.[1][8] The college appointed its first fellows in 2019 including Jane A. McKeating and E.J. Milner-Gulland.[9]

Buildings

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

  • The Jackson Wing, parallel to South Parks Road, is Grade II listed. Designed by Sir Thomas Jackson it opened in 1901. It is arranged over 3 floors, all above ground.
  • The Worthington Wing, parallel to Parks Road, was designed as an extension to the Jackson Wing in 1934 by Hubert Worthington. The wing extends to the north of the western end of the Jackson Wing and contains the entrance hall on the ground floor.
  • The Lankester Room and Main Stack, a two-storey extension under the lawn of the museum, built between 1972 and 1975.

Parks College will also consist of the western wing of the Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory and Abbot’s Kitchen.

Completion of the redevelopment of the RSL building is scheduled for the start of the 2021–2022 academic year. Completion of the redevelopment of the western wing of the Inorganic Chemistry Lab (the potential space for the dining hall), Abbot’s Kitchen and connecting spaces is scheduled for the start of the 2022–2023 academic year.[10]

Student accommodation will be offered in the newly refurbished building at Farndon Court.

Administration

Together with Kellogg and St Cross, Parks is one of only three Oxford colleges without a royal charter. It is officially a society of the university rather than an independent college.[11] 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.[12]

Academic

Dedicated to graduate students, the college is a collaborative home of academic excellence where people embrace opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and are committed to addressing 21st-century challenges.[13]

Academic life is designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration through events, networks, public engagement and knowledge exchange. The college places an initial focus on three research themes: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Cellular Life; and Environmental Change.

See also

References
  1. "Parks College". University of Oxford. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. "New Grad College To Share RSL As "Flexible Space", University Reveals". The Oxford Student. 1 February 2019.
  3. "Oxford unveils plans for new graduate college". University of Oxford. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  4. Camilla Turner (17 August 2018). "Oxford University set to open first new college in almost 30 years, as it seeks to take on Ivy League rivals". The Daily Telegraph.
  5. "The first college for nearly 30 years planned for Oxford University". BBC. 20 August 2018.
  6. "Parks College to benefit from transformational £80 million gift from the Reuben Foundation". Parks College. 11 June 2020.
  7. "Question and Reply, Legislative Proposal and Resolution concerning Parks College". Oxford Gazette. Oxford. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  8. Andrew Ffrench (13 December 2018). "Oxford University is planning new graduate college". Oxford Mail.
  9. "Parks College People". University of Oxford. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  10. "Radcliffe Science Library redevelopment". University of Oxford. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  11. "Regulations for Parks College". University of Oxford. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  12. "Financial Statements of the Oxford Colleges (2017–18)". University of Oxford. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  13. "Parks College website". Parks College.
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