- Clarendon bursary
-
"Clarendon Scholarships are scholarships open to students entering a new course of study at Oxford University who are liable to pay fees at the overseas rate. About 100 awards are made annually in any subject area towards taught or research Master's degrees or for the DPhil. Some awards are made in association with particular colleges. The bursaries commenced in 2001 and are financially supported by Oxford University Press. The Clarendon Fund has only one goal in selecting its incoming scholars: to elect the best scholars worldwide, as decided by experts in each scholar's field.
Contents
What is a Clarendon Scholarship?
Clarendon Scholarships are awarded to academically excellent students with the best proven and future potential. The Scholarships cover tuition and college fees in full and a generous grant for living expenses, and are open to students starting a new course at Oxford. They are highly competitive, with less than 10% of applicants selected for the scholarship. In 2010-11, there are 301 Clarendon scholars at Oxford representing 46 different countries. Whilst there are no quotas by course type, the majority of Clarendon scholars are working towards a DPhil (PhD). Scholarships are also awarded for 2-year graduate degrees (MPhil/BPhil/MLitt) or 1-year degrees (MSc/MSt/MBA/MFE). A distinguishing feature of Clarendon scholarships is that scholars are selected from the leaders in their field - that is, academic departments nominate whom they believe are the most deserving of their place at the University of Oxford based on their academic record and ability to contribute significantly to their field of study, both in the present and future. This feature ensures the best and brightest minds are selected as Clarendon scholars.[1]
History
The Clarendon Fund was established in 2000 by Oxford University's Council, the executive policy-forming body of the University consisting of the Vice-Chancellor, heads of departments and other University members. The Fund is financed by Oxford University Press, and dedicated resources to its continuation have increased dramatically since its inception: from £2m per annum in the year of its establishment to £7.5m per annum since 2008. The original aim of the Fund, as agreed by Council in 2000, was to 'assist the best overseas [graduate] students who obtain places to study in the University'. The academic excellence and potential of the students supported by the Clarendon Fund remain its key strength. Whilst other scholarship programmes at Oxford provide significant opportunities for many scholars to study at Oxford, the Clarendon Fund is unique in its ability to provide assistance to students from a wide variety of countries who are selected based solely on their excellent abilities related to their field of study.[2]
About the donor
Oxford University Press (OUP) is one of the departments of the University of Oxford; a publishing house which printed its first book in 1478, only two years after William Caxton established the first printing press in England. It is the largest University Press in the world, publishing in multiple academic fields with offices all over the world. Through its activities, OUP furthers Oxford University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Why is the scholarship called the Clarendon Fund? Edward Hyde, later Earl of Clarendon and also Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1660–1667, wrote a famous and highly profitable work, History of the Great Rebellion, about the English Civil War of the 17th century. The profits of his book were used to construct the University-owned Clarendon Building on Broad Street in central Oxford. The Clarendon Building was designed to house Oxford University Press (OUP), and so the Clarendon Fund was named in honour of this famous building and its historic linkages to OUP, the main benefactor of the Clarendon Scholarships.
About the logo
The Clarendon Fund logo was designed in 2009 in the run-up to the Fund's 10th anniversary. It celebrates both the long history and traditions of Oxford and of OUP, as well as welcoming the Clarendon scholars who will write the pages of the University's future. It shows the statues of the Muses at the top of the Clarendon building, which are perhaps the building's most recognisable feature and an iconic part of the Oxford skyline. The building was constructed in the classical style from 1711-13 on the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, a pupil of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. The font used with the logo is called Trajan Pro and has its origins in the roman lettering found on Trajan's Column, which was completed in 113 CE. It was chosen specifically to complement the architectural style of the Clarendon building. Trajan remains one of the most widely used fonts in book jacket cover design, a further link to the Clarendon Building's original use as the home of OUP.
References
External links
Categories:- Awards established in 2001
- Scholarships in the United Kingdom
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
