- Norway Scholarship
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Norway Oxford Scholarship 
Crest of Oxford University Society NorwayBenifactor Oxford University Society Norway Duration 1920-present Present scholar Bedeho Mender Notable alumni Nordahl Grieg, P. A. Munch, Harald Sverdrup and Abid Raja Amount £12,000 The Norway Scholarship is the only official scholarship to the University of Oxford that is awarded in Norway [1].
The first Norway Scholarship was awarded in 1920. Since then, one Norway Scholar has been selected annually, except for a few periods, such as during the Second World War. The scholarship is highly competitive, and is awarded to a student or recent graduate of Oslo University. Past Norway Scholars include Norwegians such as Nordahl Grieg, P. A. Munch, Harald Sverdrup and Abid Raja. The current scholar is Bedeho Mender.
Norway Scholars receive funding for one or two years of study and research at Oxford University, and the scholar always becomes a member of Wadham College [2].
History
The idea for a scholarship fund enabling students from The Royal Frederik’s University, as Oslo University was then called, to study for one year at Wadham College in Oxford was conceived in 1919 by a young alumnus of the college, who during the war years 1914-18 had held the post of British vice-consul in Kristiansund N, a port- and fishing town on the west coast of Norway. His name was Arthur Ivor Garland Jayne, son of The Lord Bishop of Chester.[3]
Young Jayne had married a daughter of Professor Bredo von Munthe af Morgenstierne, at one time Rector of the University of Oslo (1912–1918). Morgenstierne was a well-known lawyer, orientated towards Britain (among his books we find one on English parliamentarism). Like Jayne’s brother and Fridtjof Nansen, the famous Polar explorer (and Norway’s ambassador to London in the critical year of 1905), he gave NOK 5000.- towards the establishment of a Scholarship Fund. Altogether Jayne succeeded in raising NOK. 60 000.-, or approximately GBP 2780 – a considerable sum at the time. He spent his later life as a lecturer in English at the University of Oslo.[4]
Arthur Jayne retrospectively explained his initiative in a letter dated 14. October 1945 to Professor Didrik Arup Seip, the then Rector of Oslo University, in the following words:
”At the time of the first world war - - - a considerable amount of ‘Allied’ propaganda material, sent to Norway and intended to inform Norwegian opinion about the war, proved ill-adapted to enlist the understanding sympathy of those who had previously had cultural or business contacts with the nations in conflict with the Allies. The experience seemed to indicate the great importance of any educational facilities which would bring the youth of Norway and Britain into really close association with each other. It struck me that one useful step in that direction could be some permanent arrangement which would enable Norwegian students to participate in the typically English form of university life that exists in the college system of Oxford and Cambridge. Without actual residence in a college this is impossible. But whereas foreign students have been able to attend courses at English universities, it has always been very difficult for them to obtain permission to reside at a college, sharing to the full all that the college environment can offer.”
Arthur Jayne succeeded with his plan. From 1920, with the exception of (for unknown reasons) the years 1926-27, and of course the war years 1940-44, Norwegian students were awarded the Norway Scholarship for studies of the most varied description. However, as the basic funding of the scholarship proved inadequate, the scholars soon became dependent on supplementary grants from other university funds, but from the late 1970s even this arrangement proved inadequate to meet rising costs. For some years no scholars were appointed at all. The basic foundation capital had by then shrunk to only NOK. 130 000.- (about GBP 6500.- at the current rate of exchange) – a quite inadequate sum. In the late 1970s Alf Bøe (Wadham 1952), head of the Committee, called on Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s Andor Birkeland (Wadham 1946), former Accountant Sven Guldberg (Wadham 1937) and former Minister for Culture Helge Sivertsen (Wadham 1938). With the help of the College and of the British Ambassador to Norway, William Bentley - later Sir William Bentley (a Wadham man) they were able to raise NOK 1 170 000 (around GBP 117 000). In the 1990s Bøe formed a new committee consisting of Michael Benskin (St. Peter’s 1965), professor at the Department of British and American Studies of Oslo University, Haakon Melander, banker (Balliol 1966); and Erik Rudeng (Norway scholar 1969). Iver B. Neumann (Norway Scholar 1988) was recruited as young blood in 1993. When Bøe retired in 2003, Neumann took over as chair. Bjørn Blindheim (Norway Scholar 1992) and Neumann formed a Norwegian chapter of the Oxford Society, with Blindheim as chair. Since 1981 the Committee has organized an annual dinner with a guest of honour from Oxford University, who has also given one or more lectures locally in Oslo. Bjørn Blindheim took over the responsibility for these events, and they have continued uninterrupted to this day.
King Harald V of Norway — himself a Balliol graduate — often participates at the grand dinner of Norway Scholars that is held each year in Oslo by the Oxford University Society Norway [5]
Past Norway Scholars to Wadham College
Year Scholar Discipline 1920 G. Astrup-Hoel Law 1921 Bjarne Hamre English 1922 Christian Lasson Brun Economics 1923 Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg English history and literature 1924 Groth, Erling Languages and social-oeconomic studies 1925 Langeland, Hallvard Maritime law 1926–1927 No scholar No scholar 1928 Christophersen, Halfdan Finished his dissertation on the 18t century Danish-Norwegian
philosopher Ludvig Holberg and his relations to the philosophy of John Locke1929 Quale, Paul Audit studies 1930 Pettersen, Georg E. Philology 1931 Brinch, Christian Languages, literature and finance 1932 Leivestad, Trygve Old English law 1933 Munch, P.A. Studies in the Old Testament 1934 Grieg, Arne Medicine 1935 Platou, Fredrik Christian Stoud Law 1936 Birkelund, Kåre English language and literature 1937 Guldberg, Sven Dalhoff Social economy part of a Audit studies examination, and British culture 1938 Sivertsen, Helge English history, politics and international relations 1939 Studies in English 1940–1944 No scholarships given during the war No scholarships given during the war 1945 Faaland, Just Audit studies 1946 Birkeland, Andor Moderen English social history 1947 Aasgaard, Arne Moderen English social history 1948 Sverdrup, Harald Ulrik No information 1949 Fuglum, Per No study named 1950 Marstrander, Jan Fredrik English Literature 1951 Marstrander, Jan Fredrik No information 1952 Bøe, Alf Studies for B. Litt thesis on Theories of Victorian design 1953 Bøe, Alf No information 1954 Johnsen, Ivar History of literature 1955 Mevik, Leif No information 1956 Malmanger, Magne Early 19th century English landscape painting 1957 Neumann, Tor Russian, and comparative studies in English and German literature 1958 Nordli, Knut English language 1959 Hjalte Lymann English law, particularly maritime law 1960 Lars Jacob Krogh English language and literature 1961 No scholar No scholar 1962 Jørgensen, Nils-Johan No information 1963 No scholar No scholar 1964 Wold, Dag Christopher No information 1965 Stokkeland, Jostein No information 1966 Gjesdal, Trygve No information 1967 Skard, John Arthur Independent studies in physics 1968 Haakstad, Jon English literature 1969 Rudeng, Erik took a B.A. in Modern history 1970 Rudeng, Erik No information 1971 Andenæs, Ulf No information 1972 Haverkamp, Frode took a Diploma in History of Art 1973–1975 No scholar No scholar 1976 Haarberg, Jon M.S. Classical philology 1977 No scholar No scholar 1978 Hansen, Trond B. No information 1979–1980 No scholar No scholar 1981 Halén, Widar Studies for doctorate on Victorian designer Christopher Dresser 1982–1984 No information No information 1985 Sverre Rustad Studied for a M.A. in English 1986 Hoftun, Martin Studies for a D.Phil on the history of Nepal 1987 No information No information 1988 Neumann, Iver B. International Relations, M.Phil. 1989 1989 Kvalheim, Kristin Nevrological biology 1990 Bech, Alexandra International law 1991 Nissen, Nils A. English literature 1992 Blindheim , Bjørn Economics 1993 Jølle, Jonas Greek 1994 Skaaner, Haakon Theoretical chemistrey, quantum mechanics 1995 Joachimsen, Kristin Studies in the prophet Jesaiah 1996 Foss, Grete Synnøve Analysis of amoloid light chagin protein (AL-protein) isolated from the spleen of the patient 1997 Abildsnes, Ole-Reinert, History of ideas and of literature 1998 Hammerstad, Anne Studies for D.Phil in international relations 1999 Røttingen, Jon Arne Studies at Department of zoology, Mcc course in epidemiology, evolution and control 2000 Nilsen, André industrial relations 2001 No Scholar No Scholar 2002 Otterholt, Tor Studies for M.Phil in Russian and East European studies. 2003 Abid Qayyum Raja Law 2004–2005 No Scholar No Scholar 2006 Guri Rosén Studies for MSc in Sociology 2007 No Scholar No Scholar 2008 Sara Shah Medicine 2009 Maria Witek Music (refused); Kristian Alfsnes Medicine 2010 Bedeho Mender Studies for D.Phil in Computational Neuroscience References
Categories:- Education in Norway
- Student financial aid
- Awards and prizes of the University of Oxford
- 1920 establishments in England
- 1920 establishments in Norway
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