- St Hilda's College, Oxford
Oxford_College_Infobox
name = St Hilda's College
university = Oxford
shield =
picture =
primary_colour = navy
colours = | | | | | | | | |
named_for = Hilda of Whitby
name_Latin =
established = 1893
sister_college =
head_name = Principal
head = Sheila Forbes
JCR President = Katharine Terrell
undergraduates = 420
MCR President = Sarah-Jane Fenton
graduates = 86
latitude = 51.749162 | longitude = -1.245334
homepage = [http://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/ Homepage]
boat_club =
St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded by Dorothea Beale, who was also a headmistress at Cheltenham Ladies' College. A key feature of the college from its foundation to 2006 was its all female status. After a vote on 7 June 2006 by the Governing Body, men and women can be admitted as fellows and students. The first male undergraduate and graduate students will start their studies in Michaelmas term 2008. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/5054126.stm "St Hilda's College to admit men"] , BBC, 7 June 2006. Retrieved on 9 June 2006.]
The college is in Cowley Place, and is the most easterly of all the university's colleges. It consists of six major buildings containing student accommodation and teaching areas: Hall, South, Milham Ford, Wolfson, Garden, and the Christina Barratt Building (opened in 2001). The Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building is a concert venue named after the famous cellist who was an honorary fellow of the college. The college also owns a number of properties on Iffley Road, and in the Cowley area.
The college is situated alongside the River Cherwell, with many college rooms overlooking the river itself. One benefit of this location is that the college has its own fleet of punts, which students of the college may hire for free. Unfortunately, this has at times led to problems with flooding in Milham Ford building.
The current Principal is Sheila Forbes, CBE, a graduate of the college. She took up the post in 2007.
As with all the colleges of the University of Oxford, St Hilda's has always maintained very high academic standards in all fields. In its history as a women's college, it has also shown continuation at degree level of particular trends demonstrated by girls at GCSE and A-Level, with students at St Hilda's scoring huge numbers of Firsts in English, Modern Languages and History. St Hilda's has frequently produced a greater percentage of English Firsts per year than any other constituent college.
As of 2006, the college had an estimated financial endowment of £39 million. [ [http://www.btinternet.com/~akme/OXCpress.html Oxford College Endowment Incomes, 1973-2006] (updated July 2007)]
Trivia
*St Hilda's students were the subject of the Channel 4 documentary series "College Girls", broadcast in 2002.
*According to Jeremy Paxman hosting "University Challenge" on BBC television, St Hilda's students have traditionally been referred to (somewhat uncharitably) as 'Hildabeests' (after wildebeest).
Notable former students
*Zeinab Badawi, BBC journalist
*Susan Blackmore
*Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, royalty
*D. K. Broster, historical novelist
*Susanna Clarke, author
*Wendy Cope, poet
*Barbara Everett, academic
*Shannon Fitzpatrick, ukuleleist
*Susan Greenfield, academic
*Catherine Heath, novelist
*Meg Hillier, politician
*Bettany Hughes, historian
*Jenny Joseph, poet
*Hermione Lee, critic and biographer
*Val McDermid, novelist
*Rachel McLean, murder victim
*Rosalind Miles, writer
*Kate Millett, feminist author
*Katherine Parkinson, actress
*Barbara Pym, novelist
*Gillian Rose, philosopher
*Jacqueline Rose, academic and writer
*Sheila Rowbotham
*Baroness Gillian Shephard, politician
*Ann Thwaite, biographer
*Tsuda Umeko, educator
*Cecil Woodham-Smith, historian
*Sufiah Yusof, independent escort
:See also .
Academics/teachers
*Mary Bennett
*Helen Gardner
*Elspeth Kennedy
*Barbara Levick
*Beryl Smalley
*Helen Waddell
*Kathy Wilkes
Honorary fellows
*Jacqueline Du Pré
*Rosalyn Tureck
References
External links
* [http://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/ St Hilda's College] (official website)
* [http://sthildasmcr.org.uk/ Middle Common Room] (graduates)
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