News and Events
Meeting Minds Oxford 2024
Booking now open for Meeting Minds Oxford 20 – 22 September 2024
Join us back in Oxford for a stimulating weekend of talks with speakers including journalist Samira Ahmed and Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Chris Liddell, plus over 30 guided walking tours and creative writing workshops.
MEETING MINDS OXFORD 2024 | Oxford Alumni
Save the date
AGM dinner with
Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt
Geneva, 22nd October 2024, 19:30
Zurich, 23rd October 2024, 19:00
To: Members and Friends of SFOU,
Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Principal of Jesus College and Professorial Research Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Oxford, and a world expert on artificial intelligence, web science and social machines, will be coming to Switzerland in October and has agreed to speak at a dinner for SFOU members and friends on the evening of Tuesday, 22nd October 2024, in Geneva and on Wednesday, 23rd October 2024 in Zurich.
Please note the date in your diary and hopefully you can join us. An official invitation will follow after the summer break.
Looking forward to seeing you at the dinner.
Howard Rosen, President
Don’t miss out on a scholarship opportunity
Do you work in the not-for-profit sector? If yes, you could be eligible for a scholarship to our Oxford Impact Finance Innovations Programme.
The scholarship offers a partial tuition fee reduction between 25 – 50%, which provides an opportunity for talented individuals, who would otherwise not have the funding available to participate.
Scholarship recipients should be working full time, and funded by an aid or development agency, non-governmental organisation, or other organisations in the not-for-profit sector.
Applications for the scholarship close on 28 June 2024.
How to apply.
Please attach a 500-word statement along with your application answering the following:
- How will you, your organisation and the communities you serve benefit from participating in the programme?
- What value and unique perspective will you bring to the cohort?
Candidates will be shortlisted* based on demonstrated need and the application essay, followed by a telephone interview.
To find out more about the programme or scholarship, please do get in touch.
Kind regards,
Tonielle Ballard
Programme Consultant
Saïd Business School
University of Oxford
e: tonielle.ballard@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Dinner with Professor Petra Schleiter in Zurich
We had a most enjoyable and stimulating evening with Professor Schleiter who was our guest of honour at the dinner of Swiss Friends of Oxford University in Zurich.
on 18.06.2024 in Zurich
Save the date
AGM dinner with
Professor Petra Schleiter
Zurich, 18th June 2024, 19:00
To: Members and Friends of SFOU,
About half of the World’s population, in at least 64 countries and the European Union, will be voting this year in national elections. Our Guest of Honour at our 2024 AGM dinner will be Professor Petra Schleiter, Professor of Comparative Politics, Joint Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations and Tutorial Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, who will speak to us on the topic of “democratic resilience” on the evening of Tuesday, 18th June 2024 in Zurich, starting at 7 pm (drinks) and 7.30 pm (dinner).
Please note the date and time in your diary and hopefully you and your guests can join us. An official invitation will follow shortly.
Looking forward to seeing you at what should be a thought-provoking event.
Howard Rosen, President
Peter Arengo-Jones
With great sadness that we note the passing of Peter Arengo-Jones OBE (20th February 1930 to 4th May 2024). After working as Information Officer at the British Embassy in Berne, he became a highly respected entrepreneur and has been over many years one of the pillars of the British community in Berne, always positive and friendly. In HM The Queen’s 1978 New Year’s Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Peter was a passionate supporter of music (opera) and the advancement of the arts and sciences and a proud and active alumnus of Jesus College, Oxford. He was a member and great supporter of SFOU and a welcome participant at our events. We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.
Image credit: https://www.plattformj.ch/
Dinner with Professor Mette Morsing in Geneva and Zurich
It was a delight to have Professor Mette Morsing as guest of honour at two great evenings with Swiss Friends of Oxford University last week in Geneva and Zurich.
on 11.04.2024 in Zurich
on 10.04.2024 in Geneva
Talk at Graduate Institute Geneva
On the initiative of SFOU, Professor Morsing was delivering the Geneva Dialogue lecture this year and they had a fantastic discussion with the audience at the Graduate Institute and online.
on 09.04.2024 in Geneva
Lord Patten of Barnes announces his retirement as Chancellor of the University of Oxford
Christopher Patten, Lord Patten of Barnes, has announced that he will retire as Chancellor of the University of Oxford at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. He has been Chancellor since March 2003.
Lord Patten said: ‘This year, I will have my 80th birthday in May. I hope that there will be many more birthdays to come. But I am unlikely to have another 21 years in the job as Chancellor of the University.
‘I think it is in my own interest and that of the University for me to step down at the end of this academic year, giving the University the opportunity to plan a sensible succession which matches the demands of the 2020s. I say this with a heavy heart, trusting that I will still be able to work for Oxford University (which I love) from time to time.
‘The University of Oxford has been a hugely important part of my life. I think it is true to say that Oxford as a whole made me, not just because of the three happy years I spent there as a student, but because of what Oxford has continued to mean to me over the years right up to the present day.’
Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: ‘Over the past 21 years, Lord Patten has been an extraordinarily active and committed Chancellor, engaging in as many as 60 international events per year on the University’s behalf, tirelessly championing Oxford at home and abroad. While his incomparable dedication will be sorely missed by the University, it is entirely understandable that he should want to take a step back at this time, as he approaches his 80th birthday.
‘I am personally grateful for his wise and steadfast support to me as I navigated the transition to becoming VC.
‘On behalf of thousands of alumni, students and staff and the many people whose lives have been changed by the University’s work, I thank Chris, and also his wife Lavender, for their service and wish them well in a richly deserved retirement.’
The University expects to be able to share further information about the next steps soon, as well as to provide opportunities for comments and questions.
About the role of Chancellor
The Chancellor is the titular head of the University and presides over several key ceremonies. The Chancellor chairs the Committee to Elect the Vice-Chancellor. In addition to these formal duties, the Chancellor undertakes advocacy, advisory and fundraising work, acting as an ambassador for the University at a range of national and international events.
The election of the Chancellor
The process and timetable for the election of the Chancellor by members of the University’s Convocation will be announced in due course.
Dinner with Professor Michael Bronstein in Zurich and Geneva
Two wonderful evenings with Swiss Friends of Oxford last month in Zurich and Geneva, with our speaker, Professor Michael Bronstein and special guest Sir Rick Trainor.
on 30.01.2024 in Zurich
on 31.01.2024 in Geneva