Harris Manchester College, Oxford
| Harris Manchester College | |
|---|---|
| |
| Established | 1786 |
| Sister College | None |
| Principal | The Revd Dr Ralph Waller |
| Graduates | ca.40 |
| Undergraduates | ca.110 |
Harris Manchester College, formerly Manchester College, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the heart of the University and city of Oxford. Harris Manchester is one of a few colleges in U.K. Higher Education dedicated solely to the education of mature students. It is the smallest of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, and is one of the least wealthy colleges with an estimated financial endowment of five million pounds (2003).
History
The college started as the Manchester Academy in Manchester in 1786. It was originally run by English Presbyterians. The college was one of the few remaining dissenting academies that provided religious nonconformists with education. At the time, nonconformists were denied admission to Oxford and Cambridge. The Manchester Academy, however, made religion its key principle.
The Manchester Academy went back to the well-known Warrington Academy. It taught radical theology as well as modern subjects, such as science, modern languages, language, or history. This did not mean that the classics were neglected.
The college changed its location five times before settling in Oxford. It was located in Manchester between 1786 and 1803. It then moved to York where it stayed until 1840. Then the college moved back to Manchester until 1853. Between 1853 and 1889 the college was located in London, from where it moved to Oxford, opening its new buildings designed by Unitarian architect Thomas Worthington in 1893. In 1840, the college started an association with the University of London, and gained the right to present degrees from London.
Harris Manchester College was granted Permanent Private Hall status in 1990. It was only in 1996 that the college became a full college of Oxford University.
Today the college focuses on mature students (i.e. for those above the age of 21), both for undergraduate and graduate studies. The college tries to continue its liberal and pioneering ethos; considering its mature student focus as a modern means of providing higher education to those that have, in the past, been excluded from it. In its early days, the College supported reforming causes, such as the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts and the abolition of slavery. In 1901 the College was the first academic institution in Britain to accept a woman candidate for the Nonconformist ministry. In the 1920s and 30s the College provided courses for the Workers' Educational Association (W.E.A.).
Student life
Despite the small student body, the college offers a wide array of courses and has a very international atmosphere. Most undergraduate tutorials are carried out in the college, though for some specialist papers undergraduates may be sent to tutors in other colleges.
Members are generally expected to dine in the Arlosh Hall, where there is a weekly formal dinner at which grace is always recited and students dress in jackets, ties and gowns.
Aside from the College punt, The Royle Yacht, and a croquet lawn, the college has no real sports facilties. However, the College is collectively a member of a central Oxford gym and health club which members of the college have free access to. The college also has an affiliation with neighbouring Wadham College for those interested in rowing and other popular sports
The college boasts one of the largest college libraries in Oxford; which owns approximately 70,000 items. The collection has been built up and developed over the two hundred years of the College's existence. It includes a range of artefacts, an antiquarian book collection, and a large collection of manuscripts relating to the college and the Dissenting movement in England.
The college is also the home of a chapel with ornate wood carvings, an organ and notable stained-glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris.
Academics/teachers
External links
- Harris Manchester College (official website)
