Oxford college to be renamed after budget airline tycoon who made £155m donation

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The Telegraph

Oxford college to be renamed after budget airline tycoon who made £155m donation

 

 

Camilla Turner

Tue, 2 November 2021, 6:37 pm

 

 

 

The name of Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, left, who made her fortune with a 'bikini airline', will replace that of Thomas Linacre

An Oxford college has announced it will be renamed after a wealthy Vietnamese benefactor.

Linacre College will become Thao College, named after Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, a budget airline magnate who is Vietnam’s first self-made female billionaire.

The graduate college, which was founded in 1962, is currently named after the distinguished humanist and physician Thomas Linacre, who was born in Canterbury in the mid-fifteenth century.

The college was named after Linacre to commemorate him as “an outstanding Renaissance figure” whose accomplishments “established him as one of the great scholars of his time”.

Another reason for the college to take Linacre’s name was because it hoped to reflect his “breadth of learning in its own multi-disciplinary purpose and ideals”.

But the college announced this week that it would change its name in exchange for a “landmark gift” of £155 million from Ms Thao’s company, Sovico Group.

 

The red brick buildings of Linacre College are seen on a sunny day

The announcement was met with mixed feelings among Oxford dons. Dr Maria Kawthar Daouda, a lecturer in French literature at Oxford University, said that college names should not be altered simply because “a major gift has been made”.

She said that the name Linacre “bears a deep history”, adding: “Thankfulness for Madam Thao’s money could be expressed in ways that do not erase what the donation is meant to protect.”

Meanwhile, others felt more sympathetic with the decision, saying it was the “American way” for universities to accept large donations and naming an institution after the benefactor in return.

“If this were one of the great historic colleges one would have deep reservations,” one don told The Telegraph. “But as it's a modern college and has not got a big endowment, one can understand the decision. If someone is going to put in a colossal amount of money, it’s not unreasonable to have something to show for it.”

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59232955

 

Jewish students want University of Oxford explanation on Mosley donation

By Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent

Published

2 hours ago

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Lady Margaret Hall said money from the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust helped students from "diverse and low-income backgrounds" to attend Oxford.

The University of Oxford has been asked to speak to its Jewish students after it accepted a donation from the family of Oswald Mosley, who led the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s.

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said the Oxford Jewish Society had heard nothing, and added that the news had been "distressing" for students.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said students were owed an explanation.

The university said it had "rigorous guidelines" for accepting funds.

The university was given £6m by the Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust, which was set up by the late former motorsport boss Max Mosley and named after his late son Alexander, a St Peter's College graduate.

A Daily Telegraph report said Mr Mosley created the trust "to house the fortune he inherited" from his father, Oswald Mosley.

Two of the university's colleges - St Peter's and Lady Margaret Hall - also accepted cash from the Mosley family trust totalling more than £6.3m, the report added.

Amanda Sefton, UJS head of campaigns, told the BBC: "A good first step would be for the university to reach out to the Jewish Society to start a conversation.

"The news has been distressing for Jewish students, and the absence of any communication and consultation is inconsiderate and inappropriate."

She said "initial steps must be taken to build the relationship between the Oxford Jewish students and the university" - and that the university and relevant colleges should reflect on "the impact these donations will have on its Jewish students and the wider student body".

Ms Sefton said UJS was working with those Jewish societies "to ensure that Jewish student voices are listened to, and that this doesn't have a long-standing impact on their overall student experience".