News

I wrote to you recently with the good news about the FT and other rankings. Thank you to all of you who very kindly wrote in such supportive terms in response. I greatly appreciate receiving emails and suggestions from you at all times.

This is only part of what has been a remarkable period of development in the School. Together with the MBA, the School now has a portfolio of degree programmes that is on a par with the best anywhere. The undergraduate programme in Economics and Management is regularly ranked as the best in the UK by both the Guardian and the Times newspapers. The MSc in Financial Economics is one of the toughest graduate programmes in finance to enter anywhere in the world. Thanks to a large number of new scholarships that have been funded from a variety of different sources, the doctoral programme is attracting first rate students from all over the world. The new MSc in Major Programme Management is admitting approximately 50% more students than was anticipated when it started and the School has established a suite of diploma programmes in various areas of finance, leadership and strategy that are proving to be an immense success. And that is before discussing the other executive education programmes which I will write about separately.

What is accounting for this development? Firstly, the School is establishing an international reputation as being a leading provider of management education. We are no longer just a young and innovative school (though we hope that we will always remain that) but we are increasingly viewed as having arrived. Second, there have been significant improvements in the way in which the School has been organised and run over the past few years. This is reflected in the admissions office, marketing, the website, the courses office, teaching, alumni relations and careers to name a few. I will say more about these at other times but I would just like at this point to acknowledge the work that everyone in the School has put into this. It has been a joint effort that has not only involved the administrative staff and the faculty but also the student body and you, the alumni. I have been greatly impressed by the interest and enthusiasm that current and past students have demonstrated and their willingness to help develop the unique institution that we are well on the way to creating.

Having said all that, let me immediately add that encouraging though this all is, there remains an immense amount to do. We have only just begun the process of creating a top school. In the process we are determined that it should reflect the distinctive features of Oxford University – the exceptional intellectual depth that a world renowned university can offer, the challenging education for which Oxford is famous, the convening power of Oxford in attracting global leaders and academics from around the world, and the influence and impact that the School can have as a training ground for leaders of new and established organisations.

There are some exciting initiatives that are in process to help us realise these ambitions and I will write to you about them over the next few months. In the meanwhile, thank you again for all your support and encouragement.

With best wishes

Colin