The Campaign for Oxford
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| Headquarters | University of Oxford, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD, UK |
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Director of Development
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Liesl Elder |
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Parent organization
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University of Oxford |
| Website | campaign |
| Remarks | The current campaign is also known as Oxford Thinking |
Coordinates: 51°45′40″N 1°15′12″W / 51.7611°N 1.2534°W
The Campaign for the University of Oxford, or simply Campaign for Oxford, is the ground-breaking fundraising appeal for the University of Oxford. The Campaign for Oxford has been a pioneer of university fundraising, in terms of both methods and ambition, since its launch in 1988. It is the biggest and most ambitious fundraising campaign for Higher Education in Europe and one of the largest university fundraising campaigns in the world.
Oxford University's campaigns are managed by Oxford University Development Office. This is a permanent office of the University, though the Campaign itself is temporary. Every few years a new campaign is announced and a new target set.
Oxford University has a long history of philanthropy over the centuries, but like most British universities did not have a systematic approach to obtaining this through a central fundraising office. In the early 1980s, the university sector as a whole was facing a growing financial crisis as public funding was no longer adequate to meet its needs. Fundraising was one of several responses discussed by the Conference of University Administrators.
University fundraising was highly controversial. In the Oxford context, it entailed a significant expansion of the central university. Oxford University was traditionally a federation of colleges, and the central administration was originally viewed simply as a range of support functions for the colleges. Various pressures were enhancing the power of the central University, and it was a situation that made the heads of college uncomfortable. It was also not clear that alumni would feel an allegiance to Oxford University as opposed to their own colleges, and there was concern that a central appeal would detract from the much smaller appeals run by some of the poorer colleges.
Across the sector as a whole there was a considerable amount of distaste for fundraising. British universities had hitherto relied on government funding and research grants, but public funding was diminishing and universities found themselves increasingly unable to afford to refill vacant posts. Even so, there were differing opinions as to whether fundraising was an appropriate activity, as opposed to lobbying for public funding to be increased. There were questions over potential diversion of funds from 'real' charities, possible donor interference in academic impartiality, and the diversion of academic time from its prime purpose.
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