His Majesty The King visits Univ

His Majesty The King visited University College on Friday 10 July. The King was welcomed by Baroness Amos, Master of University College, before meeting the College’s Vice Master and Senior Officers.

University College (known as ‘Univ’), founded in 1249, has a claim to be Oxford’s oldest college. Today, the College is at the forefront of promoting excellence in Oxford, both through its research and teaching and also its groundbreaking initiatives to promote diversity and opportunity. The Crown has been the official Visitor (which is to say statutory overseer) of the College since 1729. His Majesty King Charles last visited the College when Prince of Wales in 2022. On that occasion he spoke with students who had participated in the College’s access initiatives, about their experiences in their home communities and at Oxford.

During the visit, His Majesty met students, staff and community representatives to hear their perspectives on community and social cohesion. The King learned more about Univ’s efforts to encourage participation of students from diverse communities, the breadth of research interests of Univ academics, and the involvement of Univ students and staff in community activities in Oxford.

The visit was an opportunity for Univ students to share with His Majesty their perspectives on barriers to inclusivity, the role of social media in facilitating connection and the ever-evolving technological landscape, including AI and its impact on learning.

Academic and professional services staff spoke to His Majesty about the importance of collaboration, the College living its values through developing impactful practices for inclusion and encouraging respectful dialogue on challenging subjects.

The visit was a significant occasion for the University College community, highlighting the College’s commitment to inclusion, collaboration and engagement. It also provided an opportunity to showcase the contributions of students and staff to the College, the University, the city of Oxford and wider society.

Baroness Amos, Master of the College said “We were delighted to welcome His Majesty to Univ for a second time. His Majesty’s interests in community, social cohesion, opportunity, and diversity are areas of particular interest in our College and our students and professional staff valued the opportunity to discuss these issues with His Majesty.”