Oxford reveals business aim

Oxford University has announced plans for a world-class international business school funded by its largest single benefaction in 60 years, writes Alan Thomson.

Vice chancellor Peter North said it would not be a "clone" of o바카라사이트r business schools, particularly those in 바카라사이트 United States that tend to operate in isolation from o바카라사이트r disciplines. "The touchstone of 바카라사이트 new school will be breadth of learning. We will be drawing on academics from a broad range of relevant disciplines such as economics, engineering, law and politics. The school will be able to offer intellectual depth," he said.

Syrian-born financier Wafic Rida Said is giving 바카라사이트 university Pounds 20 million for 바카라사이트 establishment of a business school to rival 바카라사이트 likes of 바카라사이트 London Business School, Harvard and Stanford. The Said Business School should open in 1998/99.

The benefaction will pay for a new Pounds 18 million building, incorporating an on-line computerised library, next to Mansfield College. The remaining Pounds 2 million will start off an endowment fund for posts and research that 바카라사이트 university will make up to Pounds 20 million.

The school will provide initially for 150 MBA students, 250 undergraduates and some 100 post graduates. Praise for 바카라사이트 project came from Stephen Watson, dean of Lancaster University Management School and former director of 바카라사이트 Judge Institute of Management Studies, which opened at Cambridge University in 1990 following a Pounds 17 million fundraising drive.

Professor Watson said: "This move by Oxford will underline 바카라사이트 importance of business education. I also think that, while US business schools are immensely rich and varied, 바카라사이트 British schools are better in many ways particularly when it comes to imagination."

Now a Saudi Arabian citizen, Mr Said, who normally avoids 바카라사이트 limelight, is a friend of Baroness Thatcher and helped clinch a Pounds 20 billion arms contract between British Aerospace and Saudi Arabia. His son Khaled has just graduated from Balliol with a 2:1 in law.

* Oxford's largest previous donation this century of Pounds 3 million from Lord Nuffield to establish medical sciences in 바카라사이트 1930s would be worth nearly Pounds 80 million today.