Dean's message

Dean Stephen Bowen

Kay Hinton

Dear Friends of Oxford:

An Oxford graduate in her senior year at Emory once told me that while she was thriving on the Atlanta campus, she also missed Oxford. At Oxford, she said, she felt that the air was ”thick with a deep sense of history.”

You and I know what she means. At Oxford we walk paths trod by Emory’s founders, surrounded by the architecture of the nineteenth century. All about us are the names most associated with the University’s history: Haygood, Few, Pierce, Candler. The campus is imbued with a historic gravitas—one of the many qualities that make Oxford distinctive. 

The sense of history we feel at Oxford is a blessing—and a challenge. Today we stand on the shoulders of an institution that for 175 years has acted with courage, integrity, and wisdom in bringing the benefits of higher education and scholarship to our country and the wider world. It is our challenge to similarly bring those benefits to a different and changing world. In our recent graduates there are signs that we are making important progress, and we will continue to do so with your help. Thank you for joining me in celebrating Oxford’s 175 years and anticipating its continued excellence as we move toward completing a second century.