Dean's Message

Dear Alumni and Friends of Oxford,

In 2004, President Wagner brought the Board of Trustees to Oxford to decide the future of the college. Based on research he had commissioned that showed some of the most interesting and accomplished graduates of Emory University were those who began their Emory careers on the Oxford campus, the trustees made a commitment to embrace Oxford and support its renewal and fuller integration with the rest of the university. That commitment has made some considerable difference. 

The lead article in this publication recounts the many construction and renovation projects Oxford has accomplished since then. Certainly none of this could have been done without the support of the board and the generosity and philanthropy of our alumni and other friends of Oxford. As important as these projects are, they are in reality just means to the end of supporting education at Oxford.

Education is our reason for being, and both our new campus master plan and our strategic priorities for the next few years will focus on advancing and developing the Oxford education program. This will entail continuing to improve our instructional spaces, as would be expected. But it will also include creative projects, such as an organic farm, to be developed on land given to Oxford two years ago, which will be a living laboratory across many disciplines. It will include support for faculty innovation in teaching methods and curriculum. And it will include the growth of our endowment for scholarships so we can continue to enroll students who fit well with the Oxford experience, their financial means notwithstanding.

It is gratifying to look at the Oxford campus and see physical evidence of what has been accomplished in the past several years. But being Oxford, we do not intend to rest on these laurels. We have new, exciting goals, and I look forward to working toward them together with you.

Thank you for all the ways you support Oxford College.