In a hugely significant move, Oxford University will create a new school of government in 2012 following an record £75 million donation by Leonard Blavatnik, the American industrialist and philanthropist.
The school – being launched today – is proposed to train outstanding graduates from across the world in the skills and responsibilities of government.
The event is being backed by world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, the former US president, and Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general.
Prof Andrew Hamilton, Oxford’s vice-chancellor, said: “The school represents a vast milestone in Oxford’s history. It will give tomorrow’s leaders the best of Oxford’s traditional strengths alongside new and practical ways of considering and addressing the challenges of good governance.
Lord Patten, Oxford’s chancellor, said: “This is a once-in-a-century chance for Oxford. Through the Blavatnik benefaction, Oxford will now become the world’s leading centre for the training of future leaders in government and public policy – and in ways that take proper account of the very different traditions, institutions and cultures that those leaders
