October 2026
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‘If the Q&A at my Senior Tutor’s talk to undergraduate Freshers is anything to go by, the 2026 intake of students promises to be lively, engaged, and curious – three great qualities in a place of education. We are delighted to welcome all our students, both new and returning, to their College home. The motto of the College – ‘Floreat Domus de Balliolo’, meaning ‘May the house of Balliol flourish’ – applies above all to its residents. It is their flourishing which the institution is designed and developed to encourage. John Ruskin - who studied at the House, aka Christ Church, not Balliol – wrote 150 years ago (just before the opening of women’s colleges in Oxford), ‘You do not educate a man by telling him what he knew not, but by making him what he was not.’ Well, we do not ‘make’ people exactly, but we hope and aim to help them to make themselves. To all of us, then, Floreat Domus!’
Nicola Trott, Senior Tutor
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The College is greatly saddened to learn of the death of Professor David Turner FRS, who was a Fellow from 1967 to 1995 and an Emeritus Fellow from 1995 to 2026.
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We are delighted to welcome 11 new Fellows and academic visitors to Balliol this term, bringing a wealth of expertise across a range of disciplines.
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From 18 to 20 September 2026, Balliol welcomed Old Members back to College for a special weekend of events celebrating the centenary of the Balliol Society.
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Professor Lyndal Roper (Emeritus Regius Professor of History and Honorary Fellow) has been shortlisted for the 2026 Wolfson History Prize for her book Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasant’s War.
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Professor Cheryl Misak (1984, Honorary Fellow) received an honorary degree from the University of Lethbridge, Canada, in recognition of her contributions to philosophy and higher education.
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Balliol hosted a visit by the former Australian prime minister the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC on 16 October. He addressed a breakfast gathering of Oxford students and staff.
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Balliol’s statue of Dervorguilla of Galloway, installed on the Master’s Field in 2025, has been shortlisted for an Oxford Preservation Trust Award in the ‘Public Realm’ category.
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Current students and Old Members are invited to submit a chilling tale for Balliol Library's annual ghost story competition.
Deadline for submission is midnight on Friday 20 November.
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The Balliol College Annual Record 2026 is available online now. Printed copies will be despatched soon to those who requested one.
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Kitty Ussher (1990) has taken her seat in the House of Lords, following her appointment to the peerage in July 2026. Now known as Baroness Ussher, she was formally introduced to the House of Lords on 13 October 2026.
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Eleanor Woodhouse (2007), Associate Professor of Public Policy at University College London (UCL), has been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
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BALLIOL ON THE WEB
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- Obituaries:
· The Revd Andrew Shanks (1972), The Telegraph
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- Sean Qualter (Night Porter): featured in The Oxford Student
- Marcela Mendoza (2014): spotlighted in University of Oxford News
- Conor J. Kelly (Bingham Early Career Fellow in Constitutional Studies): interview, MIT Center for International Studies
- Rory Stewart (1992): interview, The Times
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PUBLICATIONS
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- Robert Waller (1974), '1912' in Iain Dale (ed.), American Presidential Election Campaigns 1789-2024 (Biteback publishing, 2026)
- Ian Bond (1980), Dick Leonard, Robert Taylor, The Routledge Guide to the European Union, Second Edition (Routledge, 2025)
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Brian Groom (1973), These Isles: A People's History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (HarperNorth, 2026)
- Martin Edwards (1974), The Classic Crime Companion (British Library, 2026); Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery, co-edited with Lucy Rowland (British Library, 2026)
If you would like us to mention any significant work published this year or last, please send details to Yingying Jiang. Previously submitted publications are listed on the alumni publications page.
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Balliol College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ, United Kingdom, +44 (0)1865 277690
Balliol College is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1144032) and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. This email is created by the Development Office for Balliol alumni and circulated to current members
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