450th Anniversary Campaign

2021 is a special year for Jesus College, since it marks our 450th year as a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571 under the influence of the Welsh lawyer and clergyman Hugh Price (Ap Rhys), we remain proud of both our Elizabethan heritage and our Welsh roots. As we look to the future, the diverse and supportive College community that has formed in more recent times gives us still more reason to celebrate.

As the challenges of 2020 continue into a new year, it is worth remembering that our long history has included other periods of difficulty, through which the College has flourished and from which we emerged stronger. It is written in our original College Charter that Jesus is “to endure for all future times” and I believe that we can enter our 450th year confident in this commitment and hope.

In anticipation of this year’s milestone, in 2012 the College launched an appeal to raise £45 million in support of its core mission. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and friends, we have now raised £40 million towards that target. The final £5 million we are seeking in philanthropic support will secure Jesus College’s position as a world-leading institution for study and research. By raising funds to support graduate research, create new opportunities for disadvantaged students, and grow our exceptional schools outreach programmes, we aim to make College a still more diverse and inclusive space in which to study, live and learn as we move into the second half of our fifth century.

This is a pivotal moment for Jesus College, as we begin a year that will bring both transformational change and a landmark anniversary. As we grow into our new spaces and expand our walls, we will remain true to our heritage as a small college on the Turl, and continue to nurture our close-knit community of students and academics just as before.
We invite you to join us in honouring our past, and to toast a year of new beginnings.

Floreat Collegium Jesu.

To find out more about the Northgate project please view our two brochures below.

NORTHGATE BROCHURE

ACCESS AND OUTREACH BROCHURE