Hamilton College has entered into an exclusive arrangement that enables its students and faculty to study and teach at Pembroke College of Oxford University.
As part of the agreement, up to five Hamilton juniors each year will enroll at Pembroke. They will enjoy full privileges in Pembroke and Oxford academic and social life, including the university's famed tutorial program.
"This exclusive agreement between Hamilton and one of the world's most distinguished and celebrated universities represents an extraordinary opportunity for our students and faculty," said Hamilton President Eugene M. Tobin, who signed the agreement while visiting Pembroke over spring break.
In addition to Hamilton undergraduates studying at Pembroke, one Hamilton faculty member per year, or two or more faculty members for parts of each term, will serve as visiting fellows at the college. Pembroke will send senior fellows to Hamilton twice a year for two weeks to give lectures and seminars and to meet with students and faculty. Kenan Professor of History Maurice Isserman will be a fellow at Pembroke in fall 2001, and Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, chair of the Department of Religious Studies, will be in residence during the spring 2002 semester.
The two colleges also are working to develop a second BA program at Oxford University for Hamilton graduates. According to Tobin, "The second BA, which is equivalent to a master's degree in the United States, requires two years of study and provides an extraordinary intellectual opportunity for students interested in pursuing graduate study." Second BA students at Oxford obtain senior status within the college and university.
Pembroke is one of the 39 independent and self-governing colleges that comprise the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Each is governed by a head of house and a number of fellows, who are academics specializing in a wide variety of disciplines. The retiring master (president) of Pembroke is Robert Stevens, former president of Haverford College and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Founded in 1624, Pembroke currently enrolls approximately 400 students. Among the notable figures who have attended Pembroke are writer Samuel Johnson, former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine, former U.S. Senators William Fulbright and Richard Lugar, and Smithsonian Institute founder James Smithson.
Approximately 40 percent of Hamilton undergraduates study abroad or study away prior to graduation. The college operates highly regarded programs in France, Spain, Beijing and Washington, and recently opened a new program in New York City. Hamilton students also enroll in other programs around the globe.
