The endowment of the Directorship as a permanent Chair in US politics and political history gives new strength to the institute's mission to promote the greater global understanding of the United States, whilst also helping to ensure that the study of this important field continues to flourish at Oxford.
As well as becoming the Director of the Rothermere American Institute (RAI), the Edward Orsborn Professor of US Politics and Political History will hold a Fellowship at University College. The post holder will teach American politics and history to undergraduates, supervise postgraduate studies, and publish world-class research on the politics and political history of the United States.
The Professorship is named in honour of Edward Orsborn, a distinguished and much-loved headteacher and writer who received an OBE for services to education in 1974.
'The Rothermere American Institute plays a unique role in the global study of the United States,' said Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. 'The establishment of the Orsborn Chair will immeasurably strengthen the institute's ability to fulfil its central mission: the promotion of greater public understanding of the United States and its history, culture, and politics.'
The endowment of the Orsborn Professorship has been made possible thanks to an exceptionally generous gift from an anonymous benefactor and former student of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford, a donation of £1 million from the Rothermere Foundation, and a gift of £400,000 by a University College alumnus.
'Supporting the Rothermere American Institute has been the culmination of my family's long and deep connections with the study of America at Oxford,' said Viscount Rothermere, Chair of the Rothermere Foundation. 'These began some eighty years before the RAI was founded, with the establishment of the Harmsworth Chair in American History – the first such Chair anywhere outside the US. Now, the endowment of the RAI's Directorship will ensure that the institute continues to lead and shape the international study of the United States.'
Together, these gifts complete the institute's £7 million 'Campaign for the RAI'. Launched in June 2012, the campaign has also supported graduate scholarships, junior research fellowships, and the institute's unique programme of research and events in American history, politics and literature.