Visiting Fellows 50th Anniversary Celebration at All Souls College at Oxford University

Yesterday was a truly a historic day in Britain. We woke up in Oxford, England to brilliant sunshine and then were shocked with the news that Britain  had voted to leave the European Union, so Brexit had become a reality.  Living now in a college town - that of Oxford - where intellectual freedom and the movement of ideas and people are essential to research and innovation - the news was shocking and stunning.The repercussions are reverberating around the world.

Yesterday was also the day that we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Visiting Fellowships Program at All Souls College at Oxford University. I am now a Visiting Fellow (VF) at All Souls College for the Trinity term. I had received an invitation to attend this full day of celebrations while I was in Amherst months ago and was thrilled to take part yesterday and my husband did as well.

The program is below.

We began with registration and a welcome by the Warden, Sir John Vickers, who is an economist.

Mr. Edward Mortimer, who is a Fellow at All Souls College, provided us with background and the history of the Visiting Fellowship Program, which began in 1966 with the college deciding on November 6, 1965 to admit Visiting Fellows. All Souls College is a unique college at Oxford University in that it does not admit undergraduates.

Edward Mortimer, whom I have mentioned in my blog before, worked at the United Nations and wrote speeches for the former Secretary general, Kofi Annan.

I was delighted to hear Sir John Vickers say that we were celebrating "one of the best things that has happened to All Souls College." He said that the VF Program provides internationalization of the college and to-date there have been 800 Visiting Fellows from 40 different countries. The first female Visiting Fellow Dr. Janet Morgan, now known as Lady Balfour of Burleigh, was a VF in 1982, while she was also studying the BBC, upon the invitation of the PM,  spoke yesterday morning and I was delighted to see her.

 I also very much enjoyed hearing Sir Roger Braithwaite, who is an expert on negotiating with Russians, and is featured in the photo below. He was UK's ambassador to Russia and also its representative at the embassy in the US where he focused on commercial policy and was very successful.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the first Visiting Fellows were invited.

About 130 Visiting Fellows attended the celebration yesterday.

 
After the morning session we were treated to a delicious lunch in our elegant Codrington Library.

The menu is below.

Then it was time for tea and coffee before additional panels ands sessions followed by tea and a concert!

I enjoyed meeting former VFs from Berkeley and Illinois and was thrilled to see Professor Carol Heim of the Economics department at UMass Amherst, who had been a VF at Oxford a few years ago.

 Many thanks to Sir John Vickers and to the Dean of Visiting Fellows, Professor Simon Hornblower, for such a pleasant and very memorable celebration of the the great Visiting Fellowship Program at All Souls College Many thanks also to the staff for the exquisite hospitality, food, and organization.

It has been a marvelous experience being a Visiting Fellow at Oxford and the support, intellectual freedom, fellowship with our Fellows, have all been extraordinary. All Souls College is a unique institution and very special.

Majestic Honorary Degree Celebrations Encaenia at Oxford University with Photos

It is an extraordinary experience to be a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College at Oxford University in England this Trinity term.

Yesterday, Fellows and many dignitaries were invited to take part and celebrate 9 honorary degree recipients. And what a tremendous list of awardees this is!

Below is a photo of the recipients, compliments of Oxford University.

I was absolutely thrilled to see the Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences Paul Krugman and also the National Medal of Science recipient Professor Mildred "Millie"  Dresselhaus of MIT plus the Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar as well as Sir Jonathan Ive is Chief Design Officer of Apple Inc and designer of the iMac, PowerBook, iBook, iPod, iPhone, iPad, AppleWatch and MacBookat Oxford on the list! The opera singer Jessye Norman was not able to attend this year.

The day began with peaches, strawberries, and champagne, and a procession in Radcliffe Square to the Sheldonian where the ceremony took place.

After the Encaenia ceremony at the Sheldonian the Quad at All Souls College was the site for drinks before a lavish lunch that took place at the Codrington Library with tea and coffee out in the Quad afterwards. Magically, the skies cleared up so the outdoor events took place on the bright green lawn.

I was absolutely thrilled to be able to speak to Professor Millie Dresselhaus and to even meet one of her granddaughters. I had met Professor Millie when I was a Visiting Scholar and Associate Professor at MIT and we would take part in female get-togethers with Professor Lotte Bailyn of the Business School. She told me yesterday how important it is to have technical female professors at business schools and I agree. We also spoke about several of our well-known colleagues in Operations Research at MIT.

The lunch was fabulous and the seating arrangement very carefully thought out.

The dessert was also wonderful.

My husband was seated in front of the former principal of Hertford College at Oxford University, Dr. John Landers . Hertford used to have an exchange program with his university, the University of Hartford, so we took the following photo.

Seated across from me was the head of public affairs at Oxford University and next to me an amazing female entrepreneur. the conversations just flowed. I continue to be very impressed by Oxford's website and we talked about the importance of getting news on research out by faculty.

After lunch we chatted on the lawn. You can see Pedro Almodovar strolling on the lawn below in red.  I had to have a photo taken with Visiting Fellow Richard Vokes, an anthropologist from Australia. I also took the photo of him, my hsusband, and the brilliant nabal historian Nicholas Rodger.

And, if you take a look at the photo above, which I took because I very much like my Math Fellows Professors Francis Brown and Constantin Teleman, I also serendipitously snapped Pedro Almodovar on the right in the red gown!

Then it was time to walk to Merton College of Oxford University (the university  has 38 grand colleges) to attend the Vice Chancellor's garden party. The Vice Chancellor is Dr. Louise Richardson, who was the Executive Dean at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, when I was a Science Fellow there in 2005-2006. It was great to see her and to shake her hand and to congratulate her on becoming the first female VC in Oxford's 800 year history!

The lawns are beautiful at Merton and the spread of food plus orchestra were grand.

And, later that evening, the remaining Visiting Fellows got together at a pub for dinner and to finish off a truly special day! The full list of Visiting Fellows during this past year is here.

Thank you to All Souls College plus Oxford University for memories that I will always treasure and for friendships made across disciplines! My only disappointment was not being able to personally congratulate Paul Krugman despite trying to find him after the lunch!

A Historic Week for Oxford University and England

This is a truly momentous week and it is fascinating to be living in Oxford, England while history is going to be made. Since late April I have been a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College at Oxford University and I have been writing about the experience.

This Thursday, June 23,  England will be voting on the referendum on the European Union, that is, whether to Remain or to Leave.  The term Brexit, which has been top news not only in England, but also in the United States, refers to Britain exiting the European Union.

Many of the discussions at the luncheons that the Fellows attend at All Souls College have been around this issue with the majority of Fellows that I have been speaking with definitely favoring to Remain in the European Union. As someone whose passion is scientific research there are clear advantages to Remain. Researchers and scholars in England can avail themselves of European Union grants and collaborations. I have even served on the Advisory Board of a well-funded European Union grant. With Brexit, it would become much more difficult to secure research funding and to have multicountry research projects funded. Also, the free movement of those in the EU provides for a great vitality and energy and also spurs innovation and fresh ideas.

Lately, frankly, as I check out both CNN.com and BBC.com these websites' top stories tend to be identical so that I sometimes wonder whether I am in the US or in England. Now our hearts are breaking because of the horrific murder of Jo Cox, the MP (Member of Parliament) in broad daylight.as she was going about her work. The mother of two small children, ages 3 and 5, who had been elected in may 2015,  she had worked as the policy chief in Oxfam in Oxford and her husband works for Save the Children. To have a mentally ill individual kill such a shining light has created a pall over all of us. Her husband' tribute was incredibly touching and now every time that I walk along the Thames I will think of her since she lived with her family on the river in a house boat. She was for Remain. Even my neighbor from Amherst sent me an email yesterday expressing her shock and horror at this terrible tragedy.

On Wednesday, we will be taking part in honorary degree celebrations at Oxford University, where 10 will be honored, including the Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, Paul Krugman, whose Opeds in The New York Times on the potential impacts of a Brexit I have been reading, as well as Professor Millie Dresselhaus of MIT, whom I had met when I was a Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor there.  It is  a tradition for All Souls College to host the luncheon after the ceremony, and I received the nice invitation below for it. I would have also marched but I did not bring my Brown University cap and gown with me since I already had a lot to carry for more than two months in England.

And this coming Friday, after we have the results of the vote on the referendum, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Visiting Fellows program at All Souls College with many Visiting Fellows returning to Oxford.  Below is a photo that the Visiting Fellows at All Souls College took recently after a delicious dinner and wonderful lecture. Included in the photo are also the Warden, Sir John Vickers, and the Dean of the Visiting Fellows, Professor Simon Hornblower. The photo was taken at the Codrington Library.  We are the Visiting Fellows for the Trinity Term this year. As a senior Fellow told me recently, he believes that the best part of All Souls College is its Visiting Fellows program and that the college admitted women as Fellow.s

The full day program next Friday is splendid and is featured below and I hope to share photos with you of both the honorary degree recipients and the Visiting Fellows program later in the week. Women were admitted as Fellows at All Souls College only in 1979.

 

Inspiring Discussion with Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations, at Oxford University

Some of the wonderful aspects of being a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College at Oxford University is the amazing people that I have met, the great speakers that I have heard, and the special events that I have attended.

Today, we were greatly honored to have Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, and also Nobel Peace Prize recipient, come to Oxford, specifically, the beautiful Blavatnik Building of Government, for a discussion of the United Nations in the 21st Century. The moderator was Professor Wood. I was thrilled to hear him acknowledge Ed Mortimer in the audience, whom I have had lunch with at All Souls College since he is a Fellow, and we had a fabulous conversation on how he used to write speeches for Annan when he worked for the United Nations.

Kofi Annan was brilliant and just the other day I read in my International New York Times here as to how charismatic, charming, and successful of a leader he had been of the United Nations for almost a decade. He is now 78 years of age and his charm, sense of humor, dedication to saving lives were vividly apparent during today's discussion. He held what is considered one of the toughest jobs in the world.

After being introduced by Professor Wood, he told a delightful story how, after stepping down from the United Nations, he went with his wife to Italy for 3 months and wanted essentially no communication with the outside world and that included no newspapers. Venturing out to Como (a place I have come to love during my two stays at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center there) he thought he may have been recognized only to be told that he was the actor, Morgan Freeman. I must admit there is some resemblance!

Since stepping down from the United Nations, he has been very active with his Kofi Annan Foundation and is regularly called upon to assist in international affairs and mediation, including serving as a special envoy to Syria. This he eventually stepped down from because he said the parties would not stop fighting one another. He said it is hard for him to say no if he can save one life of a child or of a woman. His sincerity  and great intelligence were apparent throughout the event today.

He emphasized what matters to him: finding peace and stability, sustainable development, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.

He said that when he looks at inequality, at hunger in the world, he sees a lack of trust in leadership and politicians building on anger of the people.

He told the many students in the audience to not only go into government and law but also into the private sector since much can be accomplished for good from this sector.

He emphasized the concept of the responsibility to protect and some crimes are too horrible to ignore so interventions are needed.  He said that there is a list of questions that must be answered before military intervention.

After Kofi Annan's remarks, it was time to open up questions from the audience with students' questions being first answered.

As to how to manage migration effectively and the crisis now in Europe, Annan noted that if the countries had worked together from the onset that there would not be such division now. He emphasized that compassion is needed and although politicians tend to chase votes, people are not stupid. He also said that 40% of founders of Fortune 500 companies were immigrants.

After a student brought up a recent OpEd in The New York Times written by a former UN employee who said that the inefficiency there was extremely problematic (and which I had read), Annan agreed that the UN needs more efficiency and reforms but that it is also up to the member states.

Something that he said that resonated very much with me was that holding many discussions over issues was like scientists testing different hypotheses and, ultimately, you may have a breakthrough, so it is important to keep those discussions going.

His advice to students and those who may want to work for the United Nations was to, once you got an assignment, to analyze it, and determine what you can contribute to it and how long it will take you, and then follow through. He has always used such ideas in his career, which has been brilliant.

He also mentioned that if you are creative you can get others to move with you.

He said that he would get impossible mandates from the Security Council, but that he would break down the task into manageable components.

Sadly, he said that he does not see any movement towards peace between Israel and Palestine.

Professor Wood emphasized the brilliance of the discussion and I concur! And, when he noted the importance of delivery of humanitarian relief supplies, I thought of the course on Humanitarian Logistics and Healthcare that I teach at the Isenberg School each spring and could not help but be inspired.

At the end, Professor Wood announced a special partnership with Africa, including Nigeria and Ghana, the country where Annan was born, to bring scholars to Oxford, and also to support a Visiting Fellow which is terrific.

Magical First Week as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University

Only last Friday I arrived in England to begin a new adventure - that of being a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College at Oxford University.
 


During this week, I have settled into my apartment in Iffley Turn, explored my surroundings, and have garnered so many wonderful impressions and experiences.
My office at All Souls College overlooks a rose garden and water fountain and the gardener keeps the flowers and greenery immaculate. I have brought good weather to Oxford (as my colleagues in Gothenburg used to say I would do there as well).



I have met Visiting Fellows, and, coincidentally, Dr. Su Fang Ng, who was also a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University in 2005-2006, when I was there, is also a Visiting Fellow now and has an office close to me. I have also met fellows and even Emeriti Fellows.

Many mornings I have been walking to work, which is about a 40 minute walk, but, given the delicious, multiple course meals that we are served for lunch and dinner, getting exercise is a necessity! I have enjoyed riding the double decker busses and marvel and the number of cyclists and pedestrians in this city.I have had lunch with the Dean of Visiting Fellows, Professor Simon Hornblower, who is a classicist, and fellow lover of Greece and have even met a Fellow who was visiting my friend and operations researcher at MIT, Professor Asu Ozdaglar. The academic world is so small and filled with surprises.

For dinner, I wear my black gown, which has my name in it, and we dine by candlelight in a great Hall, which is wood-panelled, and filled with oil paintings. The painting below is of the staff and I am trying to learn many of their names.

I have enjoyed the tea time and also we were treated to a magnificent lecture (at 8:30PM) this past Tuesday by Visiting Fellow Nicholas Shakespeare (and, yes, a relative of THE Shakespeare), who spoke on 6 Minutes in May. He is an award-winning novelist and biographer.

This experience reminds me of being at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center on Lake Como and also a bit of being at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. However, this experience has many original features and aspects to it.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a PhD student at the Said Business School at Oxford,  who is as obsessed with networks as I am, and who had contacted me a few weeks ago, while I was still in Amherst. Ellen has 6 graduate degrees, including a law degree, and is researching knowledge networks in companies, especially those in China. Plus. she is from Massachusetts!

After a wonderful research conversation in the garden she took me to the Mathematical Institute and we took the photos below there. The café is, appropriately, called the Pi Café. I also got to see a class in session and narvelled at all the boards one could write on!

She also took me to the building which houses Oxfam, which was founded in Oxford and is very close to All Souls. Since I teach a course on Humanitarian Logistics and Healthcare at the Isenberg School of Management, this was extra special. And she presented me with a souvenir.

Also, in my first week at Oxford, as I mentioned in my previous post, we are nearing completion of the editing of the Dynamics of Disasters volume with 19 papers!