2010

A historian and pioneer

Alice Prochaska is elected Principal. A historian and former librarian of Yale University, Prochaska oversees a growth in Somerville’s endowment and its fundraising. She also works to honour the college’s longstanding connections with India.

2012

A Unique Oxford-India Partnership

The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development is inaugurated at Somerville. It is a unique Oxford-India partnership created to advance research and policy on the complex challenges and opportunities posed by sustainable development in India.

2012

'Forms Assembled in Light'

ROQ East and West buildings open on the north side of the college. Made possible by donations from over 1,000 alumni and friends of the college, ROQ East and West present a striking modern face to the college, winning awards for architect Niall McLaughlin.

2013

A living legacy

The Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust is established, offering scholarships to enable the most promising students to benefit from an Oxford, and specifically Somerville, education.

2016

Cornelia Remembered

Somerville launches the Cornelia Sorabji scholarship in law to honour India's first female lawyer and the first Indian woman to study at Oxford. It is the first in a series of awards in memory of prestigious Somervillians from India, the first recipient of which is Divya Sharma (pictured).

2017

From Westminster to Somerville

Jan Royall is elected Principal, following a distinguished career in politics. Honouring Somerville’s founding ethos of including the excluded, Royall works tirelessly to promote social equity and sustainability.

2019

The Once and Future Somerville

Somerville celebrates its 140th anniversary and opens the Catherine Hughes building, allowing it once again to accommodate all of its undergraduates on site.

2020

Towards a Virtual World

The global pandemic moves life and learning online, bringing Somerville’s mission for equity and sustainability into even sharper focus and enabling deeper connections with our community worldwide.

2021

Sanctuary and Sustainability

Somerville is recognised as a University College of Sanctuary. The college divests from fossils fuels and launches an ambitious sustainability plan to coincide with a visit from HRH King Charles.

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