Norway Scholarship

Norway Oxford Scholarship
Name Norway Scholarship
Duration 1920-present
Present scholar Jan Henrik Wiik; Kjølv Egeland
Notable alumni Nordahl Grieg, P. A. Munch, Harald Sverdrup, Abid Q. Raja and Iver Neumann
Amount Approx. NOK 100,000

The Norway Scholarship is the only official scholarship to the University of Oxford that is awarded in Norway.[1]

The first Norway Scholarship was awarded in 1920. Since then, one Norway Scholar has been selected annually, except for a few periods, such as during the Second World War. The scholarship is highly competitive, and is awarded to a student or recent graduate of Oslo University. Past Norway Scholars include Norwegians such as Nordahl Grieg, P. A. Munch, Harald Sverdrup, Abid Q. Raja and Iver Neumann. The current scholar is Jan Henrik Wiik.

Norway Scholars receive funding for one or two years of study and research at Oxford University, and the scholar always becomes a member of Wadham College.[2]

History

The idea for a scholarship fund enabling students from The Royal Frederik’s University, as Oslo University was then called, to study for one year at Wadham College in Oxford was conceived in 1919 by a young alumnus of the college, who during the war years 1914-18 had held the post of British vice-consul in Kristiansund N, a port- and fishing town on the west coast of Norway. His name was Arthur Ivor Garland Jayne, son of The Lord Bishop of Chester.[3]

Young Jayne had married a daughter of Professor Bredo Henrik von Munthe af Morgenstierne, at one time Rector of the University of Oslo (1912–1918). Morgenstierne was a well-known lawyer, orientated towards Britain (among his books we find one on English parliamentarism). Like Jayne’s brother and Fridtjof Nansen, the famous Polar explorer (and Norway’s ambassador to London in the critical year of 1905), he gave NOK 5000.- towards the establishment of a Scholarship Fund. Altogether Jayne succeeded in raising NOK. 60 000.-, or approximately GBP 2780 – a considerable sum at the time. He spent his later life as a lecturer in English at the University of Oslo.[4]

Arthur Jayne retrospectively explained his initiative in a letter dated 14. October 1945 to Professor Didrik Arup Seip, the then Rector of Oslo University, in the following words:

”At the time of the first world war - - - a considerable amount of ‘Allied’ propaganda material, sent to Norway and intended to inform Norwegian opinion about the war, proved ill-adapted to enlist the understanding sympathy of those who had previously had cultural or business contacts with the nations in conflict with the Allies. The experience seemed to indicate the great importance of any educational facilities which would bring the youth of Norway and Britain into really close association with each other. It struck me that one useful step in that direction could be some permanent arrangement which would enable Norwegian students to participate in the typically English form of university life that exists in the college system of Oxford and Cambridge. Without actual residence in a college this is impossible. But whereas foreign students have been able to attend courses at English universities, it has always been very difficult for them to obtain permission to reside at a college, sharing to the full all that the college environment can offer.”

Arthur Jayne succeeded with his plan. From 1920, with the exception of (for unknown reasons) the years 1926-27, and of course the war years 1940-44, Norwegian students were awarded the Norway Scholarship for studies of the most varied description. However, as the basic funding of the scholarship proved inadequate, the scholars soon became dependent on supplementary grants from other university funds, but from the late 1970s even this arrangement proved inadequate to meet rising costs. For some years no scholars were appointed at all. The basic foundation capital had by then shrunk to only NOK. 130 000.- (about GBP 6500.- at the current rate of exchange) – a quite inadequate sum. In the late 1970s Alf Bøe (Wadham 1952), head of the Committee, called on Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s Andor Birkeland (Wadham 1946), former Accountant Sven Guldberg (Wadham 1937) and former Minister for Culture Helge Sivertsen (Wadham 1938). With the help of the College and of the British Ambassador to Norway, William Bentley - later Sir William Bentley (a Wadham man) they were able to raise NOK 1 170 000 (around GBP 117 000). In the 1990s Bøe formed a new committee consisting of Michael Benskin (St. Peter’s 1965), professor at the Department of British and American Studies of Oslo University, Haakon Melander, banker (Balliol 1966); and Erik Rudeng (Norway scholar 1969). Iver B. Neumann (Norway Scholar 1988) was recruited as young blood in 1993. When Bøe retired in 2003, Neumann took over as chair. Bjørn Blindheim (Norway Scholar 1992) and Neumann formed a Norwegian chapter of the Oxford Society, with Blindheim as chair. Since 1981 the Committee has organized an annual dinner with a guest of honour from Oxford University, who has also given one or more lectures locally in Oslo. Bjørn Blindheim took over the responsibility for these events, and they have continued uninterrupted to this day.

King Harald V of Norway — himself a Balliol graduate — often participates at the grand dinner of Norway Scholars that is held each year in Oslo by the Oxford University Society Norway[5]

Past Norway Scholars to Wadham College

Year Scholar Discipline
1920 G. Astrup-Hoel Law
1921 Bjarne Hamre English
1922 Christian Lasson Brun Economics
1923 Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg English history and literature
1924 Groth, Erling Languages and social-oeconomic studies
1925 Langeland, Hallvard Maritime law
1926–1927 No scholar
1928 Christophersen, Halfdan Finished his dissertation on the 18t century Danish-Norwegian
philosopher Ludvig Holberg and his relations to the philosophy of John Locke
1929 Quale, Paul Audit studies
1930 Pettersen, Georg E. Philology
1931 Brinch, Christian Languages, literature and finance
1932 Leivestad, Trygve Old English law
1933 Munch, P.A. Studies in the Old Testament
1934 Grieg, Arne Medicine
1935 Platou, Fredrik Christian Stoud Law
1936 Birkelund, Kåre English language and literature
1937 Guldberg, Sven Dalhoff Social economy part of an Audit studies examination, and British culture
1938 Sivertsen, Helge English history, politics and international relations
1939 Brinchmann, Harald Studies in English
1940–1944 No scholarships given during the war
1945 Faaland, Just Audit studies
1946 Birkeland, Andor Modern English social history
1947 Aasgaard, Arne Modern English social history
1948 Sverdrup, Harald Ulrik No information
1949 Fuglum, Per No information
1950 Marstrander, Jan Fredrik English Literature
1951 Marstrander, Jan Fredrik No information
1952 Bøe, Alf B. Litt thesis on Theories of Victorian design
1953 Bøe, Alf B. Litt thesis on Theories of Victorian design
1954 Johnsen, Ivar History of literature
1955 Mevik, Leif
1956 Malmanger, Magne Early 19th century English landscape painting
1957 Neumann, Tor Russian, and comparative studies in English and German literature
1958 Nordli, Knut English language
1959 Hjalte Lymann English law, particularly maritime law
1960 Lars Jacob Krogh English language and literature
1961 No scholar
1962 Jørgensen, Nils-Johan No information
1963 No scholar
1964 Wold, Dag Christopher No information
1965 Stokkeland, Jostein No information
1966 Gjesdal, Tryggve B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
1967 Skard, John Arthur Independent studies in physics
1968 Haakstad, Jon English literature
1969 Rudeng, Erik B.A. in Modern history
1970 Rudeng, Erik
1971 Andenæs, Ulf No information
1972 Haverkamp, Frode Diploma in History of Art
1973–1975 No scholar
1976 Haarberg, Jon M.S. Classical philology
1977 No scholar
1978 Hansen, Trond B. No information
1979–1980 No scholar
1981 Halén, Widar Studies for doctorate on Victorian designer Christopher Dresser
1982–1984 No information
1985 Sverre Rustad Studied for a M.A. in English
1986 Hoftun, Martin Studies for a D.Phil on the history of Nepal
1987 No information
1988 Neumann, Iver B. International Relations, M.Phil. 1989
1989 Kvalheim, Kristin Nevrological biology
1990 Bech, Alexandra International law
1991 Nissen, Nils A. English literature
1992 Blindheim, Bjørn Economics
1993 Jølle, Jonas Greek
1994 Skaaner, Haakon Theoretical chemistrey, quantum mechanics
1995 Joachimsen, Kristin Studies in the prophet Jesaiah
1996 Foss, Grete Synnøve Analysis of amoloid light chagin protein (AL-protein) isolated from the spleen of the patient
1997 Abildsnes, Ole-Reinert, History of ideas and of literature
1998 Hammerstad, Anne Studies for D.Phil in international relations
1999 Røttingen, Jon Arne Studies at Department of zoology, Mcc course in epidemiology, evolution and control
2000 Nilsen, André industrial relations
2001 No Scholar
2002 Otterholt, Tor Studies for M.Phil in Russian and East European studies.
2003 Abid Q. Raja Law
2004–2005 No Scholar
2006 Guri Rosén Studies for MSc in Sociology
2007 No Scholar
2008 Sara Shah Medicine
2009 Kristian Alfsnes Medicine
2010 Bedeho Mender D.Phil in Computational Neuroscience
2011 Knut Aukland MSt in Oriental Studies
2012 Bjørnar Sverdrup-Thygeson MSc in Modern Chinese Studies
2013 Mats Julius Stensrud MSc in Applied Statistics (in Medicine)
2014 Louisa Layne DPhil English Literature
2015 Jan Henrik Wiik; Kjølv Egeland MSc in Mathematics and Foundations of Computer Science; DPhil in International Relations

References

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