Norway Scholarship
| Name | Norway Scholarship |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1920-present |
| Present scholar | Jan Henrik Wiik; Kjølv Egeland |
| Notable alumni | Nordahl Grieg, P. A. Munch, Harald Sverdrup 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 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 Qayyum 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 |