Worcester College, Oxford has received a donation of £30m, making it the largest donation in the charity’s 309-year history.
The donation is more than triple the amount of donations the college received last year (£9.06m) and greater than its total income of £18.2m for the year ending July 2022.
Lindsay Owen-Jones, 77-year-old alumnus of Worcester College, donated the money. He is an honorary fellow and trustee of the Worcester College Oxford Endowment Trust.
Worcester College plans to use the funds to create two buildings in Owen-Jones’ name; the Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones Library and a graduate accommodation building.
Owen-Jones was chair and chief executive of L’Oreal from 1988 to 2011. He is a knight commander of the order of the British Empire and commandeur of the Légion d’Honneur.
He was ranked as the 292nd richest person in the UK by the Sunday Times Rich List in 2019 with a net worth of £467m.
‘Transformational’
David Isaac, Worcester College provost, said: “We are deeply grateful to Sir Lindsay for making this incredible commitment to Worcester College.
“Through the creation of a new library and workspace, this landmark donation will strengthen the Worcester community by supporting our core academic mission and transforming the overall student experience. The state-of-the-art library facilities will allow for both traditional study and collaborative working.
“The Owen-Jones graduate building will also enable us to increase the size of our graduate community and better support their experience in college. Thanks to Sir Lindsay’s gift we will ensure that future generations of graduate students will benefit from the beauty of Worcester’s gardens and grounds. Worcester College owes its existence to a generous benefaction; Sir Lindsay’s gift will be equally transformational for students in the 21st century.”
Owen-Jones said: “My heart missed a beat when many years ago I first encountered the beauty of Worcester College. Amazement, joy and pride quickly followed when I heard that I had been selected to be an undergraduate there.
“For a teenager from Merseyside, studying at Worcester was a life-changing opportunity which dramatically widened my horizons and awakened my ambition.
“I am delighted that I can express my profound appreciation for all that Worcester did for me through this gift. I hope that these new buildings will support and inspire future generations of students in the same way that Worcester once supported and inspired me.”
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