- Linacre College at the University of Oxford has announced that it will change its name to honor Vietnam’s richest woman, Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, who donated $200 million to the college
- Founded in 1962, the college is named after Renaissance humanist, medical scientist and classicist Thomas Linacre
- However, some at Oxford University has expressed concerns about the donation to the college, as Sovico’s business interests include offshore oil and gas exploration, fossil fuel financing and Vietnam’s first private airline
OXFORD, England: Linacre College at the University of Oxford has announced that it will change its name to honor Vietnam’s richest woman, billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, who donated $200 million to the college.
The donation will help to pay for a new graduate centre and graduate scholarships, it said.
The graduate college added that it will ask the privy council for permission to change its name to Thao College after signing a memorandum of understanding with Sovico Group, chaired by Thao.
Founded in 1962, the college is named after Renaissance humanist, medical scientist, and classicist Thomas Linacre.
“We have long been one of the least well-endowed colleges at the university, so we are delighted a significant part of the donation will be for our general endowment fund,” the college said in a statement.
However, some at Oxford University have expressed concerns about the donation to the college, which considers itself “one of the greenest colleges in Oxford,” as Sovico’s business interests include offshore oil and gas exploration, fossil fuel financing, and Vietnam’s first private airline.
Meanwhile, Dr. Maria Kawthar Daouda, lecturer in French literature at Oxford, told the Telegraph that college names should not be altered simply because “a major gift has been made.”
