After Chris Patten’s resignation as Chancellor of Oxford University, the race for what is often considered one of Britain’s most prestigious positions has commenced.
Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong and Tory deputy prime minister, held the role for over twenty years. The chancellorship at Oxford University is esteemed and largely ceremonial, typically awarded to a former politician.
In a departure from tradition, the university has announced that the elections will be conducted online for the first time, eliminating the requirement for Oxford graduates to attend the vote in full academic regalia.
Among the candidates vying for the position is Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, who studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972. Khan, who also captained Oxford’s cricket team in 1974, previously served as the chancellor of Bradford University for eight years before stepping down in November 2014.
Other notable contenders include former British Prime Ministers Theresa May, Sir Tony Blair, and Boris Johnson. The university stated that the process and timeline for the election of the Chancellor by members of the University’s Convocation will be announced in due course.
