1. In addition to other donations, Len Blavatnik and a trust associated with him (‘the Benefactors’) have agreed to make a total direct donation of £29m to the University over the next ten years. This direct donation to the University is intended for the establishment of a School within the University which shall be named the Blavatnik School of Government (the ‘School’).
2. The following shall be the aims of the School.
(1) The School shall exist to serve the public good, by enhancing governance, in both the public and private sectors, through the provision of advanced education and training of the highest quality to future leaders from all quarters of the globe, and through the promotion of the study of public policy and its administration.
(2) The principal emphasis of the School shall be placed on providing such education and training to the highest academic standards, complemented by research activities of equal distinction. In working with its students, it shall give priority to practical and current tasks facing governments throughout the world.
(3) The School will include within its field of research and teaching questions concerning the principles of the free market, and of democratic and accountable government; the just liberties of the citizen; the right of citizens to work and enjoy the fruits of their labour; and the rights of sovereign states, lawfully constituted, to live at peace within their borders, and to participate freely in the global economy.
(4) The School shall strive (to the extent that this activity fulfils an educational purpose) to promote international co-operation in the understanding and solving of shared problems, including in areas such as conflict- resolution and the building of bridges between different cultures and faiths, and with special reference to transatlantic relations and the contribution of Europe to global peace and prosperity.
3. The academic direction and day-to-day management of the School shall be entirely and exclusively the responsibility of the University.
4. The School’s day-to-day direction and running will be undertaken for the University by a Dean, supported by (among others) a Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Development. The Dean will have responsibility for all aspects of the School’s administration, teaching, curriculum and development. The appointment of the Dean shall be made by Council, with the approval in writing of the Blavatnik School of Government Foundation (the ‘Foundation’), such approval not to be unreasonably withheld.
5. The University shall comply with the obligations concerning the accommodation for the School, its manner of operation, and the use of the Benefactors’ name which are set out in clauses 2.1.9 to 2.1.20 and 2.2.3 to 2.2.5 of the Gift Agreement between the Benefactors and the University.
6. The commitments by the University in these regulations are conditional upon the receipt by the University and Americans for Oxford, Inc. of the payments to be made by Len Blavatnik and trusts associated with him over the ten year period.
7. These regulations may only be amended with the prior written consent of the Foundation (for so long as it remains in existence) and, subject to any such consent, under the provisions of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act, 1923.
8. For greater certainty, and notwithstanding any other provision made in these regulations, the School shall have a duty to preserve and protect the academic freedom of its academic staff. For these purposes, ‘academic freedom’ has the meaning that it does in Statute XII Part A.
