Mansfield College: A College of Sanctuary
In 2021, Mansfield College was recognised, alongside Somerville College, as one of the UK’s first University Colleges of Sanctuary by the UK charity City of Sanctuary. As a College of Sanctuary, our community demonstrates an ongoing commitment to nurturing a culture of inclusivity and awareness on campus for those seeking sanctuary (which includes refugees and asylum seekers), as well as in the wider community.
To achieve this recognition, we have drawn together our current initiatives which support asylum seekers and refugees, as well as our aims for the future, which are highlighted in our college of sanctuary submission. Read our College of Sanctuary submission here.
Mansfield College has always been proud to include the excluded. From its foundations as a college for non-conformists, enabling non-members of the Church of England to study at Oxford University, to its present day, as one of the most progressive and diverse of all of the Oxford colleges, at Mansfield we have challenged ourselves to widen access to Oxford for those with talent and potential, who, due to circumstance, ill-luck, oversight, or prejudice, may otherwise have been excluded.
"I am delighted and proud that Mansfield College Oxford has been recognised as a University College of Sanctuary.
This reflects the open, inclusive and progressive outlook of our entire academic community at Mansfield, and our commitment to living its values by making education and ideas available to a broad range of people without discrimination.
We look forward to playing an active role in the University of Sanctuary network; embedding a culture of inclusion and support for those who have been forced to migrate from their homes to seek sanctuary in the UK; and welcoming our first Council of Lutheran Churches Sanctuary Scholar in October [2021], thanks to the generous support of the Council of Lutheran Churches."
Helen Mountfield KC
Principal, Mansfield College
Our College of Sanctuary Co-ordinator
Our Chaplain, Nathan Mulcock, is the appointed College of Sanctuary co-ordinator. Don't hesitate to contact Nathan at chaplain@mansfield.ox.ac.uk about any events, news or questions you may have.
Applying to be a CLC Sanctuary Scholar
If you fulfil the eligibility criteria and apply for your course by the relevant December or January deadline for your course, you will automatically be considered for the Oxford Refugee Scholarship. For more information, visit the University of Oxford Graduate Scholarship website.
Events
Mansfield College runs a variety of annual events to raise awareness about sanctuary seekers, two of which are featured on our YouTube here:
- Oxford’s Colleges of Sanctuary Annual Event 2021: Voices for Sanctuary: We Cannot Walk Alone
- Refugee Week: Audience with Bishop Munib Younan and Bishop Tor Jørgensen
- Click here to view the Refugee Week 2022 events and Activities Brochure
- Oxford's College's of Sanctuary Annual Event 2022: A Celebration of Sanctuary (on 11 November 2022)
Yasir Eisa Abdalla Mohamed
MPhil in Water Science, Policy, and Management (2023-24)
Yasir pursued the MSc in Water Science, Policy, and Management at the University of Oxford, based at Mansfield College, with support from the AfOx Scholarship Programme in the 2022/3 academic year.
A Civil Engineer with a keen interest in water science and management, Yasir has worked as a teaching and research assistant with the University of Khartoum, Sudan International University, and the University of Bahri. He completed his undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the University of Khartoum, graduating with first-class honors and receiving the award for the best graduation project in the civil engineering department, presented by the senate of the University of Khartoum.
Unusually, and thanks to the support of the Council of Lutheran Churches, Mansfield College has nominated Yasir for this year’s scholarship so that he can transfer his 1- year Masters course to a 2-year MPhil. During Yasir's time at Mansfield, he faced significant challenges, including disruptions in his homeland due to the ongoing Civil War, resulting in the alteration of his living situation and that of his family, who were forced to leave the country and left him unable to return home due to air travel restrictions in Sudan. While scholarship extensions are not typically considered, the College deemed it appropriate to recommend an exception in Yasir's case based on compassionate grounds, considering his eligibility for Sanctuary Scholar criteria. Yasir's application for a transfer to an MPhil also stands on strong academic grounds, with important additional research to be undertaken in his subject area, leading to a promising MPhil thesis as he worked in building a predictive model for hydropower generation using Machine learning aiming to use this model in energy system planning, particularly in extreme scenarios such as droughts. Post-Oxford, Yasir envisions establishing a water research institute, focusing on regions grappling with water shortages and continuing the ongoing research in sustainable energy transition, specifically by optimizing water-related energy sources, including hydropower and tidal energy.
Erick Moreno Superlano (2022-23)
MSc Migration Studies
Ilham Abdalla Tagelsir Ali (2021-22)
MPhil Socio-Legal Research
Ilham Abdalla Tagelsir Ali is a graduate of Harvard College, with a Bachelor of Arts in History & Science and a secondary in Government. Born and raised in Sudan, Ilham draws upon much of her experience in Sudan for inspiration in all her pursuits: advocacy, academia and artistry. She is deeply invested in constitutional reform in Sudan, social justice across the globe, and neuroscience that is relevant to law. Ilham pursued an MPhil in Socio-Legal Research at Oxford.