Past Events

On Thursday, April 17, the OAANY hosted distinguished Shakespeare scholar Professor Stanley Wells, a world-renowned authority who regularly appears on TV, on the radio and in the press when Shakespeare is discussed. Professor Wells is Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham, Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Vice-Chairman of the Governors of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. In addition, Professor Wells is General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare series and of the Oxford Complete Works. Professor Wells spoke about his new book, Shakespeare: For All Time, in which he drew on a lifetime of studying, teaching, editing and writing about Shakespeare to tell the story of Shakespeare's life, his writings and his legacy.

We were delighted to co-sponsor this event with the English-Speaking Union of New York and were most grateful for their generous hospitality. Professor Wells' presentation was followed by a book signing, along with a reception where Oxford alumni and ESU members could speak informally over drinks and snacks with Professor Wells and with each other. Please click here for photographs of this event.

On Wednesday, May 7^th, young alumni from Oxford and the London School of Economics came together for another in our popular series of young alumni evenings. The format this time was a pub quiz. Each team collectively answered trivia questions of varying difficulty on a range of topics. The team format eliminated individual pressure and encouraged everyone present to mingle and chat! Those who attended the First Annual Oxford/LSE Pub Quiz the previous May already knew that the emphasis was much more on fun than on competition, although many of those present were still amazed at what they didn't know they knew! Our young alumni events are designed for those under 35, but all alumni who are young at heart are welcome to attend.

The Pub Quiz was held in the informal and relaxed atmosphere of Turtle Bay Grill & Lounge. We met in the spacious upstairs room of this casual Pub.There was a cash bar, and those who wished could also order pub food. The Pub Quiz itself was a closely matched affair, with a number of teams scoring highly and competing for the prizes given out to the Top 3 teams. In the end, however, and in the true spirit of the event, the winning team included both Oxford and LSE alumni. Click here for pictures of this year's Pub Quiz and watch out for details of next year's rematch!

On Saturday, May 10, a group of Oxford alumni and their guests met at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We planned this event as an opportunity for those in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey area to meet other Oxford alumni and their guests, particularly since it is often hard for people who do not live close to Manhattan to attend alumni events in New York City. It was also part of our ongoing program of events outside New York City in the summer, giving those who live in New York a chance to explore other parts of the tri-state area in the warm weather.

Our group enjoyed a most unusual tour of the Museum of Art and then relaxed at a local bar, enjoying some casual conversation over drinks and snacks. We also invited members of the newly formed Philadelphia chapter of the Oxford Business Alumni to join us for this event.

On Wednesday, June 4, the OAANY hosted a presentation on "The New World Disorder" by Ambassador John Richardson, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations. Ambassador Richardson is extremely well qualified to speak to issues surrounding relationships between the EU, the US and the UN. Before taking up his present position in May 2001, Ambassador Richardson served as Minister and Deputy Head of the European Commission's Delegation to the U.S. in Washington from October 1996. He has devoted most of his professional career to the cause of European integration, spending 23 years at the EU headquarters in Brussels. We invited Cambridge alumni to join us for this event.

Ambassador Richardson's presentation was followed by a networking reception. Oxford and Cambridge alumni and their guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while chatting informally with one another and with Ambassador Richardson. Click here to see pictures of the event.

We were delighted to co-sponsor this event with PricewaterhouseCoopers and we were most grateful for their generous hospitality.

On Wednesday, June 25^th, the OAANY welcomed investor and business correspondent Jim Rogers, author of the new book "Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Investor's Road Trip." After studying PPE at Balliol, Jim Rogers enjoyed a very successful career on Wall Street as an investor and hedge fund manager. Since his retirement at the age of 37, he has continued to manage his own portfolio while making frequent appearances in the media as a commentator and analyst on the economy and investing. He has served as a professor of finance at Columbia Business School, been a business correspondent for Fox News and CNBC, and been featured in "The Wall Street Journal", "Barron's", "Fortune" and many other publications. Dubbed "the Indiana Jones of finance" by "Time" magazine, Jim Rogers is also well know for his lengthy and exotic road trips, which enable him to assess the global economy from the ground up. Jim Rogers, always outspoken, controversial and entertaining, shared his insights into the global economy - and the domestic one - in these difficult economic times. We invited alumni from Columbia and Wharton Business Schools to join us for this event.

Jim Rogers's presentation was followed by a networking reception. During the reception, alumni from Columbia, Wharton and Oxford and their guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while chatting informally with one another and with Jim Rogers. Click here to see pictures of the event.

We were delighted to co-sponsor this event with PricewaterhouseCoopers and we were most grateful for their generous hospitality.

In June, the OAANY's events program moved to the great outdoors with an unusual culinary and cultural tour of Harlem conducted by Ms. Myra Alperson in partnership with Harlem's Soul-to-Sole, experts on Harlem's history and landmarks. A group of Oxford alumni and their guests explored the diverse food, history and culture of Harlem, with stops that included eateries, bakeries and markets featuring Caribbean, Ethiopian and West African specialities. Our tour of this historically rich slice of New York also included Harlem cultural sites. We were fortunate enough to pick almost the only rain-free three hours in an otherwise very wet Spring for this tour, and even more lucky that the rain held off until we had eaten almost all of the exotically flavored ice cream served at the last stop on our tour!