For the third time in its history, the Bodleian library has commissioned a new chair design, after the winner of a prestigious competition was announced.

After an initial 60 designers had been whittled down to just three, the award went to Edward Barber OBE & Jay Osgerby OBE with manufacturer Isokon Plus.  The chair will be developed over the next year to meet industry standards and will be launched in October 2014 alongside the newly refurbished Weston Library.

The chosen design is a three-legged oak chair which the Bodleian described as “a contemporary response to the brief which combines a strong sense of craft heritage, sculptural form and complex reader requirements”. Although made from wood, the chair has been cleverly designed so as to allow tilting backwards and forwards, for those readers who are so inclined.

According to the Bodleian, “The duo [Barber and Osgerby] identified the rear view of the chair as critical to the concept of the design – this is the aspect that will be most visible when the chair is in situ. Thus a strong vertical timber, echoing the spines of books on shelves, forms one of the three legs that attaches to the sled base. The generous circular form of the seat frame is echoed in the armrest and sled base – producing a strong but remarkably light oak chair.”

The first chair designed for the Bodleian was a wooden Windsor chair in 1756, and cost 8s 6d per chair. 180 years later, Giles Gilbert Scott won the competition for a new chair and designed a leather-clad bucket one.

At the moment, the Bodleian uses a mishmash of chairs, from a range of eras and in a variety of styles. This new chair looks to bring unity to a wildly disparate seating system.

The news has had a positive response among students who agree that the current stock of chairs is too uncertain. Alice Rickett, a second year Classics and English student, commented, “Chairs are more important than we think. For too long, the Bodleian seems to have been following a less than vigorous chair selection policy, but hopefully this is now at an end. Now, chairs are the least of our worries, which is how it should be.”

The McCall MacBain Foundation, a grant-making organisation, announced its decision to donate £75 million to the Trust on Thursday. The money will be used to further the expansion of the Rhodes Trust, whose scholarship programme is considered to be the most prestigious international graduate scholarship programme in the world.

The donation will consist of a £25 million grant, a £25 million challenge and match donation to encourage additional fundraising and a further £25 million to be used for the expansion of the graduate programme into new geographies.

Since it was founded in 1903, the Rhodes Trust has provided scholarships for nearly 8,000 young leaders from around the world, making it possible for them to come and study at the University of Oxford. Scholarship holders include Bill Clinton, six Commonwealth Prime Ministers and three Nobel prize winners.

Speaking to Rhodes Scholars at the 110^th anniversary of the founding of the Rhodes Trust, John McCall MacBain – the founder of the McCall MacBain Foundation – said, “Receiving the Rhodes Scholarship and attending Oxford were among the highlights of my life.

“These Scholarships have been helping develop future leaders for over a century. With the world facing ever-increasing challenges, the need to help develop leadership skills is more important than ever. I hope that this gift will help secure them for another hundred years.”

In recognition of the donation, John McCall MacBain will be named a Second Century Founder of the Rhodes Trust and the Rhodes Scholarships. The Chairman of the Trust, John Hood, said, “We are deeply grateful to John, Marcy and the McCall MacBain Foundation for their determined leadership in this new capital campaign to build the endowment for the Rhodes Trust.

“The Rhodes Scholarships work to inspire future generations of young leaders, which does not only have a profound impact on those individual lives, but also on their communities and the wider world.”

His opinion was shared by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Andrew Hamilton, who stated, “For over a century, the Rhodes Trust has played an integral part in the life of the University. Indeed, it is hard to imagine the one existing without the other. I am absolutely delighted that the McCall MacBain Foundation has taken this step to ensure the future health of the Rhodes Trust with its magnificent donation.”

Prime Minister David Cameron, an Oxford graduate, also welcomed the donation. He said, “It is great news for the UK and our world class, higher education system that such a prestigious programme looks set to be secured for the long term.”

The five-storey buildings will provide 439 graduate accommodation units, set to be put into use by Oxford University this term.

However, concerns about contamination of the former railway sidings site have prompted the Oxford City Council to reassess the construction. The Council has advised that the University will be occupying the development “at its own risk” before the discharging of planning conditions.

The environmental impact of the development has sparked opposition from local groups, including the Campaign to Protect Port Meadow, in addition to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

The CPRE will take its case regarding its concerns over the flats to the High Court, sitting in Birmingham, on 23 October.

Members of Protect Port Meadow campaign, which has held a number of demonstrations in opposition to the development, have vowed not to protest on the Castle Mill site once students have moved into the accommodation.

In a statement, a spokesperson from Protect Port Meadow said, “We are extremely surprised that the University is moving in students before planning conditions are discharged, but our campaign has no intention of protesting directly around the students and their families.

“We will continue to campaign actively against the University until you have done far more to mitigate the views that these dreadful buildings and shabby planning process have ruined, but we will not do so on or around a site where students and their families may have occupied.”

An Oxford University spokesperson said, “The University is to house students for the next academic year in the new graduate accommodation at Castle Mill as planned. We are confident both that the site is fully environmentally suitable for residential use and, after taking independent legal advice, that we are acting reasonably and responsibly in using the accommodation for its intended purpose. The City Council has been informed as part of our continuing dialogue on the project.

“We have addressed all contamination issues on the site in their entirety and carried out all necessary remedial work, to the satisfaction of the city and environmental authorities. City officials have confirmed that the site contamination has been properly addressed and that the ongoing monitoring arrangements offered by the University meet the Council’s requirements.

“We are conscious of the City Council’s requirement that the University should place fewer than 3,000 of its students in private rented accommodation to reduce pressure on Oxford’s housing market and the purpose-built Castle Mill accommodation enables us to achieve this goal.

“The University will continue its discussions with the City Council and local residents to refine proposals for landscaping.”

A spokesman for Oxford City Council, told Cherwell, “We have advised the University that it would be occupying the development at its own risk and that planning conditions have not been discharged.

“Our legal advice is that the discharge of planning conditions, where linked to occupation, creates an unusual circumstance where a further screening opinion is required. Whilst we understand there may be different approaches in this context, the Council was obliged to act on our legal expert’s opinion in this case.

“The Council is also taking legal advice on the options for enforcement, although we know the Courts are reluctant to support early action until all options have been explored.”

In a statement, Helen Marshall, director of CPRE Oxfordshire, said, “Serious planning and environmental issues, including concerns over contamination, remain unresolved.

“The planning permission granted to the university expressly says that the buildings should not be occupied until a number of important planning conditions are met.

“If Oxford University is at all serious about seeking to resolve the disastrous impact of these buildings, it will defer student occupation.

“However, if they should seek to go ahead, the city council should use its enforcement powers to prevent student occupation.”

David Cameron returned to his alma mater, Brasenose College, on Friday evening, where he officially opened the college’s ‘Project Q’ renovations.

The Prime Minister, who studied at Brasenose from 1985-88, graduating with First Class honours in PPE, gave a short speech in the college’s Old Quad.

Cameron defending the increase in tuition fees. He said: “I know how unpopular tutition fees can be but it really matters that we can fund the growth of our universities at a time when governments all over the world are battling to level up taxes and spending.”

He then posed for photographs with students and attended a drinks reception, though he left Brasenose before the official dinner, to which alumni, fellows and current students were invited.

Cameron’s undergraduate tennis partner, Tory Co-Chairman Andrew Feldman, likewise a Brasenose alumnus, attended the reception. Vernon Bogdanor, the constitutional scholar who tutored Cameron in his undergraduate days, also attended.

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The Prime Minister is introduced by Brasenose Principal Alan Bowman

“David was one of the nicest and ablest students I ever taught,” Bogdanor told the Guardian in an interview four years ago. “But I’m not responsible for his views.” Bogdanor is known to be skeptical towards the Conservative Party policy of scrapping the Human Rights Act. In government the policy has been neutered by the Liberal Democrats, who support the Act.

In his speech Mr Cameron told students that “Don’t think for a minute that when you leave [Oxford] your tutorials stop. Let me tell you that is not the case.

“Vernon Bogdanor often gives me a tutorial. Recently he wrote me a brilliant letter explaining, as he told me twenty years ago, that democracy is government by explanation. He was referring of course to the Syria vote and he thought that I needed to do more work as a teacher, as a politician, and he’s absolutely right.”

With a nod to the 7.7% unemployment rate, Mr Cameron said that he still “bumped into” his old economics tutor, Peter Sinclair, now Professor of Economics at Birmingham University.

“He still tells me why the labour market isn’t clearing properly and what I need to do about it, and that is hugely valuable.”

Mr Cameron said that he hadn’t kept in touch with his old philosophy tutor, John Foster, but recalled that “He was always trying to convince me that you couldn’t prove the existence of anything apart from the thoughts in your head. There are moments in this job when that would be a lovely reality to have.”

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Cameron talking to Oxford University Chancellor, and former Conservative Minister, Chris Patten

Brasenose students were kept in the dark about the Prime Ministers expected visit. An email to Brasenose undergraduates about the opening of ‘Project Q’ renovations referred only to a “senior Cabinet Minister”.

The renovations began shortly after the 500th anniversary of the college’s founding in 2009 and were completed at the end of Hilary term last year.

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Cameron talks to the Emir of Qatar

As Leader of the Opposition Cameron last visited Brasenose in November 2009, six months before becoming Prime Minister.

Cherwell’s website has been nominated for the Best Website in the Student Media Awards 2013 as the shortlist was announced yesterday on the Guardian’s website. In further success, two Cherwell staff members were nominated for individual awards, Sophie Hall Luke for the Student Critic of the Year, and Tom Beardsworth for Student Columnist of the Year.

Cherwell’s website is developed by alumnus Adam Hadley, whilst Bang!, Cherwell’s sister publication also run by OSPL (Oxford Student Publications Limited), has likewise been nominated for Best Website.

Tom Beardsworth, defying his harsh treatment at the hands of other Oxford media outlets, was modest in victory, “I’m flattered to be shortlisted for the award. However having twitter-stalked the other nominees, who without exception appear far more intelligent and verbose than I am, I doubt it’ll go any further.”

Hall Luke, meanwhile, was equally pleased with her nomination. “I’m chuffed to bits to be shortlisted for the Critic of the Year category. I can’t wait to start working on my so-happy-for-you clap in preparation for the ceremony. I only hope that criticising the year 2014 will prove to be as rewarding as criticising 2013 did.

It was a somewhat dry set of results for the Oxford Student. James Restall (former OxStu editor) was their only presence on the list of nominations, where he was listed for Best Student Reporter. This followed on from the 2012 shortlist where two separate OxStu editors, Isaac Delestre and James Rothwell, were shortlisted in this category.

Restall told Cherwell, “I’m very proud to have been short listed for this award. The last two years have been incredible working with such a talented group at the OxStu.”

Delestre, speaking to Cherwell, put the Student Media Awards in perspective, by saying, “I guess it’s kind of impressive, but when you’ve been dubbed history’s second worst Oxonian by a publication with the clout of the Oxford Tab, anything the Guardian has to offer really pales in comparison.”

The Oxford Medical School Gazette, “the oldest student medical journal in the world” was nominated for Student Publication of the Year, displacing both Cherwell and OxStu who had been nominated in this category the previous year.

Current Editor of Cherwell, Nick Hilton, commented, “The success of the website is testament to our continued position as Oxford’s top online news outlet. I’d also like to extend my congratulations to my predecessor, Tom Beardsworth, for his nomination in a category that many of us did not think he would be eligible for. He is indeed a man of many talents.”

Follow the nominees on Twitter:

@sophie_hl

@tbeardsworth

@restyrestall

@adamihad