Celebrating ten years of the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Scholarship Programme

28 October 2022
ertegun house

Oxford University is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities this week.

The prestigious graduate scholarship programme was established in perpetuity in 2012 through the generosity and transformative philanthropy of Mrs Mica Ertegun CBE. It is the largest donation for Humanities scholarships in Oxford University’s history and the programme has become established as the flagship graduate scholarship in the Humanities at Oxford.

In its first decade, 157 scholars from 35 countries have been fully funded to study at Oxford through the Ertegun Programme. This ensured that some of the very best scholars from around the world can pursue their studies in the Humanities irrespective of their financial status. Ertegun Scholars study in areas including literature, history, music, classical archaeology, art history, ancient history, languages and more. They benefit from being part of a close humanities community where they share a unique study environment at Ertegun House, where each Scholar pursues not only their own in-depth study but also lively interaction and debate with their peers in other disciplines.

One of the many benefits of being an Ertegun Scholar is the desk space. Every Ertegun Scholar is allocated a desk for their private study, something that no other scholarship in Oxford provides. Between four and six scholars share a study room and each room plays host to Scholars from different parts of the world, all studying different subjects. A full-time Director of the Ertegun Programme and an Ertegun Administrator develop a varied schedule of lectures, seminars, concerts and other activities for the Ertegun Scholars, which deepen their understanding of both their chosen subject and the wider humanities.

The Ertegun Alumni network connects graduates of the Ertegun programme worldwide, allowing each member to stay in contact and to collaborate throughout their careers. At Ertegun House, graduate alumni provide advice and mentorship for incoming scholars. The network now has 136 members and is growing every year.

Ertegun alumni are represented in 21 countries worldwide, where they are engaged in a wide range of careers, working in academia, journalism, law, cybersecurity, government, finance, charity, media, teaching, professional music performance, and more.

The highlights of the first decade include: 

  • The biannual Ertegun Lecture, which began in 2018 as part of the University’s annual alumni reunion. It is attended by a large audience of international Oxford alumni.
  • Award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis’ visit to Ertegun House in 2014, where he played for students and took part in a wide-ranging conversation with Ertegun Scholars and Oxford academics.
  • The lecture, in 2013, to Ertegun Scholars by the late art historian and Picasso biographer, Sir John Richardson.
  • This week the tenth anniversary was marked with a special evening for scholars and alumni, including Lord Mandelson as guest speaker.

Professor Gervase Rosser, Director of Ertegun House, said: “Ten years from its inception, the Ertegun Scholarship programme has flourished on the full scale of Mica Ertegun’s visionary philanthropy. The Scholars are not only brilliant in their respective fields but exchange their knowledge with one another through informal meetings as well as in a social setting in endlessly creative ways. As they carry that engagement into the wider community, they are reinforcing the role of the Humanities in the world at large.”

Professor Bryan Ward-Perkins, who was the inaugural Director, added: "The years I spent as the first Oxford Director of the Ertegun Programme were the high point of my academic career. It was a joy to work in a stylish and wonderfully equipped building, helping a community of bright young people from across the globe to achieve, and even exceed their goals."

Laura Betrian Waelbroeck, an alumna of the Programme who is now a Vice President at Christie’s, said: “One of my favourite aspects of my time as an Ertegun Scholar was the opportunity to collaborate with Oxford’s museums. I still remember how my first month, with [inaugural Ertegun Director] Bryan Ward-Perkins and the Ertegun team’s support, I approached the Ashmolean Museum and proposed a small exhibition in the Western Art department. I couldn’t believe my luck when my idea was accepted.”

Stefano Gandolfo, an Ertegun alumnus who is now Head of Policy for the Greek Minister of Education in Athens, said: “The Ertegun Scholarship has first and foremost given me lifelong friendships for which I am deeply grateful! Beyond that it broadened my curiosity for the world.” He added that among his favourite memories of his time in Oxford were “the musical nights held at Ertegun and in particular the theremin concert, as well as the Wednesday seminars at which my fellow Scholars and I shared our research”.

Mrs Ertegun resides in New York City and is a world-acclaimed philanthropist and interior designer. In 2017, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made Mica Ertegun an Honorary CBE in recognition of her philanthropy. Mrs Ertegun’s late husband was Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records.