The Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, founded in 2010, is a school of government.[1][2][3] The School of Government was made possible due to a £75 million donation by Leonard Blavatnik supported by £26 million from the University of Oxford.[4] The School will be located in the University's new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter.[5]
The School will begin accepting students in September 2012 and will initially offer one course: The Master of Public Policy (MPP) which prepares students for a successful career in public service, whether in government, non-governmental organisations or the private sector. The MPP programme's goal is to develop students’ analytical skills and critical thinking in order to help them understand better the challenges of government: the framing of public policy, implementation and delivery in government, and the evaluation of performance and results. It will equip students with the key practical skills – such as negotiation, and managing budgets - that are essential for effective public service. The course is very intensive and runs from mid-September to the end of August.
On 6 October 2011[6], Professor Ngaire Woods was announced as the first Dean of the School and Herzog & de Meuron as the architects of the School's permanent new home on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter.