Santander create new scholarships and lecture series at Exeter
Antonio Horta-Osorio, CEO of Santander UK, marked the creation of a new macroeconomics lecture series at Exeter on Wednesday 10th February by delivering the inaugural lecture. The series will run for three years, with complete funding from Santander, and the company have also generously created Santander scholarships at Exeter.
This is wonderful news for Exeter and an important extension of Oxford’s relationship with Santander. Oxford University is now in its third year of collaboration with Santander, who fund scholarships, student travel awards, and academic research, and Exeter joins St Antony’s as the only Oxford colleges to have signed collaboration agreements with the company. Mr Horta-Osorio described the relationship on Wednesday as “a key part of [Santander’s] social responsibility programme”.
Having signed the scholarship agreement, which will provide funding a year’s funding for two MPhil students per year for three years, Mr Horta-Osorio delivered a lecture on The Legacy of the Banking Crisis. The Saskatchewan room was bustling as students, Fellows, and representatives of Santander’s Oxford staff all gathered to hear Mr Horta-Osorio examine the wide-range of factors at the roots of the banking crisis, and its market consequences. He outlined Santander’s own position, and how it had acted to weather the storm, highlighting factors which, in his opinion, were vital for banks to survive a situation such as this one. He concluded his lecture by taking a look ahead to the future for the banking industry in the wake of this crisis. The key message which he gave to his listeners was that “it is easy to be wrong together, and tough to be right on your own.”
After the lecture, Mr Horta-Osorio took questions from the audience. He then stayed for a drinks reception and dinner in the College.
The College is extremely pleased to be able to promote the study of macroeconomics in Oxford, and is delighted to have this relationship with Santander. We look forward to working with the new scholars when they arrive at Exeter in October.
