Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

Wycliffe Hall provides theological training for candidates for ordained ministry in the Church of England as well as other Anglican and non-Anglican churches. The college also prepares people for lay ministry. There are also a number of independent and undergraduate students reading theology. The college offers both full-time and part-time study.

1 History
2 Turnbull controversies
3 Alumni
4 Academics and teachers
5 References
6 External links

Wycliffe Hall was established in 1877 as a centre for training Christian leaders and is named after the religious leader, John Wycliffe. It became a Permanent Private Hall of the university in 1996. It is a centre for Evangelical Anglican study in the University of Oxford.

As part of its joining with the University, Wycliffe Hall now also offers courses in academic theology and has a limited number of both undergraduates and postgraduates. It was established alongside Ridley Hall, Cambridge as a pair of theological colleges with an expressly Evangelical ethos.^[1]

In 2005, Richard Turnbull was appointed as Principal. On 16 May 2007, The Guardian newspaper reported on discontent within the college faculty at the leadership style of the current Principal. It notes that an irregularly large number of resignations from staff in the college had occurred since Turnbull's appointment. The article cites the contents of a resignation letter by a former Director of Studies and tutor in Old Testament and Hebrew. According to the Guardian, the letter accused the Principal of intending "…to exercise leadership without significant regard for your staff colleagues." The article claims that the college has been accused of becoming "…more hostile to women's ordination and more homophobic since the appointment of its principal."

Turnbull declined to comment on the allegations on the basis that internal investigations and disciplinary hearings were currently in process. However the College Council stated that "Wycliffe is committed to maintaining its evangelical ethos and its international reputation for excellence in theological education, ministerial formation and training for Christian leadership in the church and the world… The council unanimously reiterates its support for the principal. [It] is recruiting record numbers of candidates for this year and the next academic year."^[2]

In June 2007, Dr Turnbull's three immediate predecessors as college principal wrote him a joint letter expressing concern that he was undermining the reputation of the college and threatening its survival as an academic institution.[1]

At the Church of England General Synod in July 2007, it was announced that the Bishops’ Committee for Ministry had set in place a process to inform itself regarding the situation at Wycliffe. A small team of independent advisors, drawn from current Senior Inspectors, will report to the Bishops’ Committee for Ministry, with a view to taking any required action.[2]

In September 2007, The Times reported that a panel headed by Sir Colin Lucas, former Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, was to advise the University that what is on offer at Wycliffe does not resemble “an Oxford experience in its essentials” and is not “a suitable educational environment for the full intellectual development of young undergraduates”. As a result, Wycliffe as well as the other private halls were to be banned from admitting school-leavers to study undergraduate degrees. It was also told that it would have its licence reviewed if it was “shown to be departing from the values of a liberal education.” [3] This would not stop it continuing to train ordinands, but it would not be able to admit students for Oxford undergraduate degrees.

The primary reasons quoted by the review are the predominance of mature students and the fact that the institution is focused on the study of theology - a situation equally shared by other permanent private halls of the university. [4] Wycliffe was in first place in the Norrington Table for PPH's 2007 [5].

Dr Richard Turnbull responded by saying “I am very pleased with the review. The real challenge is not for us but for the department of theology.” He said that Wycliffe would have no difficulty making up its lost student numbers from elsewhere. [6]

In September 2007, three more members of staff were required to leave, namely, the Rev. Dr Andrew Goddard, the Rev Liz Goddard and Elaine Storkey.[7]

In September 2007, three former members of staff (Dr Eeva John, the Revd Geoff Maughan, and the Revd Dr David Wenham) wrote to the Church Times explaining why that had resigned over the course of the proceeding year. They described the college as being dominated by the "rough and tumble of heavy-handed and abrasive management" and moving towards "a more narrowly conservative emphasis". (copy at http://www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/page.cfm?ID=240)

In October 2007, Clare MacInnes resigned as a member of the Hall Council, the governing body of the Hall. In her open letter of resignation she wrote, "I am disturbed by the council’s failure to respond to allegations of bullying, intimidation of council members and a lack of transparency in its decision-making … I regret I have no confidence in the chair, the principal or the council as a whole to address these serious matters of governance, employment practice and simple human relationships.”

In November 2007, students at Wycliffe Hall were informed that Andrew Goddard had lodged an internal formal grievance. Andrew and Elisabeth Goddard remain on staff at the college but are not allowed to teach or to enter the Hall premises during normal working hours. The grievance has yet to be resolved.

In November 2007, students at Wycliffe Hall were informed that Elaine Storkey had issued proceedings before an Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal. Her case has yet to be heard.