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==Company history and officers==
==Company history and officers==

Kern Alexander, now a professor at the University of Illinois, founded the Oxford International Round Table on Education Policy in 1989.<ref>http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/frp/a/alexandr</ref> However, it was not incorporated until 1994, when it was established in Florida as a for-profit corporation, with Alexander as president. It was administratively dissolved in 1996.<ref>http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=P94000031096&inq_came_from=NAMFWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=&names_name_seq=&names_name_ind=&names_comp_name=OXFORDINTERNATIONALROUNDTABLE&names_filing_type=</ref> Alexander also incorporated the Oxford Round Table, Inc., a Florida for-profit corporation; it was established and dissolved at the same time as the Oxford International Round Table on Education Policy. <ref>http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=P94000031096&inq_came_from=NAMFWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=&names_name_seq=&names_name_ind=&names_comp_name=OXFORDINTERNATIONALROUNDTABLE&names_filing_type=</ref>

In 1995, the Oxford Round Table, Inc., a for-profit Kentucky corporation, was incorporated by Samuel K. Alexander III (son of Kern Alexander).<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0346425&ct=09&cs=99999</ref> It was administratively dissolved in 1998 and reinstated in 2006.<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/OBDBDisplayImage.aspx?id=697427</ref>

Fieldon King Alexander, another son of Kern Alexander and now president of California State University Long Beach, incorporated the Oxford Round Table, Inc., as a for-profit Illinois corporation in 1998. It was involuntarily dissolved in March 2000.<ref>http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/CorporateLlcController, then search for Oxford Round Table</ref>

In December 2001, the non-profit Oxford Round Table of Godstow Hall, Inc., was incorporated in Kentucky by several members of the Alexander family.<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0527045&ct=09&cs=99998</ref>

In May 2007, the non-profit Oxford Round Table, Inc., NFP, was established in Illinois.<ref>http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/CorporateLlcController, then search for Oxford Round Table</ref>

The two non-profits and the for-profit Kentucky corporation are the only ones currently active.


As of the 1/2008 annual report of the Kentucky for-profit Oxford Round Table, Inc.<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0346425&ct=09&cs=99999</ref>:
As of the 1/2008 annual report of the Kentucky for-profit Oxford Round Table, Inc.<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0346425&ct=09&cs=99999</ref>:
Line 59: Line 47:
* Karen Price is listed as the Vice President.
* Karen Price is listed as the Vice President.
* Wesley Alexander is listed as the secretary.
* Wesley Alexander is listed as the secretary.

Prior to 2008, the company officers were<ref>http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/OBDBDisplayImage.aspx?id=2677127</ref>:
* President: Kern Alexander (Professor of Law at [[University of Warwick]]<ref>http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/csgr/people/associates/warwick/alexander/</ref>)
* Vice President: Elizabeth Alexander
* Secretary: Shenette Campbell (wife of F. King Alexander<ref>http://www.longbeachstate.com/local/sid/FEATURES0607/alexander051307.html</ref>)


== Intellectual Controversy ==
== Intellectual Controversy ==

Revision as of 17:24, 26 January 2008

The Oxford Round Table is a series of interdisciplinary conferences held at one or more of the 39 colleges in the University of Oxford for nearly 20 years. The conference is organized and run by Oxford Round Table - a name denoting an Illinois not-for-profit corporation[1] and a Kentucky for-profit entity, both run by members of the same family.[2]

Despite the name of the event, the Oxford Round Table "does not have a formal academic connection with the University of Oxford,"[3] and Oxford University has stated that events such as the Oxford Round Table are "external to the university" and "not, as such, authorised or endorsed by the university".[4]

According to the Oxford Round Table providing an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of contemporary issues that affect the public good in all its various forms and ramifications is its goal. The public good is expansively interpreted by the Round Table to include all matters that enrich the human experience and enhance the human condition.[5]

Conferences

The first meeting of the Oxford Round Table was held at St. Peter's College in 1989. The round table brings together scholars from a variety of intellectual backgrounds, from new professors to college presidents, to discuss research on specific topics usually related to public policy.

In 2008, there are 25 scheduled sessions of the conference - ten in March[6] and fifteen in July/August.[7]

According to the conference's web site:

"Invitees to Round Tables are determined based on several criteria, among which are nominations by earlier attendees, courses that invitees teach, their presentations and writings, and their professional involvement in a relevant area of interest. An attempt is also made to diversify as to the type of institution, public or private, and to involve institutions representing different levels of education, i.e. schools, community colleges, four-year colleges, graduate and research universities."[8]

Oxford Colleges lease their facilities during spring break (March and April) and during summer (July, August and September) for academic conferences. These activities are coordinated by Conference Oxford, an arm of the University of Oxford.

Publications

Policy Papers

Policy papers presented at sessions of the Oxford Round Table have been published in several distinguished outlets including the Cambridge Review of International Affairs and the Journal of Education Finance, as well as chapters in books published by Elsevier, Ltd and McGill Queen's University Press.[9][10] Many of these articles have been of major international importance.[11]

  • Jame T. Mingle, Vice-President, Cornell University, "Impediments on the Information Highway: Foreign Jurisdiction Over Defamation on the Internet."[12][13]
  • Michael J. Beloff, President Trinity College in the University of Oxford, "Human Rights in Europe: Effects of Governance on British Univerities."[14][15]
  • Don Aitken, Vice-Chancellor and Professor, University of Canberra, "Reinventing Universities."[16][17]
  • David Woods, Vice Chancellor, Rhodes University, "Overcoming Apartheid in South Africa Universities: Differential Access and Excellence."[18][19]

Journal

The Oxford Round Table publishes a quarterly journal titled The Forum on Public Policy: A Journal of the Oxford Round Table [1]. The stated mission of the journal, according to its website, is:

"to disseminate knowledge with regard to salient issues in public affairs. This includes research and policy advancement in both the public and private sectors that address government issues at state, national and international levels of discourse "[20]

Issues of the Journal are thematic in nature.[21] More recently the Journal moved to online publishing. The journal is indexed by Ebsco and Gale.

Notable Attendees

Academics who have participated in the Oxford Round tables include:

  • Michael Beloff, (QC, 1981, Barrister, BA, 1963, MA 1965 Oxon.)[22][23]
    • Former President Trinity College, Oxford University (1996-2006), Head of Chambers, Gray's Inn Square, London, currently Blackstone Chambers, London
  • Norbert Lammert, (Ph.D)[24]
    • Elected President, German Parliament, 2005

Company history and officers

As of the 1/2008 annual report of the Kentucky for-profit Oxford Round Table, Inc.[25]:

  • J.C. Buckman is listed as the President.
  • Karen Price is listed as the Vice President.
  • Wesley Alexander is listed as the secretary.

Intellectual Controversy

The Oxford Round Table has been subject to debate on the forums of the Chronicle of Higher Education[26]. Many participants have offered accounts of their experience at the Oxford Round Table. An example, from a Texas Montessori day school director, Norma Morris[27]:

There you have it….the week of March 12-17 was the stuff of fairy tales (actually we all felt a bit like we were having a Harry Potter experience). Oxford University with its 39 colleges presented a treasure box full of history, sights, tales and traditions that I will continue to absorb throughout the year. The Oxford Round Table with its 35 delegates and 35 guests, 15 presentations and panel discussions, professional and volunteer staff, and Round Table facilitator Elizabeth Bohon Alexander, M.D. served up the latest in early childhood information, best practices and research that we can all take back to our states, countries and communities to savor, implement and model.[28]

An aspect of the controversy over the ORT is how participants are selected. This remains unclear, as Ms. Morris indicates from her own experience:

A lot of things have dropped out of the sky for me over the years, but none quite so unexpected or mysterious as the invitation to participate in the Oxford Round Table on Early Childhood Education held at Harris Manchester College of Oxford, University, Oxford, England. I promptly called them and asked how they got my name. They said that I had been recommended to them by a past early childhood round table delegate. I have yet to find out who that person is.[29]

The criticisms of the Oxford Round Table on the CHE boards focus on four areas:

  1. The large number of invitations issued, which are documented as having been sent to first-year graduate students[30], and to at least one convicted felon[31];
  2. The fact that the invitation letter to prospective participants does not contain a disclaimer making it clear that they have been invited by a private corporation in the USA, not by Oxford University[32]; some participants have later claimed that they have attended an event at Oxford University,[33] [34] and, in one case, the "Oxford University Round Table".[35]

In June, 2007, the Oxford Round Table, Inc., sued Sloan Mahone, an Oxford University researcher, over emails that she had sent and posts she had made on the Chronicle of Higher Education forum.[36] Dr. Mahone described the Oxford Round Table as a "tourist venture, not a prestigious academic event" and characterized the $3,000 participation fee as "outrageous." Claiming that these and other statements were "tortious interference" with "existing contractual relationships" and with "prospective contractual advantage," and "defamation," The Oxford Round Table, Inc. filed a lawsuit, claiming in excess of $75,000 in damages from her emails and internet discussion board postings. On November 7, 2007, the court dismissed the case, finding no basis to assert jurisdiction over the Oxford researcher.[37][38] According to the Times Higher Education Supplement, the ORT has recently initiated legal action against Dr. Mahone in England.[39]

References

  1. ^ see search results for "Oxford Round Table" at http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/CorporateLlcController
  2. ^ http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0346425&ct=09&cs=99999
  3. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.com/index.php/view/Content-Main/page/disclaimer.html
  4. ^ "'Oxford' Events Firm Under Fire", THES, 21 Dec 2007
  5. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.com/index.php/view/content-main/page/index.html
  6. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/Register-Sessions?sesgroup=1
  7. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/Register-Sessions?sesgroup=2
  8. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.com/index.php/view/Content-Main/page/index.html
  9. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1438
  10. ^ http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/704619/description#description
  11. ^ http://www.stevens.edu/press/pr/pr720.htm
  12. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1438
  13. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/content-main/page/intlexpect.html
  14. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1438
  15. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/content-main/page/intlexpect.html
  16. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1438
  17. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/content-main/page/intlexpect.html
  18. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1438
  19. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/content-main/page/intlexpect.html
  20. ^ http://www.forumonpublicpolicy.com/
  21. ^ http://www.forumonpublicpolicy.com/journals.htm
  22. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/content-main/page/history.html
  23. ^ http://www.mtech.edu/pr/January%20Press%20Releases/John%20Ray%20Oxford.pdf
  24. ^ http://www.oxfordroundtable.co.uk/index.php/view/Content-Main/page/government_officials.html
  25. ^ http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/showentity.aspx?id=0346425&ct=09&cs=99999
  26. ^ http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,30869.0.html
  27. ^ http://www.montessori.org/enews/imcenews_04_06/imcenews_04_06_oxford.html
  28. ^ Ibid.
  29. ^ Ibid.
  30. ^ http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2006/july/oxford_presentation.htm
  31. ^ "Fresh from prison, Junifer Hall invited to England for legal conference", The Times (Munster, IN), 3 Feb 05
  32. ^ http://www.wisc-iboricenter.org/images/oxford/oxford_let.html
  33. ^ http://www.washburn.edu/faculty/jmcconnell/Oxround.htm
  34. ^ http://www.tnstate.edu/interior.asp?mid=3903
  35. ^ http://www.mills.edu/news/2006/newsarticle11282006oxford_round_table.php
  36. ^ Oxford Round Table, Inc. v. Mahone, Civ. No. 3:07CV-330-H (W.D. Ky., complaint filed June 25, 2007).
  37. ^ Oxford Round Table, Inc. v. Mahone, Civ. No. 3:07CV-330-H (W.D. Ky. dismissal ordered November 7, 2007).
  38. ^ http://www.steptoe.com/assets/attachments/3276.pdf
  39. ^ "'Oxford' Events Firm Under Fire", THES, 21 Dec 2007

External links

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