Support Place
Our Past, Present, and Future
Our Historic College
For over 450 years, Jesus College has been a place that has nurtured intellect and academic talent. Over the centuries we may have increased our physical footprint to accommodate a larger fellowship and student body, but our foundational values to promote methodological learning and scholarship remain just as steadfast today.
In more recent times, College has grown to accommodate the majority of academic subjects taught within the University, and for generations has convened an outstanding community of researchers becoming a home to its students, thinkers, and educators. As stewards of this unique place, we must do our part to preserve the integrity of its past, enhance its capabilities for the present, and anticipate its needs for the future.
Floreat Collegium Jesu, et florebit.
Support Historic Preservation
Thanks to the generosity of our alumni, in 2007 College completed a major restoration of its 17th century Fellows’ Library. It is because of their support that this unique space could continue to house some of College’s precious collection of early printed books.
Over the coming years, major refurbishment and historical preservation work will also need to be carried out in well-loved spaces such as Chapel and the Meyricke Library. As before, these projects will require significant additional donated funds to help support what we are already able to provide from College’s endowment.
College Priority: Chapel Restoration Fund
Consecrated in 1621, Jesus Chapel is a College landmark and a site of historical importance and architectural beauty. Today, Jesus Chapel is open to all College members and services the Chaplain's work and the College Chapel Choir, one of the largest non-auditioning Chapel Choirs in Oxford.
In addition, Chapel functions as a space not only for religious and commemorative purposes, but also as a locus for musical activity, including student performances and professional concerts.
College’s most pressing project is the historic restoration and refurbishment of its Chapel. This includes, for example, replacing the existing lighting in the Sanctuary to include new uplighters and an energy efficient LED system to help and assist the Choir and Chaplain.
There is also a pressing need to repair our historic carved pews and marble altar. These special materials need to be matched like for like, and need to be sensitively and aesthetically rendered to match the original materials.
Please click the video to learn more about the Jesus Chapel Restoration Project and what it means to College.
A greener Jesus
As stewards of this place our promise is not only to respect College’s history, but also to enhance its capabilities for the future. This means ensuring that we also take every measure to be more sustainable and greener in our approach.
Over the next decade Jesus College will transform its environmental plan to ensure we reduce our global impact and meet the University’s net zero pledge. This is a responsibility that our founders could not have predicted when we laid our first timber in 1571, but would have understood its importance to underpin the hope of our Elizabethan charter – to help us last “for all future times”.
As a community, we need to work together to reduce our carbon footprint and to make a positive impact on the environment as much as we can. We are proud that our new buildings and College updates are approached with sustainability in mind. Read here to find out how the Cheng Yu Tung Building became College’s first carbon neutral space.
Supporting a Greener Jesus for as little as £5 a month can have a massive impact on areas like College recycling and our food waste reduction.
Support College Buildings and Grounds
Many of the physical walls of Jesus College have stood for centuries, which is a testament to the care our forebears have shown them. However, their materials and construction need to be regularly maintained if they are to last and such material improvements are costly especially for listed buildings. Although a significant part of these works are already funded through College’s endowment, the demands to equip these buildings to meet the needs of their current and future occupants are far outpacing what we can reliably afford.
If we are serious about College moving into its sixth century and beyond, then it is paramount that we continue to steward and protect this special place for generations to come. This also means returning to older parts of College and adding new layers of insulation to improve climate control in our spaces. In addition, we plan to enhance our green patches to encourage more biodiversity, and manage wastage across the entire College estate in an effort to curtail it.
Major Capital Projects at Jesus
Adapting to the needs of the present and anticipating the future is a challenge for any ancient institution, but a necessary one if it is to remain competitive in a global educational market and stand out amongst its fellow Oxford colleges. A prime example of this is Jesus College’s newest addition, the Cheng Yu Tung Building on Cornmarket Street.
Completed in 2022, the Cheng Yu Tung Building is the largest physical transformation to College since the early 18th century. Thanks to the support of our many alumni and friends, and with a lead major philanthropic donation of £15 million by Dr Henry Cheng Yu Tung and family, we were able to create this dynamic new space for College.
This ambitious five-year capital project was an answer to College’s vision to build exceptional spaces that utilise the latest digital technologies to enable its current and future academic and student community to thrive. A state-of-the-art Digital Hub is also housed within the structure, which is now a locus for collaborative academic endeavour across the College and wider University.
The following images show how the Cheng Yu Tung Building has transformed College’s footprint. Please scroll down to learn more about the Jesus College Masterplan and the site’s future potential.
Building for the Future – The Jesus College Masterplan
Thanks to College’s trusted architects MICA, we are pleased to share an exciting flythrough creating a potential new Fifth Quad and an improved College Library for Jesus. This project illustrates a future ambition for our College spaces.
Major capital projects are made possible thanks to transformative donations.
Please contact the Development Director, Dr Brittany Wellner James, about supporting a major capital project at College.
