Launch of Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre

Photo of Dan Grimley by Ian Wellman, photo of Margaret Gray by Dr Michele Warren

• The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities officially launched on 30 September, creating a new hub for teaching, research and public engagement.
• Hundreds of colleagues collaborated to move seven faculties, two institutes, a library and collections under one roof. Over 13,000 room bookings are scheduled for the first academic year.
• Dr Margaret Gray led the timetabling process, drawing on her experience in both higher education and the cultural sector.
• The process has offered valuable lessons for the future.

External view of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

Hufton + Crow Photography

The opening of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities has been a milestone moment – but behind the scenes, an extraordinary effort was needed to make the building ready for its first academic year, from moving multiple faculties and collections to timetabling thousands of bookings. This blog describes how staff across the University have pulled together to bring the new centre to life, ensuring its doors have opened to a vibrant and welcoming space.

Great Hall at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

Hufton + Crow Photography

Professor Dan Grimley, Head of the Humanities Division

We were delighted to celebrate the launch of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities last week (30 September). The centre is a huge boost for the Humanities Division, and you can read more about our ambitions in the centre's launch announcement.

Better still, please come and visit us to have a look around for yourself. The centre provides us with a state-of-the-art hub to catalyse our teaching, research and public engagement; it’s a one-of-a-kind space where academia and culture will intersect to create something extraordinary.  

Extraordinary is the only word that describes the achievement of hundreds of professional staff – in the Humanities Division and Faculties, Estates, Bodleian, Oxford Internet Institute and beyond – in making it possible.

After the building work was completed at the end of August, our colleagues managed to move in seven academic faculties, two institutes, a library and a collection from dozens of buildings in a matter of weeks. A shining example of this is the work to timetable over 13,000 room bookings for this academic year, led by Dr Margaret Gray.

A performance at the Centre: Taylor Mac, Bark of Millions

Julieta Cervantes

Dr Margaret Gray, Planning and Resources Manager, Schwarzman Centre

Timetabling the first year in the Schwarzman Centre has been a huge challenge, but a very rewarding one. I have a mixed background in higher education and the cultural sector, and both have played an important role in how I managed this process.

I approached booking seminars and events in the Schwarzman Centre much like blocking a play before the set is built, using floorplans and building specifications to build an image in my head of the layout and features of the rooms.

As an academic myself, I’ve had to make do with my share of inconvenient timetables or teaching spaces; I’ve used those experiences to help me make strategic decisions about how best to meet the needs of our resident academics and staff. Sometimes all I can do is offer the best room we have available at a given time, but we’ve learned a lot from this first year and there’s a lot we’re learning now that we’re in the space that will help us to improve this process going forward.

Overall, I think this first timetabling exercise has been a wonderful success thanks to the hard work and collaboration of many incredible teams.    

Learn more: Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities