牛津大学“撒切尔教学楼”惹争议

牛津大学主要捐赠人、叙利亚出生的亿万富翁瓦菲克·赛义德向牛津大学赛义德商学院捐款1500万英镑(约合1.5亿元人民币)建造新大楼，并计划用撒切尔夫人的名字命名这栋新建筑。然而此举却遭到牛津大学许多教师的反对。据悉，这并不是撒切尔夫人第一次在牛津这所知名学府遭到冷遇。1985年，牛津大学曾拒绝授予撒切尔夫人荣誉学位，尽管她是二战后第一位曾在该校接受教育的英国首相。

而这一计划的支持者则认为，当年大家反对授予撒切尔夫人荣誉学位是因为对她当时的政策有所不满，现在她已经不再是首相，学校完全可以用她的名字命名新楼。赛义德作为新大楼大部分资金的投资者，有为新大楼命名的权利，但是还需要经过学校行政委员会和由学者和学校官员组成的专门委员会审核通过后才能正式命名。

Baroness Thatcher is at the centre of a new row at Oxford University after plans to name a building after Britain's first female Prime Minister were revealed。

Some academics are hoping to snub one of the university's most illustrious alumnae again - more than 25 years after protests there led to her being denied an honorary degree。

Thatcher became the first Oxford educated Prime Minister since the Second World War to be refused an honorary degree from the University in 1985 following student protests amidst cuts to education。

And now 17 years on a new revolt could halt plans to name a new facility after her。

Oxford donor and Syrian born billionaire Wafic Saïd is said to have donated £15 million towards a new facility at Oxford's Saïd Business School, due to open in the autumn, and has indicated that he wants to name it after the women he describes as 'lioness'。

But the news is not being welcomed by everyone。

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Bernard Sufrin, a fellow at Worcester College, said signatories would be 'lining up' to force a vote against the 'inconceivable' plans。

He said 'I hope that those responsible for naming the building will take advice from those – now retired – leading members of the University who oversaw the embarrassing fiasco of an honorary degree for Mrs Thatcher being proposed only to be rejected by a large majority of the Congregation。

'It is inconceivable that Congregation would accede to such a naming.'

Mr Siad has long been and admirer of The Iron Lady and is given the naming opportunity because he has provided at least 51 per cent of capital funding to the building。

In 1996 he donated £23 million to establish the Saïd Business School at the university and he has since made an additional £15 million donation to help pay for the new building。

In order for the naming to get the go ahead it must first go before a series of administrative committees and subcommittees made up of academics and officials。