Front-page report by David Charter, The Times, 19th December 2001
An Oxford University benefactor who expected years of generosity to be rewarded with a place for his son has resigned as a fundraiser after his old college rejected a teenager.
Philip Keevil, a prominent City banker, admitted yesterday that his decision to quit as co-chairman of fundraisers for Trinity College would be seen as a "sour grapes", but told the university that other benefactors would be deterred by his family's experience. Over the past 15 years Mr Keevil has given more than £100,000 to Oxford University. He said that he believed that there would be a "slight bias" towards the offspring of donors, as he says there is at Harvard, where he took his MBA.
Trinity last night expressed regret at Mr Keevil's decision but said that the admissions system had to be fair. The college will lose a £100,000 pledge from Mr Keevil, who said that his son had achieved straight A and A* grades in his GCSEs. Michael Beloff, President of Trinity, said that the age of "Founder's Kin" had passed. Philip Keevil is a devoted college man; one of his sons was here. His second son, like many other able candidates, did not win a place," Mr Beloff said. "But fair treatment for all means that there can be no favour for a few at whatever cost to the colleges funds."
Mr Keevil's departure will reopen debate about the Oxford admissions system, criticised two years ago as an an "absolute scandal" by Gordon Brown for rejecting comprehensive-educated Laura Spence. Harvard argues that its successful fundraising enables it to offer full scholarships to students from poor backgrounds - such as the one it gave to Miss Spence. Up until the mid-1980s, some Oxford college heads had a couple of student places in their gift for children of past students or major donors. That was outlawed in an admissions shake-up, but senior Oxford figures admit that they still come under intense pressure to pull strings.
Mr Keevil, managing director and head of European Mergers and Acquisitions at Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, said he could not return to fundraising for Trinity because his heart was no longer in it. He was also considering his future on the fundraising board of the Bodleian Library and Oxford's Said Business School. "People may say this is just sour grapes and pretty obviously I'm very sad." he said.
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