Our purpose and values
Our purpose
St Antony’s overarching purpose is “to promote international understanding in a complex world.”
This is articulated in our Statutes and hasn’t changed since the College was founded in 1950. The University delivers teaching for graduate students while the College acts as an academic hub. Our strategy for 2024-2027 is set out in our Annual Report.
How do we achieve this?
Through acting as an academic home, physical and virtual.
We enable and encourage dialogue and the exchange of ideas through our events, our Fellows’ publications, support for our student body, and the provision of spaces for our diverse membership.
We contribute to the University’s mission to lead the world in research and education, we are committed to sympathetic engagement with the regions we study, and we work collaboratively with organisations across the globe with the aim of making the world a better place.
What do we do?
- We organise and host events providing spaces for the exchange of ideas
- We support academic research through our centres, libraries and archives
- We provide hospitality and accommodation for our students and visitors
- We provide welfare, social and some financial support (for example, student scholarships and hardship funds)
- We support the University through joint working via our Fellows and our regional study centres.
Our values
Our values determine how we do what we do. We are:
Outward-looking [open-minded and courageous]
We reach out to, and through, our global community. As a world-renowned hub for research and engagement on global and regional issues, St Antony’s offers a space for critical thinking and the exchange of ideas. We support our members – from those who become leaders, policymakers, and diplomats to those who themselves go on to academic research and teaching – in fact, all who have the courage to go out into the world to be change-makers in our global future.
Respectful [supportive and collaborative]
We are an academic hub, a highly respected centre for research, and a home for our students. As a community, we seek to understand and embrace differences in people, ideas, and experiences with tolerance and understanding. We aim to promote a positive atmosphere where all members of the College are supported to develop and fulfil their full potential.
Diverse [equitable and inclusive]
We welcome people from all backgrounds and all parts of the world. We believe that embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion will make for a more successful environment, to allow us to better support our members to make a difference in the world.
Curious [challenging and respectful]
We seek new ways of understanding the world and one another. We encourage curiosity and an environment that embraces challenge, alongside academic rigour, and respect for others.
