Editing University of Oxford (section)

=== Central governance ===
[[File:Wellington Square Oxford 1.jpg|thumb|[[Wellington Square, Oxford|Wellington Square]] has become synonymous with the university's central administration.]]
The university's formal head is the [[List of Chancellors of the University of Oxford|chancellor]]{{anchor|Chancellor of the University of Oxford}}, with [[William Hague|Lord Hague of Richmond]] expected to be inaugurated in early 2025<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-11-27-lord-hague-richmond-elected-new-chancellor-oxford-university|title=Lord Hague of Richmond elected as new Chancellor of Oxford University|date=27 November 2024|via=Google }}</ref> although, as at most British universities, the chancellor is a titular figurehead and is not involved with the day-to-day running of the university. The chancellor is elected by the members of [[convocation]], a body comprising all graduates of the university, and may hold office until death.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B7kUAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA24|title=The Oxford University Calendar 1817|date=24 June 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>

The [[List of Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford|vice-chancellor]], currently [[Irene Tracey]],<ref name="VCapproval" /> is the ''de facto'' head of the university. Five pro-vice-chancellors have specific responsibilities for education; research; planning and resources; development and external affairs; and personnel and equal opportunities.

Two university [[Proctor of the University of Oxford|proctors]], elected annually on a rotating basis from any two of the colleges, are the internal ombudsmen who make sure that the university and its members adhere to its statutes. This role incorporates student discipline and complaints, as well as oversight of the university's proceedings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.proctors.ox.ac.uk/ |title=The Proctors' Office |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=University of Oxford |access-date=26 December 2020 |archive-date=23 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223203211/https://www.proctors.ox.ac.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The university's professors are collectively referred to as the [[List of professorships at the University of Oxford|Statutory Professors of the University of Oxford]]. They are particularly influential in the running of the university's graduate programmes. Examples of statutory professors are the [[Chichele Professorship]]s and the [[Drummond Professor of Political Economy]].

The University of Oxford is a "public university" in the sense that it receives some public money from the government, but it is a "private university" in the sense that it is entirely self-governing and, in theory, could choose to become entirely private by rejecting public funds.<ref name="OXCHEPS39">{{cite web |last1=Dennis |first1=Farrington |last2=Palfreyman |first2=David |date=21 February 2011 |title=OFFA and £6000–9000 tuition fees |url=https://oxcheps.new.ox.ac.uk/papers/OxCHEPS_OP39.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901003530/https://oxcheps.new.ox.ac.uk/papers/OxCHEPS_OP39.pdf |archive-date=1 September 2024 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=20 March 2011 |work=OxCHEPS Occasional Paper No. 39 |publisher=Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies |language=en-GB |publication-place=[[Oxford]] |quote=Note, however, that any university which does not want funding from HEFCE can, as a private corporation, charge whatever tuition fees it likes (exactly as does, say, the University of Buckingham or BPP University College). Under existing legislation and outside of the influence of the HEFCE-funding mechanism upon universities, Government can no more control university tuition fees than it can dictate the price of socks in Marks & Spencer. Universities are not part of the State and they are not part of the public sector; Government has no reserve powers of intervention even in a failing institution.}}</ref>