Talk:Ruskin College

Attlee at Ruskin?
I was a student between 1995-96 and this complete news to me. It was never mentioned by academics or other students. Indeed, we were embarrassed that Prescot was the only well-known Labour politician we could name associated with the college.

Any references for this fact?Moriarty73 04:32, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Attlee was not at Ruskin - he attended University College, Oxford in 1901 and left in 1904 with a second - he did some lecturing at Ruskin before joining the staff at LSE (R. C. Whiting, ‘Attlee, Clement Richard, first Earl Attlee (1883–1967)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004) Charlie odd 09:47, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Which Williams?
This article appears to conflate the deatils of two Barons Williams:
 * Tom Williams, Baron Williams of Barnburgh (1888–1967), a Labour politician ennobled as a life peer in 1961
 * Thomas Edward Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Ynystir (26 July 1892 – 18 February 1966), ennobled as a hereditary peer in 1948

I suspect that this article intends to refer to Tom Williams, Baron Williams of Barnburgh, but I have no sources to back that up and wouldn't assume; the dates clearly refer to Thomas Edward Williams, 1st Baron Williams of Ynystir. --BrownHairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 21:05, 26 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Checked the DNB reference cited, and the link as it stands points to the correct Williams, that is Thomas Williams, 1st Baron Williams.Casper Gutman 22:40, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Walter Vrooman Founder
I am working on an article about Trenton, Missouri and the establishment of a Ruskin College there (based on the writings of John Ruskin). Various sources say Walter Vrooman from Missouri established Ruskin Hall in Oxford. I don't see any mention on the Ruskin College website (which is unfortunately very sparse in its history. This school has a very colorful history.  Americasroof 02:32, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Relocation
Where did it relocate from? I think it was Walton Street, but it may have had other buildings. -- Bduke   (Discussion)  22:58, 22 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Found this and I think it pins down Walton Street as the original site. -- Bduke   (Discussion)  23:07, 22 August 2015 (UTC)

University affiliate
The lede claims that Ruskin is 'affiliated' with Oxford University. This was tagged as needing a ref a year ago (not by me). It is my understanding that Ruskin ended all links with OU in the 1990s and is a completely independent institution. This is an important matter and needs to be clarified. --Ef80 (talk) 10:40, 5 March 2019 (UTC)
 * On this basis, I removed it as the unspecified affiliate status is liable to cause confusion. If it's re-added, the distinction should be clarified. Solipsism 101 (talk) 15:54, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
 * From the Guardian at Ruskin College, then closely associated with Oxford University, which validated its qualifications and provided some teaching. ... Ruskin brought working people from all over the country and abroad to the heart of the pomp and the privilege of Oxford, and the ties were not broken until the 1990s. Previously Ruskin was closely linked to Oxford; Oxford allowed Ruskin students to take diplomas from Oxford. This arrangement is no longer in place. Ruskin mentions "close links" but does not say if this is because of historical or current arrangements. I added an Indie link from 2013 which provides some clarity, although it is not clear these arrangements are still in place 8 years later. Solipsism 101 (talk) 12:29, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Ruskin says, about Oxford uni, Ruskin students have special access to its many facilities, busy social life and a range of events. On its library page, If you are on a University Programme, you will also enjoy unique membership of the Bodleian Library, the main library of the University of Oxford and the UK’s largest university library system. Ruskin students can also use many other libraries in Oxford, including some of the faculty libraries of the University of Oxford. No mention of access to student union. Solipsism 101 (talk) 12:38, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
 * This goes unmentioned in the "History" page on their site - mind you, they apparently think Jeremy Corbyn is the "current" Labour leader! Johnbod (talk) 16:49, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
 * The affiliate status evidently caused some confusion for readers, with one journalist saying Sasha Johnson studied at Ruskin College at Oxford University. Solipsism 101 (talk) 13:07, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Stockholm visit 1906
Students from Ruskin College visiting Stockholm in 1906 can be seen here. --LA2 (talk) 18:31, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Recent edits
Recent edits appear to be saying that Ruskin no longer exists after the merger, but that seems to be incorrect. This quote "The unanimous decision to merge will ensure the unique identity of Ruskin College and its values as a college, as well as its long tradition of working with the Labour movement, are preserved in perpetuity" says that the merger will allow it to continue and do better. Could someone who is nearer to Ruskin please look into this? I lived directly opposite the College on Walton Street around 1960, but I am in Australia now! --Bduke (talk) 04:41, 15 June 2021 (UTC)
 * The IP editor seems to be unhappy with the planned merger, and the editing on this page is tendentious to say the least, while the editing at Activate Learning is even worse. Jonathan A Jones (talk) 09:00, 15 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Ruskin has been in a fairly chaotic state since it sold off the Walton Street buildings for redevelopment, with no clear idea of its identity and purpose. It's now fully owned by the University of West London, who presumably liked the idea of an Oxford location when recruiting international students. Any remaining distinct individual identity is just branding and marketing. --Ef80 (talk) 15:58, 23 December 2022 (UTC)