Oxford college may take name of Vietnam's 'bikini airline'

Live Correspondent: A graduate college at Oxford University could be renamed after a Vietnamese billionaire whose budget airline staffed its inaugural flights with bikini-clad air hostesses.

Linacre College said this week it would change its name to Thao College, after a "transformative donation" of o155 million ($211 million) from the SOVICO group, headed by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao. The money will fund a new graduate centre and scholarships, as well as support the day-to-day running of the college, which was founded in 1962.

"After receiving the first donation of o50 million, we will approach the Privy Council to ask for permission to change our name from Linacre College to Thao College in recognition of this landmark gift," it said Monday. Thao, 51, who has a net worth of $2.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine, owns Vietjet, and also has interests in banking and leisure.

Cambridge's New Hall announced in 2011 that it was changing its name to Murray Edwards College after a o30 million donation from software millionaires Ros and Steve Edwards. The name also honours the college's founder Dame Rosemary Murray.

Oxford's Rewley House graduate college became Kellogg College in 1992, named after its original benefactor, the foundation set up by the cereals pioneer Will Keith Kellogg.

Also at Oxford, Manchester College for mature students became Harris Manchester College in 1996 after a "generous benefaction" from businessman Lord Harris of Peckham.

 

Dhaka, 4 November (campuslive24.com)//BSC

 

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