flemmings | (no subject)

The Little Girls' father attended an Oxford college that's celebrating its 400th anniversary this year (yes I know, Johnny-come-lately.) The memorial picture book, with history and architecture and all, was sitting down in their living room, so I skimmed it after TLG went to bed. I'd thought I was passingly familiar with British university life, but evidently not. Or I wouldn't have kept thinking, 'Oh, so *this* is where Pratchett's coming from' in amongst ancient scandals about bursars who didn't keep the books and vice-chancellors who didn't keep the minutes, and appointments to chairs that turned into (character) assassination attempts. (Am amused by the story that Maurice Bowra got passed over for the Chair of Greek studies on account of purportedly being too gay for his predecessor's tastes.)

I'm still confused by all these positions (as I am by UU's structure as well.) What's the difference between a warden and a chancellor and a dean? Google doesn't help much-- 'varies by university.' Thanks. Googling also led me down the byway of the Tridentine mass, which I got myself out of pretty damned fast. Talking about the convoluted doings of an arcane and closed society...

(And going over to their house I was remembering that May long weekend two years ago, which was almost as cold as yesterday was warm, and looked very much like it, bar an absence of leaves; and the Gaiden ep that came out then with Kenren's death in it. Ah nostalgia. This was possibly because I'd spent the morning cursing Word's 'track changes' feature as I tried to reformat a story from 2001. Nostalgia indeed.)

In pure unrelated randomosity, Toronto's best used bookstores.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

where i've been, deans head faculties or schools.
chancellors head universities.
wardens sound like something related to dormitories/'houses', not sure.

of course, 'varies by universities' applies.

"Warden" make me think of a prison...

Where I went ditto as per mauvecloud, our Bursar was the one over at administration who dealt with scholarships, fees and monetary business. The memory is fuzzy (as we're going some decades back now) but Wardens I think were like housemaster/mistress of each particular college of somewhere such as Oxford or Cambridge.

I also meant to say the one time I did opportune to meet a Warden ... that is precisely what they are like. Although the lady came across more like one of those matrons of a mental asylum. And in those old stone centruies old buildings, it really had the atmosphere to match as well.