WITH the appointment of Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger as its Chancellor, Oxford Brookes has once again attracted world-class talent.

The university has certainly come a long way since it started life as the Oxford School of Art 150 years ago.

Now it is one of the country’s top places to learn, standing strong in the league tables and internationally renowned for its research.

And Dr Grainger has become the latest in a diverse line of accomplished figures to take up the position.

She follows in the footsteps of Liberty director and human rights activist Shami Chakrabarti, Channel 4 broadcaster Jon Snow and barrister Baroness Helena Kennedy QC.

By appointing one of the stars of London 2012, the university is showing that it caters to every part of student life, from art and science, to sport and literature.

Dr Grainger’s first act as Chancellor was to open the new John Henry Brookes Building.

The man who gave the university its name couldn’t possibly have foreseen how it would look today. But he would have been proud of its commitment to his personal ambition: making education available to all.