Dear Students, Parents, and Teachers,

I am delighted to introduce to you Oxbridge Academic Programs, an organization that has brought thousands of bright, enthusiastic middle and high school students to study in Oxford and Cambridge for more than eighteen years. As we enter the summer of 2008, we continue to emphasize our founding principles: imaginative teaching, experiential learning, and cultural enrichment, all charged with the excitement of living in one of the most historic universities in the world.

One key to our success over the years has been our truly outstanding faculty. I cannot pretend to be modest about a group of teachers whose credentials are studded with Rhodes, Gates, and Marshall Scholarships, as well as Mellon Fellowships, teaching posts at Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard, and other top institutions, and awards for excellence in the arts, in scholarship, and in teaching. And if you could see them in the classroom, where their energy and passion for their subjects and their talent for inspiring students shine so brilliantly, then you would understand why I believe they are the finest faculty assembled anywhere for this kind of program.

Ultimately, the program depends on the students who come to it, the interests they bring, and the energy they contribute. Our students come from everywhere: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Puerto Rico, British Columbia, and abroad. The past few years have seen an increasing internationalization of our student body with students from France, Italy, India, South Africa, Japan, China, Singapore, Russia, Hungary, Austria, and a dozen other countries.

Some come to pursue a subject they love, others to try one they’ve never done; some to polish their writing or build a background for college; others to escape the pressures of GPA and class rank; still others to experience living abroad or to indulge their love of English culture.  Most have a mixture of purposes. But judging from the parents and teachers of the thousands of students that we have had over the years, they all have a special experience. Not just an incremental increase in factual knowledge, but a transformation in their sense of themselves, their own capabilities, and the place of learning and creativity in their lives. 

This coming summer will be especially exciting. There are several new courses, new field trips, and more distinguished guests than ever. I hope that as you read this literature and talk to our former students, you will come to share their feeling about the unique opportunities our programs offer. For the right student, there is nothing like it. I look forward to meeting many of you this year, or even better, in Europe next summer.

Sincerely,

James G. Basker

Founder