Academic Excellence and Innovation
In their own words
Students forced to flee their homeland as a result of persecution found that the University of London External System provided a way to fulfil their educational ambitions.
Bernhard Herzberg (1909-2007)
Born in Hanover, Germany, Bernhard Herzberg was the UK’s
oldest student when he died a month before his 98th birthday
while completing his second master’s degree (in African Studies)
at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African
Studies. He achieved his bachelor’s degree in German literature
at the age of 91 in 2000 as an External student of the University
of London.
‘Two years after my retirement, during a trip to Germany, I made the acquaintance of a high school teacher who asked me to give a talk to her students about my life and my family’s history in Germany. I gave a talk to several German schools and this reawakened my interest in German. The Nazis used to say that when a Jew speaks German he lies, but I wanted to prove that it has nothing to do with descent – it’s your mother tongue. My ancestors had been in Hanover for centuries. I wanted to study because I had been in commerce all my life. I paid the London University course fee – £3,600 – with my pension.’
Zvi Hans Schloss
Born in Germany, Zvi Hans Schloss and his family escaped to Palestine in 1936. Having left school aged 12 in order to earn his keep, he was nevertheless keen to study. The University of London External System provided the perfect opportunity.
'After the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 I joined the army but never, even for a moment, gave up my beloved correspondence course! I remember sitting on my rickety camp-bed in a tent somewhere in the desert studying economics, economic history and all the rest of it. The other soldiers were sure that I was utterly mad.'
Dr Harry Spencer
Dr Harry Spencer was born Herbert Schnabel in Vienna in 1928, and escaped through the ‘Kindertransport’ route to Belgium, and from there to the UK in 1940. Harry completed his BSc (Eng) as an External student in 1948. This led to postgraduate study in the US, where he took an MSc in civil engineering before going on to teach at Yale and Columbia universities.
'When I began to teach engineering the example of the External degree system helped me to organise courses of study for working students.'