//How sad that neither "built" nor "centuries" is even remotely accurate.//
Lack of research missed these points.
Oxford, is the World’s second oldest extant university. Scholars have been studying here since at least the 11th century. It has played a major part in the invention of Western civilisation, from the 12th century intellectual renaissance through the Enlightenment and beyond. It's alumni include William of Ockham, Roger Bacon, William Tyndale, John Donne, Sir Walter Raleigh, Erasmus, Sir Christopher Wren, William Penn, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Samuel Johnson, Robert Hooke, William Morris, Oscar Wilde, Emily Davison, Cardinal Newman, and many many more. This does not necessarily mean we approve of everything Rhodes did in his lifetime – but then we don’t have to. Cecil Rhodes died over a century ago. Autres temps, autres moeurs.""