Origins of High Table and History

At Oxford and Cambridge Universities there has been the tradition for centuries that the faculty and students eat together wearing their academic regalia. They may be joined on these occasions by Fellows of the college who are usually graduates and who have distinguished themselves in some way. Honored guests are seated at the High Table and usually one of them is asked to speak on a topic of substance. The Center for Public Administration and Policy has developed its own American hybrid of this ancient British custom.

We see High Table as an occasion to bring faculty, students, alumnae, and invited guests together to contemplate and discuss the thoughts presented by a distinguished academician from the field of public administration and policy. We also view it as an occasion to remind ourselves of the special nature of our vocation — a life dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and to sharing it with others. In the rush of modern living, it becomes all too easy to forget how ancient, honored, and unique is our vocation. Thus, above all, we view High Table as a secular celebration of the life of the mind.

-Center for Public Administration and Policy

High Table 2008