Zumba Teacher? ‘Anti-Woke’ Cleric? 38 Candidates Line Up to Head Oxford

The role of chancellor at the University of Oxford has been around for 800 years. This year, a particularly broad range of people have applied.

One is an Anglican clergyman who presents himself as the “anti-woke candidate.” Another is a left-wing activist who boasts that he has never “invaded any Middle Eastern countries.” Still another is a Zumba teacher who says her cardio training would help her face the rigors of the job.

These are three of the 38 people in the running to be the next chancellor of the University of Oxford, a largely symbolic, yet enduringly prestigious, post as the titular head of one of the world’s most ancient universities.

For the past 21 years, the job has been held by Chris Patten, a former Conservative Party chairman and the last colonial governor of Hong Kong. Mr. Patten’s retirement in July kicked off a lively selection process that has drawn predictably high-flown public figures, but also several refreshingly earthbound candidates for a post at the pinnacle of Oxford’s dreaming spires.

“We’ve moved from the old-school approach of a tap on the shoulder to a far more open process,” said Jonathan Black, a fellow at New College, Oxford, who is director of the university’s career services. That makes sense, he said, because “the issues the university is facing are very different than when Chris Patten arrived.”

For the first time, voters will cast ballots online. About 26,000 alumni of Oxford have registered to vote, with an additional 5,000 faculty and senior staff also eligible. That compares with roughly 8,000 people who voted in the election won by Mr. Patten in 2003. The field of candidates will be culled to five in a first round of voting, with a winner selected in a second round in late November.