TO ALL OUR 2014/15 SUPPORTERS
THANK YOU
See how your support is impacting the
university, its students and the wider world
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FACTS AND STATISTICS
A REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY AND VOLUNTEERING IN 2014/2015
THANKS TO SUPPORTERS LIKE YOU A TOTAL OF
HAS BEEN RAISED FOR THE UNIVERSITY IN THE LAST YEAR
A MESSAGE FROM JANICE KAY
This year marks the University’s Diamond Jubilee
– 60 years since our Royal Charter was granted.
It is heartening that as we celebrate this special
anniversary the University is making exceptional
progress. This year has seen us in the top ten in all
three of the main UK university league tables, and
recognised as one of the top 100 universities in
the world for the very first time.
This is a real testament to the hard work of
everyone involved with the University including
you, our alumni supporters and friends who have
given your time, money and expertise to help us
get to where we are today.
Last year over 900 of you volunteered more than
11,000 hours of your time to support Exeter and
our students. You gave employability talks, advice,
mock interviews, mentoring and much, much
more. More than 2,200 of you chose to support
the University financially and donations grew by
16%, totalling £4.9 million. We also received 22
new pledges of support from people who have
chosen to remember Exeter in their wills.
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Whether you are a long term supporter or a new
supporter, whether you give time or money or
both, whether you are alumni or friends, you play
a huge part in Exeter’s continuing success.
I hope you enjoy reading about the many ways
in which you have helped to change lives and
shape the future of our University. It comes with a
heartfelt ‘thank you’.
DONATING MORE THAN
HOURS OF
THEIR TIME
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year.
Professor Janice Kay
Provost
the amount raised through
legacy support
OF YOU MADE INTERNATIONAL
A DONATION
SUPPORTERS MADE
IN 2014/2015
TO SUPPORT EXETER
FOR THE FIRST TIME
A DONATION
who agreed to support
Exeter in their Wills
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Your support nurtures individual talent and potential. Finding sufficient support to pursue academic
development, career aspirations and high level academic research can be exceptionally difficult, for
four students at Exeter this has been made possible; thanks to you. Each has their own inspiring and
motivating story.
CARA LUDLOW
(BA ENGLISH, 2017)
ALUMNI AND NETWORKING
COORDINATOR FOR XTV
MIRANDA THOMAS NEE HARRIS
(BA DRAMA, 2001)
CLARA PLACKETT “
I have cherished every opportunity to engage with our alumni volunteers and donors, and am so grateful for their continued support.
CARA LUDLOW (BA ENGLISH, 2017) ALUMNI AND NETWORKING COORDINATOR FOR XTV
JENNY SOUTH
JENNY BLACK
(LAW, 2018)
THE GOODMAN DERRICK
SCHOLARSHIP
(BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES WITH STUDY
ABROAD, 2015)
THE QUEEN ELIZABETH DIAMOND
JUBILEE SCHOLARSHIPS
(BA ENGLISH, 2014)
Breaking in to the film and TV industry can
seem impossibly tough. Alumni volunteers have
provided me with valuable insights into an industry
which is notoriously difficult to understand from
the outside. I feel privileged to have been in touch
with alumni who are so generous in their desire to
help students at Exeter.
Donations from alumni have also been
tremendously helpful to the student television
station, XTV. Equipment we were able to
purchase has allowed us to produce live
broadcasts, some of the most popular videos on
our channel.
I have cherished every opportunity to engage with
our alumni volunteers and donors, and am so
grateful for their continued support.
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When Miranda volunteered to become a mentor
for Exeter students in 2012, little did she suspect
that she would find herself working alongside one
of her mentees just a few years later!
‘In my third year I decided I wanted to work in
PR but had no idea how to go about it, and didn’t
know anyone in the industry. I started mentoring
because I wanted to help students in the same
situation. I was really impressed with Clara and we
kept in touch after she graduated’.
Clara feels her mentoring experience has been
invaluable.’ From securing my first internship in PR
to my first graduate role, Miranda has provided
me with an in-depth insight into the industry; I am
delighted to now be working as part of her team’.
It’s great having Clara with us at Communications
Management’, says Miranda, ‘A great example of
mentoring working out very well for both parties!’
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CHANGING LIVES
To be a recipient of the Goodman Derrick
Scholarship is an honour, and I am very thankful.
This generous scholarship has made me financially
secure, allaying my concerns about being able to
afford a university education. This has made the
transition process from sixth form to university all
the more exciting and rewarding.
The impact the Goodman Derrick Scholarship
has had on my life is very significant. With the help
of Goodman Derrick I am able to attend events
and networking opportunities across the country;
to buy a laptop, essential textbooks, and revision
guides, which has helped me to understand
some of the more difficult aspects of my course.
It means everything to think that the firm can
see potential in how I am able to apply myself
to my degree with their generous investment,
which will undoubtedly help me on my way to becoming a lawyer.
I feel incredibly lucky to have spent time in Canada
and North America as part of the Study Abroad
Program after receiving the Queen Elizabeth
Diamond Jubilee Scholarship. The Scholarship,
supported by the Annual Fund provided me with
an opportunity to immerse myself in another
culture, building international ties and gaining once
in a lifetime experiences. During my time abroad
I was able to continue my studies at the Carleton
University in Ottawa, and was lucky enough to
visit a lot of new places, including Niagara Falls,
Yosemite, Boston and Nashville to name a few.
It was a life changing year, where I became more
determined, focused and genuinely passionate
about my future career. I am incredibly thankful for
the opportunities donors to the Annual Fund have
afforded me. Thank You.
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YOUR SUPPORT
IN PICTURES
Here are a few examples of what has been made possible thanks to your generous support.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
A. G. LEVENTIS FOUNDATION
AND STUDENT RECIPIENTS
DAVID LEWIS (FAR RIGHT), ALUMNI AND
STUDENTS AT THE BOAT NAMING EVENT
Celebrating Foundation’s Generous Support
Alumnus Leaves a Lasting Legacy
We were delighted to welcome representatives
of the A. G. Leventis Foundation to a special
event in London to celebrate and recognise the
Foundation’s generous philanthropic support.
Guests including Foundation Chairman, Mr. A
P Leventis, and Exeter alumnus Mr. Anastasios
Leventis (Classics 1994) were joined at the
reception by University academics and students,
many of whom have received funding through
the Foundation.
A new racing boat gratefully purchased following
a generous legacy gift received from Professor
Peter Lewis (Physics, 1955) was officially named
the ‘Lewis’ at a special naming ceremony held
at the University’s Boathouse. More than
forty current Boat Club members, alongside
University representatives and a number of Peter’s
contemporaries and family members attended the
special celebration. David Lewis, Peter’s cousin,
formally christened the new boat ‘Lewis’.
SYLVIA DUNFORD (CENTRE) AT
THIS YEAR’S AWARD CEREMONY
LEFT: ANDREW BULLOCK
RIGHT: SAM ELLIS
Inspiring Award for Rugby Star
Celebrating Your Support
Alumni donors and volunteers attended a special celebratory evening, hosted by alumnus and
supporter Nicholas Bull (Chemistry 1973), in the magnificent setting of the Tallow Chandlers Hall,
London. The ‘Thank You’ reception was a chance for Exeter to thank our growing community of
supporters in person for the significant contributions donors and volunteers make to the University
and to our students. Guests were treated to a special performance from Semi-Toned (pictured bottom
centre); the University’s all male Acapella group who recently received funds from the Annual Fund to
undertake their first ever tour of the East coast of America.
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Support from Jim Hollensteiner (Junior Year
Abroad, 1952) has been used to establish the
‘John Dunford Player of the Year’ award for men’s
rugby, in memory of John. Jim has many fond
memories of his time as a member of the Men’s
Rugby team, where he met John (Economics,
1952) who was 1st XV captain, 1950-1952.
The inaugural ‘John Dunford Player of the Year’
prize was awarded to Sam Waltier, at this year’s
Colours and Awards Ceremony by John’s wife
Sylvia Dunford.
Supporting Careers in TV and Film
Alumni guests Andrew Bullock (BA English 2006)
and Sam Ellis (MA English 2010) joined students
for an event entitled “Careers in TV and Film”,
organised by the College of Humanities. The
event was hugely successful and attracted a
large student audience, many of whom enjoyed
the opportunity to network with the alumni.
Discussions covered everything from production
to presenting and it was great to see students
being inspired to follow in their footsteps.
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EXETER FOREVER
IN AUSTRALIA
PAUL RAMSBOTTOM,
CEO, THE WOLFSON FOUNDATION
AND PROFESSOR STEVE
THORNTON, DEAN OF THE
MEDICAL SCHOOL
With more than 20,000 international alumni Exeter is a truly global university, we now have
alumni volunteer groups in 12 countries. Five alumni living in Australia generously volunteer their
time to act as ambassadors for the University, taking up the role of ‘Country Contact’.
ARTIST IMPRESSION OF LABORATORY
SPACE AT LIVING SYSTEMS INSTITUTE
SUPPORTING THE FUTURE
OF SCIENCE AT EXETER
The University is a step closer to revolutionising
our understanding of diseases thanks to an
exceptional £2 million gift from The Wolfson
Foundation to support the establishment of the
new Living Systems Institute.
The gift, which was the largest award made by
The Wolfson Foundation in 2014, represents
the latest milestone in a long history of significant
contributions from the Foundation towards the
advancement of science at Exeter. 2016 will
see the University and The Wolfson Foundation
celebrate a relationship which has spanned 50 years.
The Living Systems Institute will pioneer a new
approach to treating the world’s most serious
diseases and bring together 200 cell and molecular
biologists, mathematicians, physicists, biomedical
scientists and engineers to investigate the
fundamental cellular processes underlying human and plant disease.
With the state-of-the-art building due to be
completed early 2016 the opening of the new
home for the Living Systems Institute will be
an opportunity for The Wolfson Foundation
and the University of Exeter to celebrate their
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fifty year relationship. The University of Exeter
deeply values its relationship with The Wolfson
Foundation, which has been a key philanthropic
partner in the development of science at Exeter.
To date, the University has benefitted from £6.4 million investment since 1966 in both capital infrastructure and academic staff through
the Wolfson Research Merit Awards.
Professor Nick Talbot, Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Research and Impact said:
“We are very grateful to The Wolfson Foundation
for investing in the long-term future of science
at Exeter and supporting the creation of worldleading fundamental research in the South West”.
In recognition of the Foundation’s support each of the three high-specification laboratories
within the building will be known as the ‘Wolfson
Labs’ and will be the ‘engine room’ of Living
Systems science. The true powerhouse of disease research and discovery in the Institute will come
from the laboratories, researchers using these
facilities will be at the front line of understanding
disease, and their results will drive development
of new treatments, and the prevention and
identification of disease.
This voluntary role is vital in connecting Exeter with its international alumni, helping to arrange events
that broaden the opportunities for international alumni to connect with their University.
With new country contacts on board, alumni in Australia have been busy organising and attending a
number of special events. We are delighted to introduce our new Australian Country Contacts.
Richard Umbers (Geography
and Geology, 1988) has been
volunteering as a Country
Contact since 2011, helping
to connect many alumni in Victoria. Richard
continues to help new alumni who have moved
to the area, and help Exeter to reconnect with
alumni we may no longer be in touch with.
Michael Nolan (History and
German, 1993) took on
the successful alumni events
in Sydney earlier this year,
and holds regular social evenings. These have
been well attended, with a wide range of alumni
attending. Michael’s next event will be on 17
March 2016 at the RedOak in Sydney’s CBD.
Ankit Bhatnagar (MSc
International Management,
2005) recently moved to
Adelaide, and has taken on the
Country Contact role, having previously been
active with Exeter in India. Ankit hopes to connect
with many alumni in South Australia, and is looking
forward to holding his first event!
Andy Mant (Geography, 2006)
is helping to build Exeter’s
alumni base in Perth, Western
Australia. Andy is connecting
alumni with one another and very much enjoying
being back in touch with Exeter.
Ian Reynolds (Physics, 1985)
is Exeter’s first country contact
in Brisbane, and is enjoying
reminiscing with alumni about
their time at Exeter. Ian is looking forward to
organising many networking and social events for
alumni in Brisbane.
If you would like to hear more about
Exeter’s activity in Australia or to get in
touch with a Country Contact, you can join our Facebook page:
ExeterAlumniAustralia
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SUPPORTER NEWS
generosity of two former Exeter Physics students
whose support contributed towards the newly
refurbished Astronomy Observatory.
DR ANTHONY BATCHELOR AT THE
COLLEGE OF BENEFACTORS CEREMONY
The new facility was officially opened by Professor
Peter Langley (Physics and Astronomy, 1985) and
the family of Peter Lewis (Physics and Astronomy,
1955) who kindly chose to leave a gift to support
the Physics Department in his Will.
Board of the US Foundation have generously
donated a special matching gift of $140,000 to
launch a fundraising appeal in support of the
Annual Fund. This means that every gift made by
US alumni to the Annual Fund during Exeter’s
Diamond Jubilee year will have double the impact
as each gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar.
SCHOOL OF MINES
WELCOMED INTO COLLEGE OF
BENEFACTORS
The Camborne School of Mines Trust was
welcomed into the University of Exeter College
of Benefactors at the recent summer graduation
ceremony, held at Truro Cathedral. The Trust was
represented by the Chairman of Trustees, Dr Anthony Batchelor.
The Camborne School of Mines Trust has donated
more than £2.5million to the University since
1993, in the form of grants for the School’s
undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff,
travel, field trips, prizes and student association.
In 2014, the trust made a donation of £500,000
to the University through a specific donation from
a former student to support the Holman Test
Mine, located south of Camborne, not far from
Penryn. This will contribute to the redevelopment
of facilities to support research and teaching for
students to learn how to drill, charge and fire
explosive rounds, as well as learning how to
survey the mine using both traditional and cutting-edge methods, such as using laser 3D
scanning equipment.
NEW OBSERVATORY OPENED
A special event was held by the University’s
Astronomy Department to recognise the
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PROFESSOR PETER LANGLEY, DR JENNY
HATCHELL AND DAVID LEWIS AT THE OPENING
The upgraded facility will provide students with
access to a robotic observatory, with remote
operation, as well as a new telescope drive,
critical for high quality imaging. The refurbishment
has opened up use of the telescope making it
more accessible, and providing more control and
flexibility when carrying out observations
Dr Jenny Hatchell, Lecturer in Astrophysics said:
“We are thrilled to be able to provide this facility,
I’m pleased that more of our students will now
get to use a high quality telescope as part of their studies”
UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHES NEW US FOUNDATION
In May 2015 the ‘University of Exeter, US
Foundation’ received its 501(c)(3) letter of
exemption meaning that alumni and friends of the
University resident in the US can now make tax
effective gifts in support of the University of Exeter.
To celebrate this historic moment the inaugural
VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR SIR STEVE
SMITH & SIMON BRAY, DIRECTOR SANTANDER
UNIVERSITIES UK
SANTANDER UNIVERSITIES
UK AND EXETER CELEBRATE
MILESTONE
Simon Bray, Director of Santander Universities
UK visited the University in June to meet staff
and students who have benefited from the
organisation’s extraordinary support.
The University values its long standing strong
links with the bank, which began in 2009 after
the signing of a collaboration agreement. Since
then Santander Universities UK have supported
a number of scholarships, travel grants, awards
and entrepreneurial activities, donating more than
£1million to support students at the University.
The partnership continues to grow and also offers
funding for a programme of internships with local
small and medium-sized enterprises. This year,
following the initial success of the programme,
the University has received an additional £15,000
in support from Santander Universities with 40
internships receiving funding.
During the visit, Simon was joined by the
University’s Provost, Professor Janice Kay, staff,
students and project leads at a special event
to celebrate reaching the £1million milestone.
Professor Janice Kay, said “Support from Santander
Universities UK really has been absolutely pivotal
to the continued success of the University of
Exeter. It has touched the lives of so many of
our students and alumni, I would like to thank
Santander Universities UK for making all this
happen – it really is life changing for our students”.
EUAGS ROOM NAMING
Staff and students joined alumni and supporters
at a special event to recognise the long-standing
generosity and commitment of the Exeter
University Alumni Golf Society (EUAGS).
The Performance Analysis Suite named in honour
of the Society will house specialist equipment
which will be used to review sporting performance
and enhance both individual skills and team tactics.
Established in 2005, the Society hosts a number
of golf events throughout the year that are open
to all Exeter alumni. The Society have generously
supported a number of sports scholarships, raising
more than £80,000, helping to attract the very
best student golfers to the University.
Guests were given a tour of the University’s
Streatham Campus and an opportunity to use
the Vic Ambler Golf Centre, before students and
spectators watched the University’s rugby 1st XV
take on Tiverton in a Western Counties West
fixture at our Topsham Sports Ground.
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How you can show your support
If you would like to make a gift to support the University of Exeter please visit:
www.exeter.ac.uk/donate
To learn more on how you can leave a gift to Exeter in your Will please visit:
www.exeter.ac.uk/legacy
To volunteer your time and expertise please visit:
www.exeter.ac.uk/alumnisupporters/volunteering
Getting in touch with us:
Online: www.exeter.ac.uk/alumni
By email: alumni@exeter.ac.uk
By phone: +44 (0) 1392 723141
/exeteralumni
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@exalumni
/groups/University-Exeter-109267
2015DARO050
By post: Global Engagement and Development, University of Exeter, Northcote House, The Queen’s Drive, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QJ, United Kingdom.