Advance 2010 / Newcastle University

The Benefits of Giving: Our Donor Report Issue 6 08/10

ADVANCE

1 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

The future isn’t written yet...

year has passed since I last wrote an opening piece for Advance andwhat a year it has been in so many ways and still we continue to

travel through an ever-changing landscape.

During such times the role of Newcastle University to help shape theeconomic, social and cultural development of the North East of Englandthrough excellence in research, and teaching and learning becomesincreasingly important.

The gifts made to Newcastle University not only allow us to help ensurethat we support some of the brightest young minds today, but also endure well in to the future by providing hope and strength for the wider community.

We are grateful to everyone who has supported us in so many ways throughout the year, withbenefactions, advice, activities and gifts in kind, and not least the encouragement to continue to achieve even more.

The Development and Alumni Relations Team has asked me to thank you all and to say how much they enjoy working with our alumni and friends, and to wish you all the very best over the coming months.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Advance and all of the inspiring stories held within its pages. This is your story and we want to thank you for writing it and hope that you will continue to be a part of the journey. If you are inspired by any of these stories, we would love to talk to you.

Together we can all make a difference.

Jane ClubleyDirector of Development

A

What a story a gift makes

Foreword

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 2

am pleased to say that, despite the era of austerity now being implemented by

the Coalition Government, we had a good yearlast year in terms of our strategic objectives.

We are well advanced with our vision of Newcastleas a world-class civic university. On the ‘world-class’ side, we can point to many achievementsby the University, and many accolades for ourstaff, over the past year. Perhaps the most

telling of these is that in terms of research funding from the UK ResearchCouncils, per academic staff member, we were the second-highestperformer amongst all UK universities, topped only by Imperial CollegeLondon. On the ‘Civic University’ front, we have launched our firstsocietal challenge theme, on Ageing and Health, and we may take pridein the fact that we have won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our workon this topic. We have also determined our second societal challengetheme, on Sustainability, for the implementation of which we havelaunched the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS).NIReS will deal with topics such as energy, transport, infrastructure,environment, marine ecology and food security. Our ambition is to treatthe entire city of Newcastle as an urban laboratory to investigate thequestion of how an old industrial city can be re-engineered to becomea sustainable city for the future.

All of this is to the advantage of our students, and the overall educationaleffort. None of it could have been accomplished to quite the same extentwithout the support and encouragement of our donors, benefactors andfriends. Thank you for your continued support, which creates a platformfrom which we are confident that we and our students can face thedifficult times ahead, and continue to prosper.

Professor Chris Brink Vice-Chancellor

1 Foreword

2 Welcome

3 Help us to… educate for life

6 Help us to... provide ourstudents with a first-classexperience

8 Help us to... encourage talent

11 Help us to... fund enterprise andstimulate innovation

15 Help us to... improve the healthof society

20 Help us to... create a sustainableenvironment

21 Help us to… enrich people’s livesthrough culture and the arts

23 2010 Achievements –Our inspirational people

27 Help us to... make an impact

28 Giving made easy

29 Legacy giving spotlight

30 Thank you to our benefactors

Acknowledgements

Contributors:

Lorna Taylor (editor), Neil Braithwaite, Professor Chris Brink, Anne Burton, Jane Clubley, Richard Dale, Alexis Forsyth,Stuart Garratt, Mary Haworth, Karen Hendrix,James Johnston, Claire Machin-Davies, Ben Wilson

Designed by GDA, NorthumberlandPrinted by Statex Colour Print Newcastle upon Tyne

Illustrative material has been provided by:Tania Angelopoulos, Mark Savage, Andrew Taylor, Alexander Wilson

Cover photo: Simon Tindall

...help us to write itContents

I

Dear Donors and Friends,

Welcome

3 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

rofessor Sugata Mitra’s unorthodox experiments,that were part of the inspiration for the blockbuster

film Slumdog Millionaire, have sent ripples around theworld. Professor Mitra started by knocking through awall in his New Delhi office and installing a computerwith an internet connection for the local slum childrento discover. To his delight he found that they soonbecame fully fledged autodidacts, teaching themselvesEnglish, maths and other subjects. As his academicstanding rocketed, Mitra conducted similar experimentsin other parts of the world, from Africa to Latin America.

Inspired by Professor Mitra’s work, and its impact on these children, Richard Alhberg decided to helpfund a brand new facility. As founder and director of MyWorkSearch, Richard helps guide thousands of people in their searches for new jobs and careerdevelopment opportunities, and is no stranger to the power of the internet.

‘I am so very impressed by the work Sugata is doing.It was such an innovative idea that is bringing aboutso much good and has the potential to transformsocieties’ says Richard of this life-changing gift.

Professor Mitra is now bringing his work to schools in the North East of England, including St Aidan’s Church of England primary in Gateshead, wherechildren research school topics on computers,unaided by teachers. Gateshead is a long way fromNew Delhi and these are not slum children, but it issignificant that the English schools Mitra has chosenfor his experiment are in areas of social deprivation.

The laissez-faire nature of Professor Mitra’sexperiments might alarm some traditionalists. But, as he would argue, his seemingly newfangled ideasare rooted in something that has not changed sincethe dawn of time – the natural curiosity of childrenabout the world they live in.

Gift opens another hole in the wall

P

Children benefit from an ingenious idea and a generous gift. How a donor’s generosityis helping educate children in India and the UK.

If you would like to know more about the work of Professor Mitra visit:www.hole-in-the-wall.com

Help us to... educate for life

Children cluster around one of the hole-in-the-wall facilities.

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 4

Our students learn to help others

or a student, ncl+ is all about extracurricularattainment; adding to their degree, making the

most of their time at the University, trying somethingnew and making a valuable contribution to thecommunity.

Donations to the Annual Fund have been instrumentalin the success of the ncl+ Student AchievementAwards, having contributed to the awards night itself as well as 20 cash prizes for the winners andrunners-up.

This year’s competition attracted over 100 entriesacross 10 categories, including community spirit andenvironmental impact.

Speech and Language Science student, DeborahGreenaway, won the Community Capacity-buildingAward for the work she has done since returning fromUganda last summer, where she had the privilege of working with the country’s only two speech andlanguage therapists.

Deborah spearheaded the Speech and LanguageTherapy (SLT) Uganda project, raising money for, andputting together, resource kits that will better equipthe country’s therapists. Through raising awareness,Deborah also encouraged local therapists to shareskills in Uganda.

Discussing the impact of winning the ncl+ award,Deborah says, ‘The Speech and Language TherapySociety at Newcastle University is now taking onresponsibility for the project, with collaboration fromme and Isla, the therapist in Uganda. All of the prizemoney was put back into the project and this has lefta small nest egg to help new volunteers get started.’

Thank you to all of those donors who make itpossible for us to recognise the inspirational work of our students.

F

Speech and Language Science students’ work has far-reaching impact.


For more information on the Annual Fund, please visit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support/fund

Gateway opened for Norwegian studentseter Smedvig (BA Economics, 1970) is the

inspiration behind a scholarship for Norwegianstudents.

Through his offer to match, pound for pound, anydonations which are made to the Gateway Fund,Peter has helped us to raise almost £100,000.

The Gateway to Newcastle Scholarship will provideNorwegian undergraduate students with theopportunity to broaden their minds and enhance their university experience through a year of study at Newcastle University. Exposure to diverse culturesand different educational styles can significantly

enhance the employability of graduates, important inan increasingly competitive and global market-place.Of course many lifelong friendships are also formed,as our Norwegian alumni will testify.

Alumni Jan Roness (BSc Marine Engineering, 1969),Tor Svensen (BSc Naval Architecture, 1978; PhDNaval Architecture, 1983) and Atle Bergshaven (BA Economics and Accounting, 1972) have so farresponded to Peter’s appeal and given generously tothe fund – their gifts will ensure that the first GatewayScholarship can be offered in 2011.

P

5 ADVANCE 6 09 2010Newcastle’s female fresher eights win.

For more information about the Fund for Elite Sports, please contact the DevelopmentOffice on 0191 222 7250 or [email protected]

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 6

Help us to... provide our students with a first-class experience

atching the races were two Newcastle Alumniguests of honour, Fred Gill (BA Politics &

Economics, 2008) and Henry Pelly (BArch, 2007).

Fred and Henry were part of the winning Cambridgecrew who beat their Oxford rivals by a length-and-a-half in the Boat Race. It was the first time in the race’s156-year history that Newcastle alumni were in theline-up, and they certainly made their presenceknown with huge blue stars – the Newcastle UniversityBoat Club symbol – fastened to their wellies in frontof the TV cameras.

Fred will now be rowing full time for two years in thehope of qualifying for the British Olympic team. Hewas widely credited as the man behind the Cambridgesuccess: sitting in the stroke seat, he was responsiblefor setting the stroke rate and rhythm for the crew to follow. What makes this all the more impressive

is that prior to coming to Newcastle, Fred had neverrowed before!

Fred speaks highly of Newcastle University BoatClub’s Italian head coach, Angelo Savarino, whosegruelling training methods have led to a string ofgreat results for Newcastle in the last few years.

Angelo’s appointment in 2005 was initially funded bysupport from Newcastle alumni. He has overseen anexponential improvement in the quality of rowing atNewcastle which has seen the University’s rankings risefrom 14th to top-three finishes in the last three years.

The University is now looking to replicate the successof the Boat Club in other sports by launching a Fundfor Elite Sports. The Fund will enable alumni tocontribute to the development of sporting excellenceat Newcastle.

Newcastle students win on the waterIn June, Newcastle and Durham went head to head in the fourteenth University BoatRace. A tie kept the title in Newcastle, with Newcastle University Boat Club’s Freshmenclaiming victory in the first two races, and Durham’s Seniors fighting back in the latter.

W

Family honour student sonewcastle University Boat Club (NUBC) held aboat naming ceremony at Henley Royal Regatta

in July this year in honour of former member, RossMoodie. Ross had been a marketing undergraduateat Newcastle University when he died tragically in aclimbing accident in Greece in August 2009. Theboat, named the ‘Moodie Blues’, was donated byRoss’ family in honour of his passion for sport,especially rowing.

Ross was an outgoing student and a hugely popularmember of the Boat Club who was always up for thechallenge. He was a sporting all rounder who inspiredothers to give their all as he did in training and

competition but he was also keen to ensure thateveryone had a good time and enjoyed the socialaspects of rowing as much as him.

At the ceremony Sandy Moodie, Ross’ father, saidthat, ‘I personally could not see the attraction of rowingand the pain that rowers put themselves through ona daily basis in order to improve. However, Ross hadenjoyed both the competition and the companionshipwithin the Boat Club. He was very much lookingforward to returning to Newcastle for his final yearand to renewing his friendships and returning to hisrowing training, having completed his year in industrywith IBM in London.’

N

7 ADVANCE 6 09 2010


Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Brink with our student callers.

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 8

Help us to... encourage talent

More students than ever benefit from your gifts

ewcastle University Annual Fund has had itsmost successful year ever, with over £325,000

raised this year, and more donors giving than everbefore. The Annual Fund helps provide students withaccess to a first-class education they might otherwisebe unable to afford by providing over 100 bursariesfor students.

In addition, the Fund enhances the facilities availableto students by supporting a wide range of departmentsand projects across the University. This year alone,over £4,000 has been given to buy new books andresources in the library, ensuring that the books stockedare not only those necessary for the basics of eachcourse, but that students have access to a full rangeof literature that will stretch and inspire them. As wellas this, over £9,000 was given to provide additional

materials in individual departments, giving Newcastlestudents the best facilities in which to study.

We are also grateful to the help given to DisabilitySupport, which is extremely important in ensuringthat all students have equal opportunities at Newcastle.

N

I sincerely thank the donors for theirgenerosity. As an international studentit can be difficult to find sources offunding. Last year, because of the USScholarship, I was able to dedicate moreof my time and focus to research work.It has been instrumental to the timelycompletion of my dissertation.

Amelia Heath Geography, Politics and Sociology (US Scholar)

Financial help from the Universityreally helped me during a stressful andacademically challenging year whenfinancial troubles were distracting mefrom the demands of my acceleratedprogramme.

Sarah MoorhouseMB BS student and bursary recipient

For more information on the Annual Fund,please visit:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support/fund/index

The Annual Fund is a way of directly supporting our students through monthly or annual donations. It is mainly concerned with supporting:

Over 100 student bursariesFunding 16 student extracurricular projects

Support for the ncl+ Student Achievement Awards, motivating and rewarding students in their extracurricular activities

Two scholarships for US students, provided by the US Friends

200 new books provided in the short-term loan section

9 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Local youngsters get experimentalach year 4,000 young people from secondaryschools from across the North East will have

the opportunity to enhance their learning by carryingout exciting experiments in the School of Chemistrythanks to the generosity of individual donors,companies and charitable trusts.

The School of Chemistry’s Schools Outreachprogramme has been expanded to provide adedicated Outreach Laboratory with state-of-the-artscience facilities to A-level students. An existingredundant laboratory space has been refurbished sothat young people from secondary schools can comein to the School and learn physical science experimenttechniques, have access to analytical facilities, receivecareers talks and industry showcases and becomemore familiar with the higher education environment.

The idea behind the project is to give children aninterest and enthusiasm for physical sciences byallowing them better access to the most exciting area of this subject – experiments. It will encouragemore children to consider higher education in general,and take a science subject in particular, than mightotherwise have been the case – and so increase the

numbers of students from non-traditional backgroundsentering university. The University does not chargeschools for this service, so it is available to schools in the area who find it more difficult to pass on visitcosts to parents.

The new Outreach Laboratory was officially openedby the Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Brink in Apriland was put into use straight away. One of the donorsto the laboratory was Mrs Shirley Bridges who madeher gift in memory of her late husband Harold Bridges.Harold graduated from Armstrong College in 1937with a degree in maths and physics and eventuallybecame president of Shell in the USA. Other donationscame from the 1989 Willan Charitable Trust, Allan &Nesta Ferguson Trust, Asynt Ltd, Catherine CooksonFoundation, Community Foundation serving Tyne &Wear and Northumberland, Kirby Laing Foundation,Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd, Procter & Gamble plc,Royal Society of Chemistry and Spectronic AnalyticalInstruments.

E

Amazing results in the School of Chemistry’s Outreach Laboratory.


For more information visit:www.ncl.ac.uk/chemistry/outreach

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 10


Women’s Circle aims to fosterNorth East talent

he newly formed Women’s Circle of alumnaebased in London has raised over £19,000 since

its inception in 2009, providing support for 23 youngpeople attending summer school programmes atNewcastle this year, and retaining more for next year’sprogramme. These young people will be attending thePARTNERS Programme Assessed Summer School,which offers students at selected secondary schoolsentry to Newcastle with lower grades, provided theyalso complete an assessed summer school andcoursework to prove their abilities. Students who areeligible for the programme come from low participationareas or schools, where, traditionally, few youngpeople continue to higher education or have faceddifficult circumstances whilst completing their studies.

The initiative is being led by Teresa Graham (BAEnglish Literature, 1977) and in addition to the financialsupport, students will be offered the opportunity toreceive mentoring from members of the Women’sCircle. They will offer careers advice and workexperience which the students may not be able toobtain from elsewhere.

Teresa feels the scheme is both vital and inspiring.She said, ‘Many of these students will be the first in their families to go to university.’ Along with othermembers of the Circle, she is dedicated to fosteringyoung talent.

T

Students enjoy visiting Newcastle University’s Summer School.


For more information on the Women’s Circle,please contact the Development Office on0191 222 7250

11 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Help us to... fund enterprise and stimulate innovation

From student mobility to success on the racing track

uis Juste, Director UK & Portugal, SantanderUniversities, said, ‘It is a great pleasure for me

to welcome Newcastle University to the SantanderUniversities network. The agreement opens a wholerange of opportunities for staff and students to study,conduct research and live in the Iberian Peninsulaand Latin America. It will also allow students fromthose countries to benefit from the vibrant life ofNewcastle as well as the quality of its university.

‘This is perfectly aligned with our objective ofcontributing to promote cultural understanding and the transfer of knowledge between countries.’

Through its Santander Universities Global Division,Banco Santander supports the higher educationsector in four continents in areas including teachingand research, international co-operation, knowledgeand technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives,student mobility and innovation. One of the projectsinvolves helping engineering students to develop their

own racing car. Newcastle University is the latestaddition to the Santander Universities network ofmore than 700 HE institutions worldwide.

As part of their commitment to the universities in their Network, Santander also agree to provide guestspeakers and visiting lecturers. Luis Juste generouslyparticipated in a roundtable event hosted by NewcastleUniversity Business School in January 2010. Thetopic for debate ‘Even Under Tighter Public FinancialConstraints Universities Need to Continue to MaintainExcellence: What Role Should Private Funding Play?’.Santander are not only keen to financially supporthigher education, but want to encourage morebusinesses to get involved in supporting ouruniversities.

L

A student hard at work on the Newcastle Racing Formula Student car.

Santander are keeping the staff and students of Newcastle University on the movethrough their support of over 160 awards this year alone. An official agreement wassigned between Santander and Newcastle University in September 2009.

To read an extract from the debate or todownload the podcast visit www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs/about/news/item/the-business-school-takes-a-debate-to-the-capital

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 12


From Tyne Bridge to SydneyHarbour Bridge – and back again

n the last issue of Advance we were delighted to announce their gift to Newcastle University

Business School. Peter, a graduate of King’s College(MA Economics,1949), along with his late wife Norah,had already decided to remember NewcastleUniversity in their will when Peter visited us in Spring2009 – 40 years following his graduation. We werenevertheless pleased that Peter let us know of hisintentions so that we could keep him abreast of thedevelopments within the School.

However, after Peter learned of the current schemeoffered by the government to encourage privategiving to universities in the UK, he chose to make a gift now in addition to his legacy to Newcastle.

The government currently offers £1 in matched fundsfor every £3 that is privately donated. Peter’s gifttherefore increased by a third again and is now helpingto fund PhD students in the Business School – this isa truly transformational gift and one which will endurethrough the Peter and Norah Lomas EndowedScholarships Fund.

I

Sydney Harbour Bridge.

After travelling the world and finally settling in Sydney, the bridges of Newcastle stillremained close to the hearts of Peter and Norah Lomas.

Ann and Stuart Bailey beside the Tyne Bridge.

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 14

Family fund sparks enterprise

n a cold Newcastle day in October 2007, a visitordropped in to Kensington Terrace to enquire

about making a gift to the University. She was quiet,maybe even a little nervous and so we chatted generallyabout the ways in which it is possible to a leave a legacy,to remember a loved one and to support the University.

During the meeting, I learned a little about Ann Bailey’slate husband Thomas, who had been a student atKing’s, and how her son Stuart had followed in hisfootsteps, studying History. She learned a little aboutwhat to consider if making a gift and went on her way,brochure in hand, promising to talk further once weboth had time to digest what we discussed thatafternoon. So the conversations carried on, by letterand by phone. Each time we spoke we got closer tofinding out what it was that would really fill her withconfidence that her gift was going to make a difference.

Moving on three years, I have enjoyed getting to knowAnn Bailey and now her son Stuart too. I would neverhave envisaged back in 2007 that we would end upwhere we are today, on the verge of something trulyinspiring and transformative. Through our conversationsand following an event at which the Vice-Chancellorspoke about his vision for the University, Ann andStuart reached their decision. Indeed, we held animpromptu meeting in the basement of the venue, to discuss the options.

Ann and Stuart had each decided to make a gift in theirwills, but joining forces to support the University’s plans,they wanted to help create a unique umbrella fund,the Benefactors’ Fund for Enterprise and Innovation.

Helping others to help themselvesThomas Bailey – Ann’s husband, Stuart’s father –was an entrepreneur, as have been so many of ourgraduates. He was somebody who believed in helpingothers to help themselves. The University proposed aninnovative way for Ann and Stuart to honour their lovedone, and also provide a way for other individuals andcorporations to support enterprise and innovation atNewcastle. During his speech, although informal in itsnature, the Vice-Chancellor had outlined a long-termplan to build a new Business School. Although many

such schools have been built, Newcastle University’splan is to create a niche, focusing on enterprise andinnovation. This immediately struck a chord withStuart and Ann.

Joining forcesSo why did the family decide to join forces?According to Stuart, ‘the University showed itself tobe innovative in its donor focus. It understood thatdonors want to maximise the impact of their gift.’

The fund will support the long-term goals of the Schooland underpins one of its key strategic areas. Ratherthan taking a fragmented approach to supporting theSchool, Ann and Stuart proposed a Fund which isintended as a vehicle to draw in all those who wish to support this initiative, be they private donations,legacies, business sponsors and so on. Anyone whoshares the ambition to transform business in theregion can come forward and join the Fund. Whetherit is by supporting formal teaching and research, by investing in start-up companies, or by helpingbusinesses grow, the Benefactors’ Fund has thepotential to make a huge difference to the enterpriseand innovation agenda at Newcastle University.

This is just the beginningThis is just the beginning of the journey and we will lookforward to working with Ann and Stuart over manyyears to come. Through their pledge the Fund forInnovation and Enterprise is now in place, and throughher gift Ann has created the first scholarship inInnovation and Enterprise at the Business School.This gives us greater confidence to engage with otherlike-minded individuals and companies who want tomaximise the impact of their gift, in the certainty thattheir donation is aligned to a well-thought-throughvision.

The first Innovation and Enterprise Scholar begins his studies in September 2010. Ann is ‘delighted thatthe Fund is alive and breathing’.

O


A story that we hope will inspire others to support our vision. By Mary Haworth.

If you would like more information about the Benefactors’ Fund, please contact theDevelopment Office on 0191 222 7250

15 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Help us to... improve the health of society

Corporate generosity encouragesmini medics

choolchildren from across Tyneside were visitedby medical students as part of an annual

campaign to raise awareness of health issues in localprimary schools. Participants were invited to bring theirfavourite cuddly toy along and let Newcastle medicsdiagnose long-term bear ailments. The programmeruns each year from the autumn term to rave reviewsfrom school kids and parents alike. This year MSD, theglobal pharmaceutical company based in Cramlington,has supported it through their International Neighbourof Choice Programme by purchasing consumablesand developing teddy bear first-aid kits.

‘Inviting the children to bring their teddies along is agreat way to get them thinking about being healthyand not being afraid of doctors. It also providesmedical students with experience of working withyounger patients and helping them be less fearful ofvisiting their doctor,’ says Ally Fowles, organiser ofthe 2009–10 programme.

A second donation from MSD supported 12‘scholarships’ for students at St Benet Biscop High School and Bedlingtonshire Community HighSchool to attend the recent sessions of Newcastle’sMini Medical School. This successful programme,pioneered in the USA, provides a series of eveningsessions for members of the public featuringNewcastle University academics talking about theirresearch in areas from diabetes to skin cancer as well as neurology and pathology. It has been a hugely positive way to engage the local communityin medical science and encourage teenagers, in particular, to consider a career as a medic.

Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Dean of UndergraduateStudies at the Medical School, said, ‘We are mostgrateful to MSD for choosing to support the MiniMedical School in this way.’

S

A pupil brings her teddy in to visit the Teddy Bear Hospital, run by Newcastle University medical students.

Helping our Medical students to get out into the local community.

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 16


NUMed Malaysiaith the inaugural cohort of Malaysian medical

students finishing their first year in Newcastle,development of the new campus in Johor continueswith the grand opening set for 2011. NUMed will formpart of EduCity, a 305-acre site close to Singapore,which aims to house up to 100,000 students withadditional developments planned by other universitiesand schools from across the world. Director of theproject is Professor Reg Jordan (BSc Anatomy, 1969& PhD, 1974), who is leading negotiations with theGeneral Medical Council and other partners.

Professor Jordan said, ‘Newcastle medical alumnihave been incredibly supportive of this project with in-kind and philanthropic support.’

Dr Robert Teoh (MB BS, 1971 & MD, 1981) hasdonated a gift to provide the T M Teoh Prize, twoannual prizes for the best NUMed student of the yearand the most improved of the year.

W

Malaysia-based alumni admire models of our NUMed Malaysia buildings.

To read more about NUMed Malaysia visit:www.ncl.ac.uk/numed

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 18

Donations pour in for 1834 Fund

rofessor Chris Day, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of theMedical School, says, ‘I have been greatly humbled

with the level of generosity from Newcastle andDunelm graduates. We established the fund tocapture the spirit of training in the North East andensure we can continue to invest in research careers,which are particularly important for today’s medicalstudents and are the lifeblood of any world-leadingmedical school.’ Over £115,000 has so far beenraised: made possible through contributions from yeargroups and individuals including the Year of 1959, theYear of 1969 in memory of Dr Ed Eastham, the Yearof 1949, Professor E.T. and Professor John Hedley-Whyte, the Rothschild Foundation and Mrs ElisabethPestell. As fundraising continues, applications for the1834 scholarships will open in the Autumn of 2010with awards being made in time for Spring 2011. Alldonors will be kept informed of progress and will beinvited to meet the scholars themselves. Fundraisingcontinues and we would be delighted to tell you moreabout how you can support the campaign.

Medical LegaciesThe 1834 campaign has also benefited from a majorbenefaction of over £1.1 million from William andBessie Randerson. Their nephew, Michael RandersonCockram, says, ‘Both my uncle and aunt had a very

real sense of what was right and wrong and they feltcommitted to making a difference which would leavea lasting legacy and benefit a great number of people.William Randerson was familiar with the work of the Medical School through local press coverage.When he lost his sight in later years due to diabetes,he felt that he wanted to support the tremendouswork of Newcastle research teams.’ The endowmentwill support ophthalmological research as well asresearch studentships.

Year of ’53This year’s anniversary celebrations also saw the fifthyear of the Year of ’53 Award. Dr Geoffrey Marsh, MBE,awarded £500 to Claire Medley whose nominationsoutlined her drive and determination to bring peopletogether in a year group of 350 students. ‘Each yearwe are greatly impressed by the characters we meetand are pleased to be able to offer this award tocurrent medical students after we had such awonderful experience studying medicine in Newcastle.Although the medical degree has changed greatlysince my time, I’m still pleased to say that thestudents are passionate about their studies and theirsocial lives which is an essential part of the MB BSexperience,’ says Dr Marsh. Claire forms part of thisyear’s 175th cohort who graduated in July 2010.

P

A series of high-profile events in London and Newcastle, an exhibition with Damien Hirstand a regional publicity campaign have seen donations to the 1834 Fund soar over theMedical School’s 175th Anniversary.

For more information about the 1834 Fund,please visit www.ncl.ac.uk/1834


19 ADVANCE 6 09 2010


Creating a Sustainable Future

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 20

Help us to... create a sustainable environment

Supporters push the boat out for research vessel

he School of Marine Science and Technologyhas launched an appeal for a new research

vessel which has won the support of more than 30 companies at home and abroad.

The new vessel is a replacement for the Bernicia, wellknown to all marine science graduates, which hasreached the end of its service life. The research vesselis vital to the work of the School. It is used for importantresearch about the effects of climate change and the health of the marine environment, as well as forteaching at undergraduate and postgraduate leveland outreach work with schools and other groups.

The total cost of the project is £1.4m including all the scientific equipment necessary to support 21stcentury oceanographic and technological activities.From the start, it has attracted much interest amongthe School’s corporate friends, and many of themhave offered gifts in kind, notably International Paintswho have donated all the paint coverings. The firstgift came from the vessel’s designer, graduate

Antonis Mantouvalos, who has donated an RIB boatfor the vessel, and many other Greek graduates, nowinvolved in the shipping industry in Greece, haveexpressed interest in helping us to secure other items.Meanwhile, John Lloyd, a member of the CharlesLetts Memorial Committee which gives scholarshipswithin the School, who works in the marine insuranceindustry in the City of London, rallied round all hiscontacts within the industry and raised a magnificent£90,000 in cash towards the project.

The vessel is an innovative catamaran with apedigree from the traditional Northumberland ‘coble’fishing boat. It is technologically advanced and veryenvironmentally friendly. The design is based on anenergy-efficient hull form which will give low runningcosts as well as reduced environmental impactthrough emissions and bank erosion. It is beingconstructed by Northumberland company Alnmaritecand is due to be launched early in 2011.

T

Year of Sustainability: Enough for all, forever2011 has been designated by the University as its Year of Sustainability, following on from the Year of Ageingand Health as one of the top societal challenges which we aim to address. Through a series of high-profileconferences, lectures and events, the whole institution will explore the problem of how to provide ‘enough forall, forever’. To ensure our expertise in these areas is made available, the University has recently establishedthe Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS). This dynamic new institute intends to make an ‘urban laboratory’ of all of NewcastleGateshead and become the leading centre of expertise in the art and science of ensuring that everyone has access to sufficient resources forever.

Students working on board the current research vessel.

For more information, please visit:research.ncl.ac.uk/bernicia

21 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Help us to... enrich people’s lives through culture and the arts

2010 Fickling Lecture

oddy Doyle, author of modern classics such asThe Commitments, The Woman Who Walked

into Doors and the Booker Prize-winning PaddyClarke Ha Ha Ha, will deliver the 2010 Fickling Lectureon 18 November. He will talk about Fighting Words, a writing centre for children and young people that he co-founded in Dublin, in 2009. The annual FicklingLecture is jointly organised by the Children’s LiteratureUnit in the School of English Literature, Languageand Linguistics at Newcastle and Seven Stories, the Centre for the Children’s Book. The lecture has become perhaps the most prestigious event in the country for major voices, not always writers of children’s books themselves, to discuss

contemporary trends in children’s culture. Recentspeakers have included Philip Pullman, AndrewMotion, Sandi Toksvig and James Naughtie, and lastyear, Nick Hornby’s lecture on the importance andoriginality of Young Adult fiction was immensely wellreceived. This year, Roddy Doyle will speak aboutchildren’s books, including his own, and ‘FightingWords’, a writing centre for young people, set up in Dublin in 2009. The Lectures are very generouslysupported by David Fickling Books. Students, staffand the many members of the public who always fillthe Herschel Lecture Theatre to capacity for theselectures will be enormously grateful to David Ficklingfor his gift.

R

Library Friends help conserve important local collection

he Friends of the Newcastle University Libraryhave been inspired by the government’s matched

funding scheme to make a gift of over £130,000 forLibrary projects. The donation will attract almost£45,000 extra matched funds and will be used tosupport future projects such as the purchase of new exhibition cases for Special Collections and theconservation costs of the local illustration collection.

The Friends have been supporting the Library for 55 years. They help by funding the acquisition andconservation of books, manuscripts, archives andother resources and by promoting the Library and itsexhibitions and events, including outreach activitysuch as school visits.

New members of the Friends are always welcome andbenefit from an events programme such as previewsof new exhibitions, lectures and visits to other venues.

The Robinson Library has received several fascinatinggifts of books this year. The Chorley Collection ofChildren’s Literature, 1783–1922, presented by Mrs Sarah Chorley, for instance, contains many fine

examples of illustrated Victorian children’s books.These books are handsome in their own right andworth studying as examples of printing, typographyand design. When combined with other children’sliterature holdings in the Robinson Library, they arehelping to build a world-class research library in thisfield and underpinning research and teaching. TheChorley Collection was extended this year throughthe purchase of selected waif novels and rewardbooks, both genres offering moral lessons and other forms of instruction.

A more practical kind of education is found in arecent donation of cookery books, many of them for the children, by another Friends’ member. These collections are used in a variety of ways; in the School of English Literature, Language andLinguistics, for example, academics, undergraduatesand postgraduates of Victorian and children’sliterature are looking at everything from depictions ofthe family to instances of spitting and the impact onactual voyages of exploration of fictional accounts forchildren.

T

Newcastle provides the country’s most significant children’s literature public lecture series.

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 22

Illustrations from part of the Chorley Collection.

23 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Knighthood for Newcastle’sGenetics Pioneer

rofessor John Burn, medical director and headof the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle

University, has been knighted for services to medicine.

He helped set up Newcastle's International Centre forLife, which was opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2000.

Professor Burn was born and brought up in WestAuckland, County Durham, and attended BarnardCastle Grammar School (now Teesdale School)before studying medicine at Newcastle University.

A qualified doctor, he obtained a first-class degree inhuman genetics and, in 1984, became the region’sfirst consultant clinical geneticist. In 1989, he becameclinical director of the Northern Genetics Service.

In the Nineties, he was head of the department ofHuman Genetics at Newcastle University for sixyears, before being appointed deputy head of theInstitute of Human Genetics at the Centre for Life,later becoming head.

Last year, the Institute was graded third in qualitybehind Oxford and Cambridge in a national researchreview.

Professor Burn’s research led to the discovery thattaking folic acid during pregnancy could preventspina bifida, and he has been involved in researchinto the prevention of hereditary cancers.

Based on his long record of research, Professor Burnwas last year appointed national chairman of theClinical Genetics specialty group, at the NationalInstitute of Health Research.

Professor Burn said, ‘I’ve worked with a lot of veryimpressive people and I tend to get put out front and get a lot of credit for what they’ve done.

‘But we’ve built the Centre for Life and we’ve got a big research institute where we’ve done lots ofgood stuff.’

P

2010 Achievements – Our inspirational people

If anything it’s an accolade for allof us, for the North East and for theregion. It’s not just politicians andrear admirals and footballers whoget these things. It’s nice to bringone home.

Professor John Burn

2010 achievements

24

25 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Newcastle Universityhas been awarded aprestigious Queen’sAnniversary Prize forHigher and FurtherEducation for its world-leading work in the fieldof ageing and health.

Her Majesty The Queenpresented the award to the Vice-Chancellor,Professor Chris Brink,and Professor TomKirkwood, Director

of the University’s Institute for Ageing and Health, at an award ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Professor Kirkwood, who is one of the UK’s leadingexperts in ageing, said, ‘It is such a delight and honourthat the work of the Institute for Ageing and Healthhas received this recognition. We have a fantasticteam of talented and dedicated researchers, and the award reflects the efforts of the whole team.

Going to Buckingham Palace is special in anycircumstances, but to go to receive this award for thewhole team effort is just brilliant. I am so pleased thatwe have the opportunity to take some of our youngerresearchers and students to meet The Queen too.’

The University’s entry in the 2009 Queen’s AnniversaryPrizes competition charted the development of itsresearch programme on ageing and health into itscurrent form as a substantial Institute for Ageing andHealth, a world-leader in its field, which is based on aunique and growing Campus for Ageing and Vitality.

In September 2009, Newcastle University launched a year-long programme of events on the theme‘Changing Age’, which focuses attention on thechallenges facing society as people live longer.Professor Brink said, ‘Under the leadership of ourInstitute for Ageing and Health, we have adopted thetopic of an ageing population as a societal challengeand an institutional theme. The Queen’s AnniversaryPrize is a welcome recognition of our work, and willstrengthen our efforts to respond to this importanttopic.’

Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Research into Ageing



ADVANCE 6 09 2010 26

Professor Chris Brinkappointed HEmentoring championProfessor Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University,was appointed as the HigherEducation mentoring champion byIain Wright, former ParliamentaryUnder-Secretary of State, earlierthis year. Professor Brink will now lead the drive to find morementors among staff, students andgraduates from the higher educationsector to inspire young people to‘aim high’.

Iain Wright, then ParliamentaryUnder-Secretary of State for 14-19Reform and Apprenticeships, said,‘I am delighted to appoint ProfessorBrink as our new Higher Educationmentoring champion.

‘He brings with him a breadth of experience and shares ourcommitment to raising theaspirations and improving theopportunities for young people,particularly those fromdisadvantaged backgrounds.’

Professor Brink said, ‘Youngpeople are influenced by messagesfrom other young people. If we giveour students a positive experience,they can become ambassadors for making higher education anattractive prospect for other youngpeople. I am pleased to be invitedto make a contribution in thisregard.’

Major award for research teamNewcastle University has been recognised as having the mostoutstanding research management team in British higher education.

The University’s Research Services won first prize in the prestigiousTimes Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2010,which saw 264 entries across the 18 categories of the awards. The judges said that their choice of winners ‘demonstrated theprofessionalism and dedication that underpin the UK’s world-classresearch and teaching enterprise and give the sector an unrivalledbody of best practice’.

The award for the Outstanding Research Management Team waspresented to a delegation from Newcastle University who attended theawards ceremony, led by Professor Nick Wright, Pro-Vice-Chancellor forResearch and Innovation, Dr Douglas Robertson, Director of BusinessDevelopment and Regional Affairs, Mrs Jill Golightly, Head of theResearch Office and Ms Amanda Tortice, Director of Operations for the Joint Research Office (JRO).

After the ceremony, Professor Wright said, ‘This award is a fantasticachievement for the research services team, whose efforts underpinrecent improvements in the University’s research performance, inparticular the significant growth in our income from research councils.’

The citation in the winners’ brochure says:

‘The Research Office at Newcastle University has spearheaded aninstitution-wide effort to improve systems, process and staff developmentto free up academics’ time, boost research council income and increasethe international element of its research.

‘The statistics suggest that these measures are having a major impact.Funding obtained by Newcastle from UK research councils rose by 17per cent in 2008–09 to £36.5 million. At 41 per cent of the University’stotal award value, this also represented a significant increase on 2007–08, when it was 37 per cent.’

27 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Help us to... make an impact

Your help is needed now more than ever

niversity finances seem to have moved fromsomething only treasurers and finance directors

worry about to front page news in our nationalnewspapers.

And with good reason, an extended period ofgenerous funding to Britain’s universities is coming to an end and we, along with the rest of the publicsector, must expect tighter times ahead.

Newcastle is preparing for this. Our priority is toprotect and enhance core academic capability andensure a great student experience. We have robustplans in place to grow our unregulated income, buygoods and services more effectively and ensure ouradministrative processes are as efficient as possible,making best use of modern technology.

We can never be complacent but we believeNewcastle is as well positioned as anyone to survivethe difficult times ahead.

But survival isn’t good enough ...

In a rapidly changing world, today’s cutting-edgeresearch is tomorrow’s history; so If we are to deliverour mission to be a world-class, research-intensiveuniversity, then we need to continue to invest in newfacilities and academic staff.

We will prioritise our investment to areas where wefeel we can make a real difference, capitalising on our academic strengths but addressing the majorchallenges of our society such as an ageing populationand a reducing supply of easily extractable carbon.

Your support, through donations and legacies, suchas those written about in this report, helps us addressthese huge societal challenges. The invaluable supportyou continue give to our less advantaged studentshas huge value and the University sends you itsgrateful thanks.

Richard DaleDirector of Finance

U

Gift income received in 2009–10 breakdown by source (excluding pledges)

Of the total cash income received by the Universitythrough donations (09 –10), £2.5m will attract matchedfunding from the government – this means a further£846,399 will be used to directly benefit a range ofimportant projects. Thank you for your support.

� Charitable Trusts and Foundations 33%

� Corporate 5%

� Individuals and Groups 31%

� Legacies 31%

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 28

Giving made easy

Want to give now? Here’s how!

Newcastle University is an exempt charity, which means that we can claim gift aid ondonations. The list below demonstrates how much this could be worth to the University.

We can also claim matched funding at a rate of £1 for every £3 donated from thegovernment, until July 2011.

The University can also receive gifts in kind and gifts of shares, if this is your preferredmethod of giving.

Leaving a gift in your will is a great way to continue supporting the University in the future.For more information on leaving a legacy, or to let us know if you have already providedfor Newcastle University in your will, please seewww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support/ways/legacies

The Annual Fund is a way for you to support the University from as little as £5 per month.

If you would like to establish a scholarship at the University you can either make a singleone-off donation or a smaller annual donation over several years.

It is possible to make a gift to Newcastle University online, at:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/donate

It is possible to make a gift through your company which is often more tax effective.

For all the information on the projects you can currently support at Newcastle University,please visit our website: www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support

Gift Aid and Match FundingWith the addition of Gift Aid and Match Funding a gift can go somuch further towards helping our students and special projects

£100 is worth £170

£5,000 is worth £8,483

£150,000 is worth £254,500

29 ADVANCE 6 09 2010

Why write a will?

Q: Why should people thinkabout writing a will?

By completing a will you canensure that on your death yourestate will pass to the peoplewho you want to benefit from it and that your estate will beadministered by the right people.You can also decide who will lookafter any minor children followingyour death and you can takesteps to protect assets for yourfamily and to minimise the taxpayable.

Q: What happens if you don’twrite a will?

The rules governing intestateestates will apply, which meansthat if you are married with childrenand die with an estate of morethan £250,000 your survivingspouse or civil partner will have toshare the estate with the children.

If a couple live together and arenot married, neither of them hasany right to the estate of theother. The surviving partner canonly benefit by bringing a claimfor reasonable financial provisionthrough the courts.

Q: Is there anything that peoplemight like to consider whenwriting a will?

Who do you want to administeryour estate?

Who do you want to look afteryour children if you and yourspouse/partner both die?

Do you want to leave any legacies(cash gifts) or any of your personalpossessions to relatives, friendsor charities?

Who should benefit from yourestate? What should happen in the event of a family disasterwhere some or all of you andyour spouse/partner and children die together?

Neil Braithwaite, Senior Partner at Dickinson Dees andmember of the Development and Alumni Relations Council,advises on the importance of writing a will.

I

Legacy giving spotlight

ncreasing numbers of people are leaving a gift to the University, helping to support the future of theorganisation. However, a surprisingly large number of people in the UK don’t prepare a will.

The University formally recognises donors whonotify us of their intention to leave a gift in their will,through the Armstrong Circle. To learn more abouthow you can join the Armstrong Circle, please see:www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support/ways/legacies.htm

If you would like more information about leavinga gift to Newcastle in your will, please seewww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support/ways/index.htmor contact the Development Office on0191 222 7250

ADVANCE 6 09 2010 30

We couldn’t do it without youhank you for your donations, you have helpedus write some future stories this year. All of the

projects featured in this magazine, as well as manyothers, would be impossible without your generousdonations. As regular readers of Advance willknow, this is normally where we print the roll ofbenefactors, listing all the donors to the University.However, as more and more people have given to Newcastle University, this takes up more andmore space in the magazine every year. We havedecided this year to go green, and instead ofprinting the roll of benefactors, you can find it online at: www.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support.

This gives us more space to tell you about theexciting projects, groundbreaking research and promising students you have supported this year instead.

Watch your gift bloom

We would also like to take this opportunity to tellyou about our plans for a donor garden on campus.We are planning to plant a bulb for every donor inthe new garden, to represent all our donors and theimpact that they have on the University, helping our students excel. We will be planting the gardenin October, with help from our Estates team, butwould like to talk with you if you wish to be involvedwith the project which will transform a tiny part ofour campus.

T

One of the bright flower beds on campus, which is soon to be joined by the donor garden.

Thank you to our benefactors

If you are interested in having a tour of thegrounds, please contact Karen Hendrix on 0191 222 8745

31 ADVANCE 6 08 2010

Help to write the future…

Whether you are interested in helping vital andpotentially life-changing research, or making a difference to the life of a student, a gift toNewcastle University can have a direct and veryreal impact. An increasing number of individualsare helping to ensure the long-term future of ourUniversity. Be a part of the campaign to help writethe future.

Thank you for making a difference!

A gift in your will, whatever the size, can make a real difference. Please help us to offera first-class education to all of our students and recognise talent regardless of thecircumstances.

If you would like to know more about how you can leave a gift to the University, pleasecontact: Newcastle University Developmentand Alumni Relations Office on0191 222 7240 or visitwww.ncl.ac.uk/alumni/support

Donation Form

Please fill in the whole form and return to:

Development and Alumni OfficeNewcastle UniversityKing’s GateNewcastle upon TyneNE1 7RU

Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 7250

Fax: +44 (0) 191 222 5905

Email: [email protected]

www.ncl.ac.uk/development

Please send me further information about:

� making a regular gift to the University

� leaving a gift to the University in my will

� donating stocks/shares to the University

Thank you for supportingNewcastle University

Donation FormI enclose a cheque/CAF voucher for

(please make payable to Newcastle University)

OR

I would like to make a donation by credit/debit cardPlease debit my card the sum of

Credit card number

Debit card number

Valid from Expires end

Issue number (if applicable):

Card type

MasterCard Visa CAF

Switch/Maestro Delta Solo

Card security number (the last three digits on the back of your card)

Name

Address

Postcode

£

£

/ / / /

Gift AidIf you Gift Aid your donation, the University canreclaim the tax you have already paid on it. Pleaseincrease the value of your donation at no extracost to you by signing the declaration below.

I want Newcastle University to treat all donations I havemade for this tax year and the six years prior to theyear of this declaration (but no earlier than 6/4/2000),and all donations I make from the date of thisdeclaration until I notify you otherwise, as Gift Aiddonations. I will inform you if my circumstances change.

Signed

Date

You must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donationsin the appropriate tax year (currently 28p for each £1 you give).

Advance 2010 / Newcastle University

Documents

Transcript of Advance 2010 / Newcastle University