The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
£100m fundraising goal reached
A major fundraising campaign launched by St Andrews University to mark its 600th anniversary has reached its £100 million goal.
Scholarships, support for disadvantaged students and new student facilities have benefited from the campaign devised and planned by former principal, Professor Louise Richardson.
It was launched by campaign patron the Duke of Cambridge in 2011, who described St Andrews as “far and away the best university in the world”. More than 14,000 St Andrews graduates, students, staff and supporters dug deep to help reach the target, one of the most ambitious fundraising efforts ever undertaken by a Scottish university.
A huge focus of the campaign was to raise funds for new scholarships and bursaries to ensure a St Andrews education is accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstances.
The university has set up more than 500 new scholarships for disadvantaged students.
St Andrews’ world-leading portfolio of research has also helped attract support from donors.
Student Geordie Stewart took a university banner to the top of Everest, while a glittering New York gala, attended by alumni, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, was held.
Honorary graduate Sir Sean Connery chipped in by narrating and backing a documentary directed by graduate Murray Grigor. The R&A contributed a new endowed travel scholarship, and both the R&A and the St Andrews Links Trust gave support to a 600th anniversary golf tournament. Former US President Bill Clinton, former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and actress Joanna Lumley were among those to send special birthday wishes.
Thanking Prince William for his unwavering support, St Andrews principal and vice-chancellor Professor Sally Mapstone said it had been a remarkable team effort. “It not only helped us realise a highly ambitious total, it has brought the St Andrews family across the world closer together than ever before, at a time when universities like St Andrews need the support and energy of their former students more than ever.
“It is particularly fitting that we are reaching the finishing line in the same week that we send another 2,000 graduates out in the world, many of whom will have benefited from 600th campaign initiatives.
“In a time of tightly-squeezed public funding, universities must increasingly rely on their imagination and drive to secure the resources needed for worldclass teaching and research, and to support students who would otherwise miss the chance to fulfil their potential.
Director of development Robert Fleming added: “The enduring appeal of St Andrews continues, and we owe a huge thanks to our 14,000 donors who have not only made a difference for today’s students and academics, but for those who will choose to study and work at this university for many years to come.”
leclark@thecourier.co.uk