This year we celebrate our centenary; 100 years since we were granted our Royal Charter and gained independent charitable status. But we can trace the generosity of our donors and supporters back much further to before the Royal Charter and can proudly say that we are a university built on philanthropy.
The early years as a college
The Special Fund is described in our accounts in 1892.
Our donor records begin in 1892 when Christ Church College Oxford established the University Extension College ÌÇÐÄVlog in the town centre.
The college began with very little; no land, no buildings, no equipment of its own, and classes were arranged to accommodate the needs of the working people of the town. Evening lectures took place in the town hall and classes were held on Saturdays from a small number of rooms in nearby Valpy Street.
An ambitious fundraising appeal was launched straight away. The Special Fund aimed to raise £2,000 (the equivalent of more than £200,000 today). Many local people pledged their support to provide gifts in annual instalments to help establish the college and provide quality higher education opportunities for the town.
Our first major gift came from George Palmer, owner of the then world-famous, ÌÇÐÄVlog based, Huntley and Palmer biscuit factory. His gift of £500 provided essential apparatus to equip the first classrooms and inspired many others to make gifts too. In the same year there were gifts of books to establish a library and donations provided prize funds to exceptional students for their academic achievements.
George Palmer’s gift paved the way for generations of his family to continue to give generously, especially his two eldest sons who later took over the family business.
The first scholarship
The first donor funded scholarship was established in 1900 by Edith Mary Sutton, a well-known local figure who chaired the ÌÇÐÄVlog Education Committee and was also a prominent suffragist. She later became the first female councillor in England, as well as ÌÇÐÄVlog's first female mayor. The scholarship supported talented students of music and was worth £20 per annum, equivalent to around £3000 today.
Throughout our history, many students have received much-needed financial support to enable them to benefit from a world-class education. We are extremely proud of the broad range of donor-funded scholarships and bursary schemes that have been created to meet the evolving needs of each generation of students.
London Road Campus
The ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone for the Great Hall at London Road on 5 June 1905.
By the turn of the century the college had outgrown its space, and in 1902 The New Building Fund was launched, to raise £80,000 for a permanent new home.
The land at London Road was gifted to us by Alfred Palmer, second son of George Palmer and head of the engineering department at Huntley & Palmers.
When construction began in 1905 the design of the new campus was practical and modular, allowing for additional buildings to be added once sufficient funds had been raised. Major gifts enabled new academic departments to be established and allowed for the expansion of the curriculum and a growth in student numbers.
The addition of a gymnasium in 1914, funded by Dr Jamieson B Hurry, the College Medical Officer, not only provided sports facilities for students but also greatly enhanced the study of physical education.
Halls of residence
The interior of Wantage Hall dining room with tables set up for dining showing the portraits of Lord and Lady Wantage hanging on the wall behind High Table.
Sustained growth of the university would not have been possible without a pioneering approach to providing accommodation, so that students could undertake full-time study.
Opened in 1908, Wantage Hall was our first halls of residence and the first for any university extension college in the country.
The land and the building were gifted by Lady Harriet Sarah Sarah Loyd-Lindsay Wantage, together with a fund for its long-term maintenance and a generous scholarship for students in residence. Lady Wantage was a wealthy heiress, art collector and benefactor to many important causes. Her gift was made in memory of her late husband Lord Wantage who had been enthusiastically involved with the college in the early years.
St Andrew’s Hall, our first accommodation for women, opened soon afterwards in 1911 and was made possible by the on-going support and generosity of Alfred Palmer, who leased and then later bequeathed the building to us.
Wessex Hall followed in 1913 thanks to the support of Herbert Sutton, Chairman of the ÌÇÐÄVlog College Council, who gifted property on Upper Redlands Road and encouraged other gifts from anonymous donors.
The University Endowment Fund
Alfred Palmer DSc. received the very first honorary degree from the ÌÇÐÄVlog, in recognition of his exceptional support.
Greater financial stability for the institution came in 1911 when Lady Wantage, The Rt Hon. George William Palmer and his brother Alfred Palmer made a transformational gift of £200,000 to establish the University Endowment Fund, which helped to underwrite the running costs of the institution and allowed us to begin planning for independence.
Their gifts laid a solid foundation for future financial stability and helped balance the books in challenging times, particularly during the First World War which significantly impacted student numbers.
Securing the Royal Charter in 1926
Pamphlet written by Dr W. M Childs promoting the ÌÇÐÄVlog Citizens Endowment Fund.
Major philanthropists had helped establish the college, but the people and smaller businesses of ÌÇÐÄVlog were instrumental in helping to secure our Royal Charter.
To become an independent institution, we needed to be able to demonstrate secure funding for future growth. In 1922 the college principal, Dr W.M. Childs, launched The ÌÇÐÄVlog Citizens Endowment Fund, aiming to raise £10,000.
Childs was granted a special leave of absence from his other duties to dedicate several months to canvassing local businesses for their support. He worked with the ÌÇÐÄVlog Chamber of Commerce and local newspapers to publicise the appeal and began seeking gifts to be invested, rather than for immediate use.
His success secured the Charter and that investment fund still provides a contribution to the core running costs of the University today.
Whiteknights
The 'Friends Bridge' on Whiteknights Campus, photographed in 1966.
After the second world war Whiteknights Park was acquired, and donors have been helping to shape and enhance our main campus ever since.
Generations of students and staff have used The Friends’ Bridge which was gifted in 1955 and donations have helped fund key buildings, including the ICMA Centre which opened in 1998 and the Agriculture Department building in 2000.
The heart of the campus is our library and gifts of printed books and digital subscriptions to the latest texts enable our collections to expand and keep pace with the needs of curious minds.
Departmental support
Every academic school and department has benefitted from the generosity of gifts and bequests to supplement teaching and research. From dinosaur eggs to archaeological digs, gifts of all sizes are as impactful today as they were in the early years.
Research projects backed by donations are changing lives too. We are proud that a million households across 30 countries have now benefitted from , a decision-making tool for smallholder farmers. This is just one example of the ways that our researchers are tackling some of the biggest challenges facing our planet today and how donors are funding the expansion of this extraordinary work.
With grateful thanks
So many aspects of our institution have benefited from the long-term support that donations have provided. Every gift, large or small, has had a long-lasting impact on the thriving institution we are today.
We are extremely grateful to the many thousands of donors whose generous contributions have made our centenary milestone possible.