North American Foundation for The University of Manchester
OCTOBER 2010
NAFUM SCHOLARSHIPS
CELEBRATING YOUR SUPPORT
ALUMNI EVENTS
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Welcome to the 2010 edition of the Newsletter of the North American Foundation for The University of Manchester (NAFUM). The last year has been a period of significant emotional upheaval for everyone associated with NAFUM and the University. We were initially greatly saddened to hear of Professor Alan Gilbert’s retirement as President and Vice-Chancellor due to ill health, while delighted to hear of Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell’s appointment as his successor (see page 7). We then received the shattering news of Alan’s subsequent death (see below). It is also with sadness that I share the news of the passing of key NAFUM supporter Professor Arthur Porter (BSc Physics 1933, MSc 1934,PhD 1936, Hon DSc 2004). Arthur was a visionary individual whose generosity ran deep (see page 4). We have welcomed two new Directors to the NAFUM Board over the last year, Stephen Fitzpatrick (BSc Chemical Engineering 1972, MSc 1974, PhD 1977) and Nicholas Dunphy (BSc Management Sciences 1969) who rejoins the board, and wish to thank Marion Rosenberg and Frank McCullough, who stepped down from the Board this year, for their commitment to, and on-going interest in, NAFUM and the University.
NAFUM is saddened to record the death of Professor Alan Gilbert, inaugural President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester from October 2004 to June 2010. His untimely passing at 65 comes less than a month after he retired as the inaugural President and Vice-Chancellor of the University since its establishment in 2004. Professor Gilbert’s ambitious vision and inspirational leadership saw Manchester take great strides towards his vision of Manchester becoming one of the top 25 universities in the world. He oversaw the $600 million transformation in the campus and its facilities, the introduction of cross-disciplinary research institutes tackling a range of global social and environmental challenges, and the dramatic improvement in research performance.
Creating opportunities for outstanding education and research remains integral to NAFUM’s goals. Thanks to your generous support, we have been able to provide scholarships for 21 talented students this year. We initially focused on US based students but have now expanded to support outstanding students from Africa, Asia and very close to home, in Manchester, where we have supported students who otherwise would not have been able to attend university. Having met with many of the NAFUM award beneficiaries, I can assure you that your support is greatly appreciated and is being put to great use – as you will see from the testimonials in this publication. Finally, thank you to those of you who completed the online survey after last year’s newsletter. Having listened to your requests for more information on chapter events and student scholarships, I hope you will enjoy reading about these and that you will be inspired to get in touch with and support NAFUM and the University. Although so many of our current thoughts are tinged with sadness, those we are missing would be the very first to encourage us all to continue their work in making the world a better place through education and learning. Tony Thornley (BSc Chemistry 1967) President, NAFUM
A new building (the ‘Learning Commons’) designed to offer world-class learning support facilities and space for student study, on the site of the old Refectory, will bear his name upon completion, and is a testimony to the personal interest he took in championing the student experience. Professor Gilbert was a strong supporter of NAFUM, sitting as a member of the Board. He took pleasure in engaging with the strong North American alumni community, meeting many alumni and friends during his trips to the US. Speaking on behalf of NAFUM, Tony Thornley said, “We are all saddened by the loss of Alan and feel great sympathy for Ingrid [his wife], with whom we have had the true pleasure of sharing happy times. Alan was an inspiration to all of us, making our close association with the University feel very special. His commitment to our efforts in the US
were always far above our expectations. The world is a far better place from Alan's contributions. We will especially miss him as a friend.” Messages of condolence submitted by alumni, staff and students can be read on the University website at www.manchester.ac.uk/ bookofcondolence