The RGU Foundation Impact Report 2018/19: Creating Opportunity and Raising Aspirations

THE RGU FOUNDATION Creating Opportunity And Raising Aspirations

Impact Report 2018/19

Thank you for supporting RGU through the RGU Foundation. You have made a difference.

Donations to the RGU Foundation help to inspire, encourage and support current and future generations of RGU students and staff.

rgu.ac.uk/giving E: rgufoundation@rgu.ac.uk T: 01224 262005 RGU Foundation, West Lodge, Garthdee Road, AB10 7AQ

Message from the Principal and Vice Chancellor Thank You For Your Support

I would like to thank you for your generous support. Your donation, and that of others, has benefited students across the University.

RGU has a longstanding commitment to extending the reach of relevant higher education and providing a high quality learning environment. Thanks to the generosity of our community of donors, various areas of student life have been enriched.

This year’s donations have helped to widen access to higher education for disadvantaged groups, created personal and professional development opportunities for students through academic and non-academic programmes, and funded student-led support services.

Your contribution has helped us to create opportunities for people from all backgrounds and continually enhance their experience, enabling our graduates to pursue prosperous careers and make a positive and lasting impact on society.

Thank you for choosing to support RGU in this way, and for your ongoing dedication to the University.

Professor John Harper Principal and Vice Chancellor of Robert Gordon University

Widening Access to Higher Education

Your support has enabled talented students to achieve their ambitions in life, regardless of their financial circumstances. Thanks to your generous donation, we have been able to create access scholarships, support students through practical placement opportunities, and offer pastoral care for those in need.

Dawn Findlay is a third year BSc (Hons) Social Work student and recipient of The Barrack Charitable Trust scholarship: “I can honestly say without the support I’ve received from The Barrack Charitable Trust, I would not have been able to continue my studies. It was an absolute godsend financially when my son was recovering from a traumatic accident which left him in hospital for nearly a year, and the recovery time he had at home with myself and my daughters which left me unable to work while I was caring for him. It has definitely made it possible for me to get this far, and I will be forever grateful to the Trust for helping me to hopefully reach my dream of being a social worker.”

Stephen Collins, a first year BSc (Hons) Construction Management student, is the recipient of this year’s Stewart Milne Group scholarship.

“I cannot thank Stewart Milne Group enough. Receiving the scholarship not only provides me with financial stability, but it also guarantees a work placement during my third year.

This support allows me to come to university and focus on my work rather than thinking about how I can afford it. As a result, I can dedicate more time to my studies and less time worrying about the financial strain of living away from home.

Kara Mutch is in her second year of a BA (Hons) Architectural Technology student and recipient of an Ina Scott Sutherland Charitable Foundation scholarship: “Having a scholarship has provided me with more time to focus on my studies, allowing me to improve my performance within my education. I’ve also been made aware of the huge amount of support that’s available within the university.”

This year your far-sighted generosity has supported projects across the university. With your help we have created and supported:

• • • • • • • • • • •

Access Scholarships Merit Scholarships Postgraduate Bursaries Travel Abroad Bursaries The Student Hardship Fund The Chaplaincy RGU:Nightline RGU Rowing RGU Duke of Edinburgh Scheme Look Again Arts Festival Architecture Exhibition in Orkney

• • • • • • • •

RGU Racing Team RGU Elite Athletes Gray’s Graduate Fashion Show Gray’s Art Exhibition in Edinburgh RGU Film Festival 57 10 Architects Society RGU Sport Volunteer for Sport Programme Student Prizes

Enhancing the Student Experience

Every donation, no matter the size, helps create incredible opportunities for students throughout their university career – from supporting student clubs and societies, to funding exhibitions and international opportunities. Thanks to your generosity we are able to create an exciting and vibrant student community.

RGU:Nightline is a student-led support service which offers a non-judgemental, confidential and anonymous listening and support service to RGU students. “RGU:Nightline are extremely thankful for the generous contribution the RGU Foundation has given us. Due to their assistance, RGU:Nightline have been able to provide our volunteers with support and crucial training, to assist in providing a non-advisory listening service for the students of RGU.�

RGU Racing is a new student association which will join teams from across the world in Formula Student – a testing ground for the next generation of engineers and racing enthusiasts.

“The support offered by the RGU Foundation has allowed us to take additional team members to the Formula Student UK competition at Silverstone this July. The experience that the team will gain at this event will be invaluable to the future of the team and to the students themselves. This experience will be used to improve our performance in the 2020 competition. It will also further the development of RGU Racing towards a fully functioning student designed and built race car by 2021. The skills and experiences that RGU Racing offers to students allows them to become more rounded and desirable graduates. Without the support of our partners and sponsors such as the RGU Foundation, we simply could not achieve our aim of creating a sustainable future for RGU Racing. Thank you for supporting our journey to FSUK 2019 and beyond.”

RGU Film Festival is an annual short film festival which welcomes submissions from around the world. This year’s festival showcased more than 20 films at the Belmont Filmhouse.

“The funding that RGU: Film Society received from the RGU Foundation had a significant and positive effect upon the RGU Film Festival 2019, allowing the student led committee more leeway for creative freedom. This funding helped us develop and explore our ideas, improving the quality and presentation of our short film festival and allowing students to hone skills that are applicable in all walks of life.”

Why I Give

Lori Houlihan is Vice-Provost (Advancement) at University College London (UCL). She graduated from RGU in 1991 with a BA (Hons) Business Studies and also completed a Diploma in Marketing at the University. Here, she shares why she donates to the RGU Foundation: By giving regularly to the RGU Foundation since 2015 I am saying how important RGU was for me and I want to do what I can to make sure other people have the extraordinary experiences I had.

I didn’t excel at school academically but was encouraged to go on to further education and started an HND at Aberdeen College before going into the 2nd year of my Business Studies degree at RGU. University helped give me a level playing field and a life far from what it could have been had I not pursued higher education.

RGU changed my life and set me on track for a rewarding and fulfilling career including travelling extensively in Asia and America, and I’m now based in London. My experiences in my career have been unimaginable for what my 17 year old self thought I would achieve.

I know a lot of people find it difficult to go to university for financial reasons because, even without tuition fees, there’s still accommodation, transport, food and books to pay for. I know that my support is going to help future students, and is going to give them incredible opportunities too.

I think it’s important to recognise where in your life you’ve received support and inspiration and, for me, that was my time at RGU. That’s why it’s so important for me to give back to the RGU Foundation.

Chartered accountancy and business advisory firm Anderson Anderson Brown LLP support an Access Scholarship at RGU through the Anderson Anderson & Brown Charitable Initiative (AABi).

“AABi is delighted to support the ‘Anderson Anderson & Brown Access Scholarship in Accounting and Finance’ for the second year running.

“Given the nature of the industry and our strong partnership with Robert Gordon University, supporting the career development of bright and ambitious students is something we feel very strongly about and we are very proud to be part of the RGU Foundation scholarship programme. Through AABi our team is able to be actively involved in investing back into our profession and influencing its future direction, which is something our people feel very passionate about.” – Jessica Nicol, Human Resources Manager at AAB

“I am proud to give back, in respect of the people who helped me on my journey, and in respect of all the people who simply don’t get the opportunity to be all that they could have been.” – Michael O’Donnell, LLM 2017 “Love the idea of the scheme, I would have loved the extra support during my bachelor’s degree too. Well done RGU.” – Emily Lopez, MSc Health Promotion and Public Health 2016

rgu.ac.uk/giving E: rgufoundation@rgu.ac.uk T: 01224 262005 RGU Foundation, West Lodge, Garthdee Road, AB10 7AQ The RGU Foundation is a registered Scottish charity, No. SC043673