A World of Difference - Case for Support

A World of DIFFERENCE

CASE FOR SUPPORT

Our purpose –WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE EXIST

SRUC has ambition not just for itself as an institution, but for Scotland as a nation, to drive a green economic sector. There are global and local challenges that we face collectively, which require powerful, agile and responsive academic institutions that will address the longer-term sustainability agenda and climate emergency.

This is why SRUC exists.

Built around the natural economy and nature-based solutions, SRUC is a Higher Education Institution that supports environmental, economic and political advancement to put the wellbeing of people and the planet first.

Our world-leading research and consulting expertise means we pass on knowledge to the people who need it most – the food producers, the policy makers, and the students who will become tomorrow’s leaders.

We have a distinctive place-based mission to drive economic growth in less accessible and rural parts of Scotland. Our emphasis is on practical and emotional skills development with a strong focus on flexible learning whether on campus or online. This is underpinned through partnership with government, industry and communities.

SRUC strives to make a difference to Scotland and to the world, driven by a goal to become Scotland’s enterprise university at the heart of our sustainable natural economy.

SRUC celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022. It is a vibrant, young institution with a clear mission to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for all; in Scotland, and beyond.

We also draw on our rich legacy that spans over 100 years, from when Agriculture was first formally taught in Scotland.

Today our courses cover many subjects at the heart of the natural economy. These include Agriculture; Animal Care; Animal Science; Land-based Engineering; Wildlife and Conservation Management; Forestry; Horticulture; Garden Design; Golf; Rural Business Management; Gamekeeping; and Veterinary Nursing. More courses are planned with the opening of our new Vet School.

Our six campuses located across Scotland mean we are based at the heart of the thriving communities we serve.

Our students come from all walks of life. Many are with us for ‘Further Education’ courses, where they learn valuable skills to make them ready for work. Small class sizes and hands-on practical experience facilitate this learning. Others will choose a path of ‘Higher Education’, where they may even progress to a Masters or PhD level of study. We are proud to offer a full spectrum of educational pathways.

Our students benefit from the Research and Consulting expertise SRUC is renowned for. Research activities include fields such as: soils and plants; animal behaviour and welfare; genetics and genomics; disease and epidemiology; environment; ecology; agri-food systems; and economics and policy. Our Consulting teams provide technical guidance and solutions across the food supply chain to producers, policy makers and businesses.

SRUC really is a different kind of organisation.

Our mission –HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO

We are Scotland’s national provider of college and university-level education focusing on the natural economy. We link our areas of expertise in education, research, and consultancy – enabling us to shape visionary education that provides industry with the workforce of the future.

SRUC is at a pivotal point in its evolution – we are striving towards becoming a new and unique kind of university that is regional, accessible, market-focused, and responsive to a diverse range of rural challenges.

Our difference is our strength.

We are looking for supporters to join us on our journey and make a world of difference by helping SRUC in our three fundraising priority areas:

Create a new Vet School – different by nature

Scotland is undergoing a period of profound change and the ability to capitalise on our natural assets increasingly dominates the sustainability agenda.

Veterinary services are vital to achieving this.

SRUC is on its way to becoming a DIFFERENT KIND OF UNIVERSITY

Support our different kinds of students, who take different educational pathways

Our students are encouraged and supported to take the next step in their education – many of them achieve academic success beyond their preconceived level of ability. Our bursaries provide financial help and inspire our students to reach their full potential.

Deliver a different type of learning experience

We are renowned for our hands-on practical and applied skills, delivered alongside theoretical expertise, which produces graduates who are work-ready and passionate about the difference they can make to their industries.

Our new Vet School will be different by nature from others in the UK

The ambition, to open the first new Vet School in Scotland in over 150 years, is bold, exciting, and wedded to SRUC’s mission to benefit Scotland’s sustainable natural economy.

SRUC aims to attract and support students from rural and non-traditional backgrounds, to create a Vet School that produces home-grown sector specialists that will build their lives and businesses in Scotland. This will support Scotland’s rural communities, veterinary public health, livestock health and welfare, and related government services – which are all currently facing challenges to meet increasing demand in the veterinary sector.

Make a difference

We are looking for £4.5 – 5 million as we build a new Vet School. From attracting the highest calibre of veterinary professionals through to transformative gifts involving capital projects – your investment could have impact across Scotland for generations.

This would include: A Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Practice

• £2M for a new building onsite at SRUC Aberdeen

• £2M for veterinary equipment

Professorial Chair for Veterinary Medicine

• £500k for appointment of a professor at £100K per annum for five years, and their research costs

Equipment for Learning and Training

• £50-100k for specialist veterinary equipment for teaching, including diagnostic equipment for horses; standing surgery facilities; surgical equipment for small animals

Bursaries to enable financially challenged students

• An endowment could support disadvantaged Vet School students to undertake 38 weeks of mandatory extramural studies (experiencing veterinary work firsthand) alongside their veterinary training.

A new Vet School –DIFFERENT BY NATURE

Different kinds of students WHO TAKE DIFFERENT

PATHS

SRUC has different kinds of students who take different educational pathways

We believe in supporting our students to take the educational pathway that is right for them. SRUC offers courses at a wide range of levels of levels, from college to university-level (including postgraduate), and flexibility means we attract students who have more life experience and consequently more demands on them. These students benefit from our adaptable learning environment, with multiple educational entry and exit points.

Make a difference

Our scholarships and bursaries inspire the brightest and most-promising students to go further and continue their educational pathways. We recognise the need for equity, to give a hand-up to students overcoming educational hurdles, such as disability, experience in the care system and socio-economic challenges.

SRUC allocates £50K in funding via our Centenary Bursary, Going Further Bursary and Change Your Path Bursary, supporting approximately 54 students each year.

We are seeking donations to provide financial support to students through SRUC scholarships and bursaries, and welcome all levels of gifts.

Endowment Opportunity

• A £1 million endowment would generate enough money each and every year to nearly double the current number of students who receive a bursary. A long-term investment, unlocking SRUC students’ potential to become tomorrow’s leaders, would be truly life changing for generations to come.

SRUC students receive a different type of learning experience

We specialise in experiential learning and in the development of practical skills. We also benefit from small class sizes, allowing for the development of strong community bonds, where teachers and students form relationships that last into their careers.

We want to further enhance this learning experience through initiatives such as paid internship programmes; community engagement projects; and a new peer support scheme.

SRUC’s Students as Partners scheme, has run a successful pilot programme whereby students work on short-term projects such as: educational resource accessibility; student experience expansion; and toolkit development.

Student interns receive a salary to cover 100 hours of work, either ran alongside their studies over the course of an academic year or over a three-week period during the summer break. Interns gather valuable work experience whilst also making a real difference to SRUC.

Make a difference

We are looking for donors who want to help our students embrace what makes SRUC a different place to learn. Expansion of these opportunities will result in more graduates with knowledge and skills of creatively responding to market and industry challenges.

• A £40K gift would appoint a part-time colleague to manage programme creation of new student-led vocationally-orientated social groups for a two-year period

• A £25K gift would cover salary of twenty student interns (100 hours of work ran alongside studies) for an academic year

A different TYPE OF LEARNING