Horizon Fund

Horizon Fund Creating a better tomorrow for our students

No.1 for Employability*

Voted one of the most affordable places to live in the UK** DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE

*No.1 relates to English Universities. Joint with Bishop Grosseteste. Excluding specialist institutions. Source: DLHE 2017 **Source: Zoopla.co.uk Top 10 most affordable places to live, October 2016

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The impact of your support is transformational “We are so proud of our students, the hurdles they overcome while they study with us and their drive and determination.

We will do everything in our power to support their dreams and ambitions. The philanthropic support from our global family of alumni and friends means we can continue to invest in future generations of students from all backgrounds.�

Professor Liz Barnes, Vice-Chancellor

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“Investment in the future of Staffordshire University is always on-going, as we place students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best possible start to their careers in a wide range of exciting industries. We are always willing to meet with potential major donors to consider a partnership to help us achieve our goals.�

Simon Clarke DL, Chairman of the Staffordshire University Development Board

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Why do we raise funds for our students?

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The answer is simple.

We invest in them so that they can invest in themselves.

Your support gives our students the chance to participate fully in life at Staffordshire University. It takes away financial pressures, removes barriers to higher education, powers social mobility and opens up a world of life enhancing opportunities giving our students the freedom and ability to enjoy an incredible University experience and become the best they can be.

We are immensely grateful to the many alumni, friends, corporate supporters and the Trusts and Foundations who have made gifts to the University.

Through their selfless generosity and continued support our students have gone on to do amazing things and explore new horizons.

Donations to the Horizon Fund provide additional financial support for our students through bursaries, scholarships and life chances awards.

From encouraging enterprise, employability to rewarding academic excellence, your donation makes a huge difference.

And it’s not just philanthropic gifts, our graduates regularly give back their time to mentor, inspire students by sharing their story, give career talks and workshops, offer internships and connect our students to their business networks.

What can your support fund?

You can make donations of any size, at any frequency.

£5

per month

A regular donation for a year can fund the cost of a new business suit of £60 for a student’s work placement

£10

per month

A regular donation for a year can fund travel up to £120 to that all important interview for a final year student to secure a top job

£100

£250

per month

per month

A single donation of £250 can provide a grant to a student club, society or sports team to fund kit, new equipment, competition fees or travel

A regular donation for a year is enough to fund an undergraduate scholarship of £1200 a year

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£1,000

£2,000

per month

per month

A single donation can cover flight costs and visas to fund a student to take up an international placement.

Equipping them to become global citizens

A single donation can help to provide a University Academic School with a grant to improve or provide state-of-theart teaching and learning facilities for current and future students

If you’d like to get involved or donate, contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office - email: developmentoffice@staffs.ac.uk or visit www.staffs.ac.uk/donate

Messages from our donors and recipients

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Jane Matthews* is a retired teacher who has to date donated £9,000 (£3,000 each year for three years) to support students on our PGCE programme.

As a former teacher, education has always been close to my heart. I have taught people over the years that were clever enough to go to university but couldn’t afford to, and I thought I could help someone have this opportunity. I decided to give a donation of £3,000. It’s a relatively small amount, but it would have been life-changing for me and I hope it will help whoever is selected. *Jane Matthews is not the donor’s real name as she wishes to remain anonymous.

A letter to Jane from Jodie - who was awarded a scholarship of £375 through Jane’s kind donation.

Dear Jane, I would like to tell you how your donation has helped me. I was at university in a disability lecture and the lecturer started to talk about Dyslexia, it all sounded far too familiar so the University suggested I be tested. I have always found I had to work a little bit harder than everyone else. I just assumed I wasn’t the brightest spark, but I most definitely was determined so I never let it stop me. To be tested I had to pay £100 which is a big dent in the pocket but I thought I needed

to know for sure. Turns out yes, I am Dyslexic and also Dyspraxic, my reading time is half the speed for someone of my age and of my education level, also I have trouble processing written information and the list goes on.

I just wanted to say it was deeply humbling to receive such a lovely gesture and you have most certainly made an impact helping me on my way to my teaching career.

Thank you for making things that little bit easier. I will always be grateful.

Employability Bursary gives computer student Options

Jodie Williamson, PGCE Art and Design

Two job offers came to Computer Networks and Security student Ryan Tomlinson for his placement year but prohibitively expensive travel costs kept him from exploring both. World renowned computing firm HP, based in rural Bracknell, and global leader in financial technology Options, in central London, were both vying for Ryan’s acceptance letter.

Professor Jeffrey Unerman, Professor of Accounting and Corporate Accountability, the School of Management at Royal Holloway, University of London “Higher education can transform your life if you make the most of it. You need to engage with all the experiences and opportunities HE provides, both within and outside the classroom, as they can really transform you. I chose to support the Horizon Fund because if it wasn’t for the encouragement I received all those years ago, I doubt I would be where I am today, or would have had such interesting life experiences.”

Train tickets to the nation’s capital proved too expensive, however, until the Development and Alumni Relations Office provided an Employability Bursary with only a day’s notice.

“I could never have visited the Options office and met the people working here if it wasn’t for the bursary, now a Network Administrator at Options. I got offered both jobs and, thanks to the bursary, I could make my own decision.

I definitely made the right choice.”

Ryan will complete his placement in July 2018 before finishing his degree and graduating in 2019.

All smiles from the PGCE recipients

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If you’d like to get involved or donate, contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office - email: developmentoffice@staffs.ac.uk or visit www.staffs.ac.uk/donate

How the generosity of our alumni and friends has changed lives

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Danny Smith, Solicitor Advocate and Staffordshire graduate (class of 2004) “Throughout my studies, I received first-class support from the University team. I was always made to feel part of things. Barriers were never put in my way and I was encouraged to believe that I could achieve great things. My time at Staffordshire University opened up a whole new world for me. In fact, I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for the care and support I was given, I doubt I’d be where I am today.

“It’s for that reason that I’ve pledged my support to the Horizon Fund, to help today’s disadvantaged students buy the books and equipment they need. In addition, I’ve also pledged my time through providing career mentoring, to give students the opportunity to develop their skills in the workplace.

“I would encourage you to look at where you came from and put something back. After all, it’s not us who are the future – it’s those who are coming up through the ranks.”

Donations helped the Stallions start a new season. As the most expensive sport to play at University, the American football club needed

help to replace ageing helmets, padding and other equipment necessary to compete.

work fitting in a part-time job, with my family and my studies, the money will really help.”

More than 60 members take part in the games each year, travelling to universities around the Midlands and North West pushing costs up even further. The University’s Development and Alumni Relations Office supported the Stallions fundraising efforts to buy new helmets for players – donating £1,400 towards their total fund pot of £5,000.

“The Stallions have been fundraising, running events and the University provided a large donation to make this season possible.”

Jonathan Pace, Head of Sports Development and Active Lifestyles

Natalie Campbell is one of 220 recipients of the Denise Coates Foundation bursary “The bursary will help me concentrate on my studies without worrying about how to pay for books and also driving lessons, which will help me get a job.

“When I got an email about the bursary application being successful I was so pleased. I’d like to say thank you to the Denise Coates Foundation. It’s hard

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Emma Rose is one of the three recipients of the Staffordshire University Scholarship for Creativity and Innovation in Ceramics – an award that will aid her studies on the flagship MA in Ceramic Design course.

It’s really nice that people are investing in me to see what I can come up with.

There’s a little bit of pressure but it’s exciting at the same time! I don’t think I’d have been able to do this course if it wasn’t for the scholarship.

If you’d like to get involved or donate, contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office - email: developmentoffice@staffs.ac.uk or visit www.staffs.ac.uk/donate

Supporting the Horizon Fund Created to help us continue to assist as many students as possible in these challenging times, whatever their financial circumstances, the Horizon Fund gives the practical financial support to help with study and living costs.

The University has achieved an ambitious goal of raising over £1million in four years. The fund has created 250 bursaries, three scholarships, and a host of employability scholarships and life chances awards. But we are setting our sights much higher. We aim to achieve £4 million by 2021, plus build a sustainable reserve of funds, so there is always the way and the means to offer support to our students.

The Horizon Fund supports our students in the following ways: Bursaries •

Available to students from lower income families, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds

•

Can be the deciding factor between going to university or not

•

Can be the difference between a student completing their studies or dropping out

•

Provide grants to student clubs and societies

Scholarships

•

Support student projects or activities

• Financial gifts to reward academic achievement

Giving is straightforward and rewarding

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Help cover academic fees; course, placement and research expenses

•

Raise standards by attracting and retaining students with high grades

By giving your support to the University you’ll be helping more talented students realise their educational potential and become the successful graduates of tomorrow.

• Extend valuable research opportunities •

Enable students to gain attributes and skills to obtain graduate level jobs

You can help support our students in the following ways: •

By regular monthly gift

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By one-off gift

Life Chances Awards

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By making a gift in your will

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Help students meet the cost of additional learning opportunities

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Provide access to non-core field trips and study visits

To make a gift please complete the giving form opposite and return to the Development and Alumni Relations Office, Staffordshire University, University Quarter, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 2DE

• Greatly enhance the student experience • Help to make students more employable

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Thank you!

Giving is straightforward and rewarding Please write clearly in black ink in the white spaces with capital letters or cross the boxes. All sections must be completed.

Please return this form to Staffordshire University, we will log your gift and send the form to your bank. Important – we cannot set standing orders up on savings accounts.

1 Personal Details Title:

First Name:

Surname:

Address: Postcode:

Tel:

Email:

This form must be completed by an individual – joint declarations will not be accepted by HM Revenue and Customs Please tick if you wish your gift to remain anonymous. Otherwise, your name may be listed with other donors in printed and online publications.

I want to

make a one-off donation of £

make a regular donation (please complete instruction below)

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Cheques should be made payable to ‘Staffordshire University’

2 Gift Aid Declaration Please tick the appropriate box

The enclosed gift of £

.

Signature

as a Gift Aid donation; OR

All gifts of money that I make today and in the future as Gift Aid donations

You must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April one year to 5 April the next) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that Staffordshire University will reclaim on your gifts for that tax year.

3 Details of your Gift Recipient’s name S

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A

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Payment reference (if applicable) O

U N I V E R

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Y

I

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D O N A T

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First payment amount (if different to usual payment)

Recipient’s bank and branch name

£

Lloyds Bank

Usual payment amount

Recipient’s sort code (6 digits)

£

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0

9

8

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Recipient’s account number (8 digits) 0

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O N

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First payment date

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D D

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Usual payment amount in words

How often do you want the payment made?

Monthly Quarterly

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Half yearly

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Yearly

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Your agreement with us Your signature(s)

Final payment amount (if different to usual payment). This must have a final payment date. £

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Final payment date (if applicable)

D D

M M

Y

Y

or

Until further notice

X

Date I authorise you to debit my/our account, in accordance with the details in the section above. This request is addressed to the bank which holds my/our account.

4 Bank Details Account holders name

Bank name

FOR STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY OFFICE USE ONLY Name

Sort code (being debited) -

Account number (being debited)

-

Branch address

Thank you for your support Signature

Date

Data Protection Statement: Staffordshire University collects, processes and holds personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, for their activities in supporting Staffordshire University. Staffordshire University does not share your personal details with other organisations. If you do not wish to receive updates or other communications from Staffordshire University, please write, email or telephone (contact details on page 10).

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