Release Date 20 July 2015

On Thursday 9th July the University of Reading celebrated the impact of seven of its most prolific supporters on the institution's research and student experience.

BMT Group Limited, The British Heart Foundation, The Marshal Papworth Fund, The Calleva Foundation, GML Limited, JLL and Thomson Reuters, were all inducted into the College of Benefactors.

Members of this prestigious group are recognised as being the most significant donors to the University. Their generosity is helping Reading researchers to fight heart disease, improve ocean forecasting and increase our understanding of the Iron Age and Roman Britain. Donations have led to state-of-the art training facilities for business students, as well as scholarships which have given a top-class university education for those who may not have been able to afford it.

Representatives from each of the organisations were officially inducted during the summer graduation ceremony. They were congratulated by one of last year's inductees, and University of Reading Chancellor, Sir John Madejski OBE DL.

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said: "Our donors have an enormous impact on the success of the University. Their generosity makes a huge difference to the lives of students and enables Reading to conduct world-class research which is making a genuine difference to the world. We thank all of these donors for their exceptional support and welcome them to the College of Benefactors."

The College of Benefactors was established in 2014 to recognise those donors who have made the most significant contribution to the University through their support. Induction into the College is the highest honour that the University can bestow upon its donors and its members have all made outstanding gifts to the institution.

The 2014 inductees included The late Professor Wallace Hirst and Mrs Muriel Hirst MBE, John Nike OBE DL, The Wolfson Foundation, The International Capital Market Association (ICMA), The British Land Company plc, SEGRO plc, and CBRE.

To find out more about Giving to Reading please visit

http://www.alumni.reading.ac.uk/supporting-reading/givingtoreading

http://www.alumni.reading.ac.uk/supporting-reading/thank-you

ENDS

Testimonials

Professor Michael Fulford, Director of the Silchester Town Life Project, said: "The grants awarded by the Calleva Foundation and GML Ltd have been crucial to the investigation of the celebrated Roman town at Silchester, Hampshire, its great Iron Age predecessor and the landscape context in which it developed. 

"Integral with this research has been the parallel development of the University's internationally renowned Archaeological Field School which has given generations of students their training in excavation.  The continuing success of the research and the Field School owes so much to their support."

Marshal Papworth scholarship awardee Louise Abongu said: "Before benefiting from the Marshal Papworth scholarship to undertake an MSc in Environment and Development, I was occupying Agricultural Advisor in the Netherlands Development Organisation where our main task was to support farmers in the development of agricultural value chains. The scholarship gave me an opportunity to study in at the School of Agriculture (UoR) which is highly valued by international development organisations and agencies.

"The course content of the programmes at the school were tailored to meet the capacity building needs of people working in rural development and I had the opportunity to select from a list of modules what was of specific need to my career development. The scholarship also gave me an opportunity to meet with a great team of motivated lecturers who are grounded in theory and practice and I will wish to excel like them. I am currently on a PHD programme in Livelihoods/International Rural Development carrying on research on smallholder farmers' perceptions of climate change and responses in Cameroon. I would like to work for International development organisations/agencies in Cameroon which support farmers to be more adaptive and resilient to global challenges such as food insecurity and climate change."