Major Benefactions

The generosity of Exeter’s Old Members, Parents, and Friends continues to be vital and greatly appreciated. This support has been shown in the size and range of gifts given this year, and most importantly, by the ever high number of alumni choosing to support Exeter.

In addition to the Annual Fund gifts received in 2010/11, which raised a total of £525,084, the Exeter community has been extraordinarily philanthropic across a wide range of areas. Old Members, Parents and Friends have all been generous in their support, which has made a real and tangible difference to those in College today.

We are extremely grateful for the gift from an anonymous donor which is to support our Fellowship in English. For the next five years, we can use the income generated by the gift to fund a Graduate Teaching Assistant in English whose primary role will be to support undergraduate students as they develop essential research and essay writing skills. Held by a current graduate student, Michael Mayo, this initiative is already having significant success in giving students more confidence and freeing up our Fellows in English to undertake more focussed teaching and research.

Exeter has also received continued support for the Bishop Radford Fellow and Chaplain, as well as a range of bursaries and scholarships that enables the College to attract and retain the brightest and best students regardless of the students’ own financial backgrounds. Many of these awards are named for the donors or those they wish to honour, such as the Virginia Nye Vanderver Bursary (Tim Vanderver – 1965, Jurisprudence), the Peter Thompson Scholarship (Friend), and a new Scholarship in Byzantine Studies, the Nicholas Frangiscatos Scholarship, created in his memory.

Gifts that have had a physical impact on the College and its fabric include a gift for the refurbishment for the College gym, which was named in honour of Lady Moyra Bannister, and a gift from Richard Tolkien (1974, PPE) to fund the vital work to survey the Library and plan for its development, as well as sponsorship for the architects who were short listed to draw up initial designs for Walton Street from David Cannon (1973, PPE), Charles Outhwaite (1984, Modern History) and Sydney Kentridge (1946, Jurisprudence).

The College has also received two unrestricted gifts which have been used to put a new sound system in the Dining Hall (Peter Job, 1959, Modern Languages) and to catalogue the College’s precious Hebraica collection (Anonymous). Students, Old Members, Scholars around the world and all our visitors will benefit from the generosity of these two alumni.

The College also gratefully received, on behalf of the Boat Club, a coxless four, from Richard du Parcq (1961, Chemistry) whose rowing club kindly donated it to the ECBC.

And of course, the College remains extremely grateful to those other supporters who have, between them, supported the endowment, the tutorial system, the 700th Anniversary Campaign, and Walton Street, including those who have remembered Exeter in their Will. For all this generous support, thank you.

List of Major Benefactors