£50 million for Warwick’s 50th birthday

Warwick University aims to raise £50 million in donations for its 50th birthday in 2015. The campaign, 50 Forward, launched on June 16th.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nigel Thrift, explained the reason for the 50 Forward campaign: “As a leading University, we have an immense obligation. As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2015, I believe that a university like Warwick is well placed to nurture the next generation of global decision makers and to identify solutions to some of the pressing challenges confronting the world… as global citizens, we can and must play our part.”

The University has announced “a series of new initiatives designed to take on and resolve major challenges acing our world”. These include local and global projects, such as research to improve the health of people in resource poor communities, more collaboration with the University’s local hospital partners and health organisations to drive up the quality of healthcare in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Broader aims include: innovating in bio-medical cell biology to identify new treatments for cancer, maximising Warwick’s strengths in life and social sciences to improve nutrition and reduce hunger in the UK and in the developing world.

In terms of the University itself, the 50 Forward campaign aims to create a world-class Life Sciences facility to harness applied research into food security to ensure the supply of sufficient, safe and nutritious food.

The University also explained the benefits of the campaign for Warwick students. Professor Margot Finn, Warwick’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Access, Widening Participation and Development said: “This duty of care towards our students at every level of study is closely entwined with our research mission… Without the freedom to gain high-level skills of analysis and interpretation… even the very brightest learners will be unable to devise new solutions to the world’s intractable problems. Warwick is fundamentally about providing students with those freedoms.”

Since 2007, 525 undergraduates have graduated from Warwick with the benefit of a full donor-funded scholarship, assessed by their financial need. Warwick hopes to build on this in their 50 Forward campaign by providing new £1000 undergraduate bursaries “which facilitate international study or research experience to enhance employability”.

In addition the University will be granting undergraduate scholarships of £3000 per year to the most exceptional students from their second year of study. For postgraduates there will be funding for new Masters scholarships to assist those who will be paying higher undergraduate fees to go on to postgraduate study.

The University has set up a website for online donations. In addition to this they hope to raise donations through a telephone campaign. Warwick is also asking for volunteers to “share [their] knowledge, expertise and experiences in ways that will benefit the University, alumni and current students”. According to the University’s 50 Forward web page, the current campaigns total for 2010/11 is £147,000.

However one first year Psychology student said that: “the plans are far too ambitious – they’ll never raise that much money”. Whilst another first year Maths student said: “It’s great the University is trying to do so much for good causes”.

More details can be found at the campaign [website.](www.warwick.ac.uk/50forward)