Your gift at work
Every year, generous benefactors provide the University with the means to build and upgrade facilities, and strengthen endowment for students and faculties.
Gifts from alumni, friends, corporations, foundations and organisations have helped jump-start and pay for many projects. They have also provided the necessary funds to give promising students who have their sights set on a University of Melbourne education a chance.
Here are some recent examples of gifts at work in the University.
Prizes increased for literary awards
It was announced in May 2007 that the winner of the 2008 Peter Blazey Fellowship will receive $15 000, up from $5000. The Peter Blazey Fellowship is offered nationally to further a work in progress in the non-fiction fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. The fellowship was established to honour the memory of Peter Blazey – journalist, author and gay activist. It has been made available through the generosity of Clive Blazey and Tim Herbert, brother and partner respectively of Peter Blazey. more >>
Scholarship takes student to the British Museum
In December 2006, University of Melbourne postgraduate student Kathleen Kiernan was awarded the prestigious Harold Wright Scholarship to study the Collection of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum in London. The Harold Wright Scholarship commemorates Harold James Lean Wright (1885–1961) a philanthropist, print dealer, collector, educator and scholar who advised many of the major art institutions and private collectors in Australia and New Zealand on their acquisitions. The scholarship, established by Harold Wright’s widow Isobel Holmes, is administered by the University of Melbourne. more >>
Mildura alumni scholarships
Alumni of the University of Melbourne's Mildura Branch (1947-1949) decided in 2005 that it was time to give back to the community that provided them with such an enriching experience. They have worked together to raise funds that will support students from the Mildura region to attend the University. more >>
The bequest of Dr Gertrude SpencerDr Gertrude Spencer (MA 1992), a Viennese-born psychiatrist who had an extensive interest in classical and Near Eastern studies, left a generous bequest to the University. This included a considerable collection of books on archaeology, now housed in the Centre for Classics and Archaeology. The Spencer/Pappas Trust, established as a result of Dr Spencer's bequest, has recently enabled students to undertake a four-week seminar in Classical Syriac, a still-living language whose history and literature span 3000 years. During 2007 the trust will also fund a number of travel grants for postgraduate students involved in the study of ancient languages and archaeology. Abby Robinson, a postgraduate student in the School of Historical Studies, has completed the Classical Syriac course and describes it as 'a rewarding experience and a great challenge.' 'Our teacher was able to tell us something about Gertrude Spencer and we hope that we are able in a small way to repay Dr Spencer’s generosity by using what we’ve learned over the past few weeks to enhance our future work. We also hope that the University will repeat the course so that others will have the privilege of studying Classical Syriac.' |
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From the Vice-Chancellor
A brief history of some of the 'unsung heroes' of philanthropy at the University of Melbourne. more >>
