The Impact of your Giving

View messages of thanks from our University leaders

• Professor Duncan Maskell, Vice-Chancellor

  In thanks for your extraordinary support

  This year, we report on the culmination of 14 years of extraordinary generosity. As we conclude Believe – The Campaign for the University of Melbourne, we acknowledge our donor and alumni community and celebrate the future of philanthropy at the University.

  In this year’s report, as we conclude the Believe campaign, we highlight some of the stunning outcomes made possible by generous contributions of time and financial support since it commenced in 2008. Believe has been the most successful higher education fundraising campaign in Australian history. With your support, the University continues to have a profound impact on Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and the world.

  When I arrived at the University of Melbourne as Vice-Chancellor in 2018, I quickly came to appreciate the great importance of philanthropy, and of our generous worldwide community of alumni.

  This is part of a global pattern: the best universities recognise that philanthropy brings major benefits to future generations, not only of scholars, students and alumni, but of nations and communities everywhere.

  These benefits range from cutting-edge research that shapes, enriches, and saves lives, to giving students access to the very best in teaching and learning, to supporting and strengthening the arts. Increasingly, the impact of your giving has been felt well beyond the University and deeply into our Australian and global communities. In recent years, support for COVID-19 research has helped us to return to a more ‘normal’ way of living faster than would have been otherwise possible.

  Thanks to 73,987 individual gifts from nearly 30,000 donors to the University, its colleges, and affiliates, this immense giving effort has enabled the University of Melbourne to invest in a remarkable number of major teaching, research and public benefit initiatives. These include:

  • $610M directed toward research and discovery, including the establishment of 34 Professorial Chairs, 25 of which are invested for the long-term. These research chairs range across the classics, history, cancer research, paediatrics, neural engineering, human rights law, physics, economic history, medical biology and more
  • 473 scholarships and award funds, many of which are supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • $104.2M directed towards learning spaces and campus development, creating first-class educational environments where students and researchers can excel.

  
  

  In addition to these remarkable accomplishments, Believe has seen outstanding contributions made by University alumni as volunteers – mentoring and inspiring thousands of students, supporting the University, and further enhancing its global reputation.

  To everyone who has played a role in the Believe campaign, I offer my deep personal and sincere thanks. When you give to the University you help us make extraordinary things happen. As a grateful community, we thank you for believing in us.

  Professor Duncan Maskell
  Vice-Chancellor

• Allan Myers AC QC, Chancellor

  In thanks for your trust and generosity

  Together, through Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne, we have forever changed the face of the institution.

  Fourteen years ago, we set ourselves a goal – to build philanthropy and alumni engagement into the fabric of the University.

  It was built upon a belief that the University of Melbourne is an important public institution, and is seen as such, not just by the people of Melbourne, but the state of Victoria and the Australian public. And you, our community, have responded so generously and enthusiastically to Believe.

  For this, we thank you.

  The outcomes of this campaign are something of which I’m proud. Your generous contributions and engagement with the work of the University reflects the importance of this institution to society and the esteem with which it is held.

  I believe one of the fundamental roles of a University is to reflect the accumulated wisdom and aspirations of the society we serve. We question, explore and work to make a difference and extend the cannon of human knowledge for the better.

  You have demonstrated the deep relationship and dialogue between the University of Melbourne and our community, what matters to you and the role we play in meeting your expectations. From the graduates we produce, the research we explore, and the campuses we share, your generosity has shaped our public contribution to society.

  And with your support, the journey will continue.

  While some of the circumstances in which the university operates has changed, our work and purpose has not. That's no less important now than it was before the events of the past few years.

  Your trust in the University is a source of pride to us. We chose the word Believe, because we wanted to reach you, those who believe in the value of universities and the particular importance and value of the University of Melbourne.

  Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your support and thank you for trusting the University to use your gifts as you've directed and, wisely, in the interests of the University of Melbourne, our community and society. Thank you for trusting us, and we will continue to do our best to honour and fulfil your trust.

  Allan Myers AC QC
  Chancellor

• Dr Rachel Baird, Alumni Council President

  As an alum myself, I understand how valuable it is for us to engage in the life of our University, and for our University to engage with us in return. So, I was thrilled when this engagement was acknowledged as a key target of Believe, placing alumni and our community at the heart of the University.

  Our community has stepped up to make a difference throughout this campaign. More than 15,000 of us have volunteered our time, with more than 8000 alumni acting as mentors for students through mentoring initiatives and the Ask Alumni program. Even with the limitations we faced throughout the pandemic, more than 100,000 alumni also attended events and public lectures as the University continued to share its expertise with the world.

  I congratulate every member of our alumni community who has made a contribution, and thus made a difference. I am so proud of what we’ve achieved together and, alongside my Council colleagues, I look forward to continuing to strengthen our global community into the future.

  Dr Rachel Baird
  Alumni Council President

• Leigh Clifford AO, Campaign Chair

  The city of Melbourne has a number of great institutions but the hard work of the University of Melbourne, its people and the alumni community over the past 14 years has ensured it remains one of the best.

  The breadth and depth of your generosity is to be applauded. The University, its researchers, students, and community owe you a debt of gratitude. You have stepped up, and your generosity and imagination has changed the University forever.

  The opportunities you have provided, the people you have supported – be it through scholarships, investment in our sporting clubs, or ground-breaking research opportunities – has meant that students and researchers can give their very best.

  The University owes you a debt of gratitude for your contribution. You have given us the foundations for an even stronger future, for those who are studying now and those yet to come.

  Thank you.

  Leigh Clifford AO
  Campaign Chair

• Nick Blinco, Vice-President, Advancement

  When community comes together, amazing things happen

  Looking at this final campaign report, it is both humbling and amazing to see what you – our incredibly generous donors, supporters, alumni and volunteers – have enabled since we commenced Believe back in 2008.

  You have shown us the extraordinary impact that can be achieved when we link generous and visionary partners and supporters with our students and leading-edge researchers.

  You have shown us that an engaged, aware, and committed alumni and donor community, who have so generously contributed their time and expertise, can make a true difference in the world. You have made a difference to our students, to life-saving and life-changing research, and to the landscape of Melbourne.

  I have enjoyed every moment of working with you and everyone at the University to help make Believe possible. While the campaign has concluded, philanthropy will remain at the heart of our most ambitious objectives, and the engagement of our alumni and friends will be critical to the thriving life of the University. Together, you will help us to build a bridge to recovery following the challenges of the past two years; conducting research and developing researchers to help our communities thrive in a constantly evolving world.

  We will continue to work in partnership with you – our donors and supporters – to enable change, to support our alumni community, and to strengthen critical connections to business and industry. We will continue to support students to thrive and succeed in their studies so they can play valuable and meaningful roles in the years to come.

  Robert Louis Stevenson was right: you should judge each day not by what you reap, but the seeds that you plant. You have sowed many seeds and future generations will thank you.

  Together, you have given power to possibility. Thank you from everyone here at the University.

  Nick Blinco
  Vice-President (Advancement)