Pictured at the launch of the campaign at the Gala Dinner, London, are (from left to right) Professor Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Exeter, Floella Benjamin OBE, Hon DLitt, Chancellor of the University of Exeter, and guest speaker Jonathan Dimbleby Hon LLD.
University of Exeter campaign launched
The University launched its campaign, Creating a world-class University together, on 5 May at the annual Alumni Gala Dinner in London.
More than 200 alumni and friends of the University attended the Gala Dinner, which was held in the beautiful surroundings of The Inner Temple, in the heart of London’s legal quarter.
The guest speaker at the event was the writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and University of Exeter honorary graduate, Jonathan Dimbleby. On the eve of the General Election, he spoke about his experiences reporting in the political arena and about the importance of this election to the nation.
The campaign seeks the support of the University’s alumni, friends, staff and current students to secure its position in the top 10 UK universities and build its reputation internationally for excellence in teaching and research.
To achieve these goals, the University is aiming to raise £23 million, to secure more than 250 legacy pledges and to recruit 2,012 hours of volunteers’ time for Exeter by 2012. To date, more than 4,000 alumni and supporters have already contributed £15 million towards the campaign target; 176 legacies have been pledged; and 1,221 hours have been volunteered, mainly to help our students enhance their employability prospects.
At the launch, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve Smith, said: “Our ambition is to transform Exeter into a world-class university, offering world-class campuses and producing world-class research and graduates. To achieve this we must become even more self-sufficient and even less reliant on public funding.
Our university has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become one of the world’s leading universities. But we cannot do it without the help of our alumni, our honorary graduates and our friends. Together, we can secure the future of our university. We can create a world-class University, together.”
A selection of photographs taken at the Gala Dinner Campaign launch on 5 May, 2010 at Inner Temple Hall, London.
Support the campaign
If you would like to support the campaign by making a donation or volunteering your time to help our students, please contact: Charlie McCallum, Campaign Director, telephone: 01392 723360, email: c.mccallum@exeter.ac.uk, post: Development and Alumni Relations, Northcote House, The Queen’s Drive, Exeter, UK, EX4 4QJ
For more information, please visit: www.exeter.ac.uk/campaign
Date: 6 May 2010
