Celebrating Philanthropy and Honouring our Benefactors
Posted on 7 August 2019
Graduation in Summer 2019 was like no other before as we invited our inaugural members of the College of Benefactors to sit alongside our graduating students and to receive our collective appreciation for the transformational support they have given to the University of York, our staff and our students over a great many years.
It was our privilege to welcome the Leverhulme Trust and the Wolfson Foundation as founding members of the College of Benefactors in recognition of the depth and breadth of their philanthropy and its enduring impact on the landscape of higher education at the University of York and across the UK.
The College of Benefactors is the highest honour that the University bestows upon our supporters and partners in recognition of their philanthropy.
Through their vision and generosity, these supporters have transformed the opportunities for some of the most gifted scholars who would otherwise have never realised their full potential. They have opened up new avenues of inquiry and research.
The College is a cornerstone of York Unlimited and raises awareness of the powerful impact of philanthropy. These benefactors share our sense of responsibility to better understand the problems and opportunities of today’s world.
Our Founding Members of the College
Welcoming The Leverhulme Trust
Founded in 1925 by the Lord Leverhulme, a committed philanthropist throughout his life, the Leverhulme Trust came into being to provide ‘scholarships for… research and education’. Over the last 94 years, the Leverhulme Trust has helped to transform research and scholarships across the UK and beyond through their commitment to nurturing original and outstanding scholarship that transcends disciplinary boundaries.
At York this includes the launch of the new Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity which will bring together world-leading researchers to improve our understanding of the relationship between humanity and the world's biodiversity.
Welcoming The Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation’s mission is to improve the civic health of society through investment into education and research. Established in 1955 by Sir Isaac Wolfson, the Foundation has continued to evolve and respond in a truly dynamic way to improve the health of society through the creation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. At the University of York the generosity of the Foundation surrounds us.
This includes the Wolfson PhD Scholarships in the Humanities, the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories and the soon to be built Eleanor and Guy Dodson Building, which will provide one of the world’s most advanced cryo-electron microscopy facilities.