Legacy giving
LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Give a gift to UCL in your will
Welcome
UCL is a centre of academic excellence, hitting the headlines on a daily basis with expertise that spans the sciences and the arts, as well as the globe. Being part of UCL is something to be extremely proud of. By giving a gift in your will to UCL you will be part of this community in perpetuity. Many of us were fortunate to benefit from a free education. With the changes to university funding, studying for a degree will be tougher for every student. Your decision to support future students through a legacy gift will help ensure that UCL’s doors stay open to all, regardless of their background. I am truly grateful to all the alumni, friends and staff who have chosen to express their gratitude and belief in UCL through a gift in their will. Every legacy will make a real difference by transforming lives and giving opportunity to the next generation of students and researchers. I would like to give you my personal and heartfelt thanks for your commitment to UCL, and hope you will join me in considering a gift to UCL in your will. UCL President and Provost, Professor Malcolm Grant
Student support Scholarships and bursaries enable the best students to study at UCL, regardless of their background, and give students the time to make the most of every opportunity.
Research Enable the brightest researchers to make discoveries and inventions that will change the world.
The UCL Endowment Fund Contribute to the Greatest Needs Endowment Fund to enable UCL to respond quickly to emerging priorities and new opportunities, or establish a special endowment fund at UCL for a specific purpose.
An unrestricted gift is especially valuable as it enables UCL to direct funds where they are needed most. We do not know what the future holds, but with an unrestricted gift to UCL you can be assured that your legacy will be well spent.
What will your legacy be?
If you would like your gift to support a specific area, please consider directing your support to the following:
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Student support 2
Alistair Thorburn Alistair is a third year Medical Student at UCL. He is married and has three children. As a child, Alistair had wanted to be a doctor. At 34 he decided to go back to education, retake his A-levels, and make it happen. Alistair is incredibly grateful for the support he receives from the ‘Dr and Mrs Bennett Walters Scholarship’, the legacy of the late Robert A. Rogers (LLB, 1936).
“I remember the exact moment when I was stood in the North Cloisters and knew UCL would be a great place to come to study. This year has been incredibly hard, but I am reminded daily what a privilege it is to be here: to meet the patients; watch the surgeons; and walk down the corridor and speak to UK experts. Receiving this scholarship makes a huge difference to my life. It means I don’t have to work part time, so I can be home by 6pm to spend an hour with my daughter before she goes to bed. Because the scholarship is for the duration of my course we’re able to include it in our budget and know that it’s definitely coming. If you are thinking about leaving a legacy gift to UCL, don’t think that the amount you could give is too small, as every gift makes such a difference, especially to a student living in London.” Alistair Thorburn, UCL Medical student
Student support
Sarah Macdonald Sarah graduated from the Slade in 2009 when she was 31. She supported herself through her MFA and her excellence and hard work were rewarded when she was awarded the Clare Winsten Memorial Prize. This prize was established with the legacy gift of Theodora Winsten, in memory of her mother who graduated from the Slade in 1910.
“Being awarded the Clare Winsten Memorial Prize was a great honour, and made a massive difference to my painting and my life. In painting, having money is having time to paint. I didn’t have to take on extra work to pay for my flat, so I was able to spend seven days a week in the studio and develop a considerable body of work. I maintained my freelancing work so that the money would go further and I kept some aside for special projects such as my trip to Berlin. The prize has given me the freedom and confidence to invest time in my painting at such a crucial stage of my development and I am immensely grateful for it.�
Sarah Macdonald, Slade 2009
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Research
Inspire the greatest minds and a brighter future
Newborn babies being cooled on low-tech mattresses
Thanks to UCL research, baby cooling is now a standard treatment in the developed world and saves one in nine babies with birth asphyxia from death or severe disability. Dr Nicola Robertson’s group are now researching which drugs can be used alongside cooling to save more babies from adverse outcomes. Her group also researches different lowtech cooling methods in India and Uganda, such as mattresses made from water bottles, to see if they are safe and effective when a reliable source of electricity for cooling is not available. If successful, these clinical guidelines will be disseminated to neonatal centres across the developing world.
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Whatever your area of interest, a legacy gift to research at UCL is a highly efficient way to give to something you care about. UCL undertakes world class research through sophisticated research groups, international collaboration and the daily dedication of expert researchers. A gift in your will to research at UCL means every penny of your gift will go directly to the research area of your choice and make a real difference.
The World Health Organisation estimates birth asphyxia to be one of the top six causes of death in children under five. UCL has been at the forefront of perinatal brain research for over 30 years. Dr Nicola Robertson leads a world-class research group at the UCL Institute for Women’s Health who are trialling therapeutic hypothermia (‘baby cooling’) in countries with low resources, to reduce the effects of birth asphyxia.
“One or two of every 1000 babies born in the UK are starved of oxygen during birth, which can cause death or brain damage, and the rate is much higher in countries with limited resources. It is distressing to see an otherwise perfect and healthy baby suffer in the last few moments of birth. Baby cooling is a simple idea; it re-sets the brain and conserves energy, which the baby instead uses for self-survival.” Dr Nicola Robertson
Endowing your gift is a unique opportunity to give your support in perpetuity, and create an ongoing association with UCL. An endowed gift is one which is invested by UCL and the income spent annually to provide a steady source of funding each year.
A gift to the Greatest Needs Endowment Fund will help safeguard the future of UCL. The Greatest Needs Endowment Fund is a permanent endowment generating income each year for the university to use wherever the need is greatest, enabling UCL to respond quickly to emerging priorities and new opportunities. We can also offer you the opportunity to set up a named endowment fund and to specify its purpose, giving you the choice of how your gift is spent in years to come.
The UCL Art Collections contain over 10,000 objects and were founded in 1847 with a gift of the sculpture models and drawings of John Flaxman, above.
UCL is a world class institution thanks to the philanthropic support and foresight of staff, alumni and friends. One of the first endowments to UCL was from George Grote, a member of the founding UCL Council. He died in 1871 leaving an endowment to establish a Chair of Philosophy of Mind and Logic. Another early bequest was from the estate of Felix Slade, a famous London art collector, whose endowment of 1868 was used to establish the UCL Slade School of Fine Art. “Our decision to leave a legacy is a joint one and our motives centre upon a wish to help provide such an experience for other students. Our legacy will be endowed to establish the Lawrence Scholarship in Medicine for students in hardship. There can be few better uses for your funds in the future.� Patrick Lawrence (Anatomy 1955, UCHMS 1959)
The UCL Endowment Fund
Invest in world-class excellence
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My legacy gift to UCL
Margaret Mountford
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“I have many happy memories from my time spent in UCL’s Greek and Latin department. When I went for my interview, the academics I met with were so enthusiastic about their subject, it was a real breath of fresh air compared to my experiences of the City. The quality of teaching at UCL is excellent. I feel privileged to be taught by the experts in my field. I have enjoyed the benefit of a wonderful educational experience, at a time when it was essentially free. I’m conscious that I was very lucky, and I have decided to make a legacy gift to UCL so that I can give something back. Although university education can no longer be free, it can still be valuable if as many of us as possible can lend our support and, in so doing, help to preserve this excellence for future generations.”
Margaret Mountford, UCL Greek & Latin 2004
My legacy gift to UCL
Professor Jeremy Hyams “I spent 25 years at UCL, starting as a Lecturer and ending up as a Professor and Head of Department. UCL provided me with an environment that allowed me to grow as a researcher and as a person. That supportive environment also applies to the care of its students. UCL is fortunate in attracting some of the brightest young minds in the UK and beyond. Inevitably, many students experience financial and personal difficulties during their time at university. UCL provides support at many levels but often it is the unselfish, and often unrecognised, actions of individual members of staff that allows students to overcome their difficulties. I have made a legacy gift to UCL to provide support for students across the university in the greatest financial need. UCL is a special place. I know it will use my legacy conscientiously. I am incredibly proud to play a small part in UCL’s continued success into the future.”
Professor Jeremy Hyams, UCL Biology 1978-2003
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How we can help you
Thank you very much for your interest in giving a gift to UCL in your will. We would be delighted to speak to you to find out what you would like your gift to achieve and to help you establish a gift to UCL that will reflect your wishes in years to come.
Please contact us directly on: tel: 020 3108 3822 email: legacies@ucl.ac.uk
or write to us at: Legacy Giving, Development & Alumni Relations Office, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT.
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Give a gift in your will to preserve the richness of UCL life
UCL Gower Street London WC1E 6BT www.ucl.ac.uk