North American Newsletter, Issue 17, Autumn 2014 by University of Glasgow

North American Newsletter Issue 17 Autumn 2014 For alumni and friends living in North America

Inside Glasgow 2014 the “Best Games Ever”! See page 3

Get ready for #Giving Tuesday See page 4 & 5

Events round-up. See page 6

Welcome from the International Dean

The Pennyroyal Caxton Bible: a gift for Special Collections

Glasgow 2014 kicked off on 22 July and for 11 days the city was bustling with the arrival of thousands of sportsmen and women, visitors and spectators. We saw an incredible display of world-class sporting talent including a mix of alumni, students and staff who competed at the Games in a variety of sports. While all the excitement of the Games has passed we are looking forward to welcoming the next generation of home-grown and international students onto campus this autumn. Providing an excellent student experience is one of our three strategic priorities and we are delighted to report student satisfaction rates are higher than ever before at 91% according to the results of the National Student Survey 2014. Among the highlights was the fact that we were ranked 2nd in Scotland and 6th in the UK. A fantastic result I am sure you will agree. The quality of teaching at Glasgow attracts students from more than 120 countries worldwide and this year the University offered a number of new courses as part of our International Summer School. Students from all over the world took the time to study with us on a variety of courses, gaining credit towards their degree as well as an all-important international experience. University of California students completed a Physics course which is a key requirement for their graduation and a group associated with Arcadia University also joined in the summer fun doing undergraduate research in Chemistry, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics.

The University Library was recently delighted to accept a long term loan from American Alumni of Glasgow University (AAGU) of a beautifully produced illustrated edition of the King James Bible. The Bible was gifted by Bruce and Suzie Kovner to AAGU ‘in recognition of the academic studies of the University of Glasgow and the aesthetic and scholarly standards of the Library’. This handsome book was printed in 1999 by the Pennyroyal Caxton Press in a limited edition of only 400 copies. Produced to the highest standards of modern book design, the Bible is a delight to behold. Finely printed on handmade paper, it is bound in two imposing folio sized volumes, each in its own full linen tray case. However, it most outstanding feature are the illustrations by Barry Moser. The foremost American master of wood engraving, his imagination has been described by Joyce Carol Oates as ‘rich, undulating and unfathomable’.

This Bible is now housed in the Library’s Special Collections where it complements an exceptional collection of Bibles from the library of William Euing (1788-1874). Euing’s library of some 17,000 volumes was bequeathed to the University in 1874. It includes a collection of bibles, psalters, books of prayers and hymns amounting to 3,000 volumes, including 24 ‘incunabula’ (those books printed before 1501). The Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (now Sp Coll Euing Add. f46-47) therefore joins an incomparable resource for students and researchers of biblical history. Visitors to Glasgow are, of course, warmly welcome to visit Special Collections and see our latest acquisition for themselves. This was a work which, after all, was designed ‘to be enjoyed as a book as well as a sacred text’. For more information about visiting, please see www.gla.ac.uk/services/specialcollections or email special@lib.gla.ac.uk for further details. Julie Gardham Senior Librarian, Special Collections

How to contact us

Professor David Fearn International Dean for the Americas

Caroline Gould, International Development Coordinator Development & Alumni Office, 2-3 The Square, University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ Scotland, UK Tel: +44 (0)141 330 7071 Email: caroline.gould@glasgow.ac.uk www.glasgow.ac.uk/alumni

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games From 22 July to 3 August Glasgow welcomed thousands of athletes, officials and visitors, hosting a fun-filled festival of sport and culture on a monumental scale never before seen by the city, making Glasgow 2014 the “Best Games Ever”! The University had 14 Athletes competing at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games from staff and students to alumni. Current students Laura Muir and Camilla Hattersley impressed by reaching the 1500m Final in the Athletics and the 800m Freestyle Final in swimming. University of Glasgow Alumni also shone with Jax Thoirs, a recent graduate reaching 4th in the Pole Vault Final just missing out on a medal and Angus McInroy reaching the final in the Discus after an impressive display at Hampden Park. Elsewhere, Team Scotland Women’s Hockey Team finished 6th overall. It included students Susan McGilvery, Emily Maguire and Nicola Skrastin. We also had competitors in the Men’s and Women’s Marathon with staff members’ Hayley Haining, Derek Hawkins and Susan Partridge finishing 13th, 9th and 6th. The University also had a team member for Pakistan, student Muhammad Shahzad played the individual Lawn Bowls finishing 5th in his group. Lynda Flaws was the most successful of our students reaching the Team Classification Final in Table Tennis but lost 3 – 1 to Northern Ireland. Lynda also competed in the Table Tennis Women’s Singles and Doubles where she reached the second round.

Country ENGLAND 58 59 57 AUSTRALIA 49 42 46 CANADA 32 16 34 SCOTLAND 19 15 19

Position

Bronze

Gold

Medal Standings

Silver

Here are some of the University’s highlights from Glasgow 2014.

1 2 3 4

1. Queen’s Baton arrives on campus carried by Dr Des Gilmore (School of Life Sciences)

7. The cloisters provide the backdrop for Team Scotland member Frania Gillen-Buchert

2. The University looms over the bowling venue at Kelvingrove

8. Student Muhammad Shahzad took up lawn bowls when he came to study at Glasgow from his native Pakistan

3. University staff get their moment with the Queen’s Baton 4. Members of the Jamaican delegation - including Major Desmond Brown, Chef d’Affaires of the Delegation, Anthony Davies and members of the Bolt family – visit the University 5. The University of Glasgow had couple of other visitors too – The Kelpies posed in East Quadrangle 6. Great effort from student Laura Muir in the 1500m final at Hampden Park

9. The Nextbike UK scheme arrived in Glasgow just in time for the Games. We have some right on our doorstep at the Wolfson Medical School Building 10. The Tanzanian judo coach shows one of our academics, Dr Heather Ferguson, how it’s done 11. Members of the Tanzanian Team visited the University’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine 12. The Big G taking centre stage on George Square

Giving Tuesday is coming! 2 December 2014 Support Travel Scholarships and open a world of possibility for our students.

What is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving. This year on Giving Tuesday we’re asking our alumni in North America to come together to show the world why it’s good to give. The simple idea behind Giving Tuesday is to encourage people, charities and businesses to donate time, money or their voice to help a great cause. Giving Tuesday is a day of giving around the annual shopping and spending season and provides a platform for you to contribute to your very own Alma Mater. What’s more the University of Glasgow Trust has agreed to match all donations from the USA and Canada on Giving Tuesday to help make this season the biggest giving season yet! Donations from our Giving Tuesday campaign will be directed towards Travel Scholarships. Travel scholarships allow students to gain important experiences that can expand their horizons, further their research and enhance their employability. Many of our alumni in North America travelled to Glasgow to enhance their studies and university experience. Similarly a large number of graduates have taken up opportunities to play valuable roles in our global community by moving overseas. It is our ambition that all our students should have this kind of opportunity during their time at University. Our target for this campaign is to fund

Travel Scholarships

Donate your

Time Money Voice We invite all of our alumni in North America to be part of this celebration.

If you would prefer to make a postal contribution send your cheque to the addresses below dated Tuesday 2 December 2014.

If you haven’t given before this is a great way to get started! Or if you are already a regular supporter, you can of course give an additional gift on Giving Tuesday.

From the USA cheques are made payable to:

Whether you are giving from the USA or Canada here’s what you can do to make this initiative a success:

American Alumni of Glasgow University Melvyn Pond, President AAGU 183 Wolf Harbor Road Milford CT 06461-1961

Go to our website and make a donation at www.gla.ac.uk/givingtuesday.

From Canada cheques are made payable to:

You can choose how much to give from $10 to $1,000 and anything in between! Don’t forget all donations on Giving Tuesday will be matched by the University of Glasgow Trust.

University of Glasgow Development & Alumni Office 2-3 The Square University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ Scotland, UK

Share the good news and encourage your fellow alums to support our campaign by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter @GlasgowAlumni and use the #GUGivingTuesday hashtag to spread the word.

#Glasgow2014biz raises University profile Giving Tuesday follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday and after spending a lot of money on ourselves this is a great way to give back and spend our time and money on the causes close to our hearts.

The Commonwealth Games Business Conference on 22 and 23 July drew political and business leaders and raised the University’s global profile. Visitors to the Gilmorehill campus over the two days included the Prime Minister, David Cameron, the Chancellor, George Osborne and the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond.

“I was awarded a scholarship to allow me to travel to the USA to conduct research for my Masters dissertation in Art History. It resulted in me being awarded an internship at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I am so grateful for this scholarship in ways that reach beyond my time at University, and extend into my career and life experience.”

The conference involved experts and business leaders with experience of working across the Commonwealth, from the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney to the Founder of international chicken restaurant chain Nando’s, Robert Brozin. They talked about issues such as how international trade can be a driver for economic growth and the best way to build and spread further sustainable growth, while still delivering a business return.

Emma Forbes, Travel Scholarship recipient

Why not take an #UnSelfie

Did you know:

Gifts from the USA to American Alumni of Glasgow University (AAGU) are tax deductible and directly benefit the University. Supporters from Canada can also make tax deductible contributions to the University. Support us on #GUGivingTuesday and your donation from the USA or Canada will be matched by the University of Glasgow Trust.

You can find out more about the University, the Commonwealth Games and our Commonwealth connections by going to www.gla.ac.uk/commonwealthgames

Eldon Hay (PhD 1960) is the 2014 winner of the Canadian Society for the Study of Religion book prize for The Covenanters in Canada: Reformed Presbyterianism from 1820 to 2012.

telling us why you have decided to support Glasgow on #GUGivingTuesday and share with us on Facebook and Twitter. Over the coming weeks we will be spreading the word via email and on our online social and networking sites too. Have a great idea on how to give back on #GUGivingTuesday? Let us know!

Prime Minister, David Cameron addressing the Business Conference.

Book prize winner Eldon Hay

The annual award recognizes an outstanding monograph in Religious Studies written by a member of the CSSR and published during the previous three years. Though he is no longer authoring books, Dr Hay still writes, in his retirement from Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. In October 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

UConn students research social media use at Glasgow Five graduate students from the University of Connecticut’s Higher Education and Student Affairs Master’s programme spent three weeks at the University of Glasgow in early summer in the second such research internship programme hosted by the University. The group was commissioned to carry out research into social media use, particularly by international students prior to and during their studies at the University of Glasgow. Their report included analysis of best practice elsewhere and recommendations for future development. It found that

overall, students viewed the University’s engagement through social media very positively.

Events round-up Montreal Alumni Pub Night, Thursday 1 May 2014

San Francisco Alumni Drinks, Friday 2 May 2014

Whilst visiting McGill University, our Scholarships Development Officer, Kate Richardson, hosted a small pub night for our alumni in Montreal. Despite competing with one of the biggest ice-hockey matches of the year, it was a great event meeting new people and some familiar friends. The alumni who joined Kate also made plans to keep in touch following the event.

Frances Shepherd, Vice President International Development, and Emma Sloan, International Development Officer, welcomed around 50 alumni and friends to an informal evening get-together at 472 Gallery in San Francisco. A number of prospective students also attended the event and had the opportunity to quiz the alums about their experiences at the University and in Glasgow. Guests enjoyed wine, beer and cocktails on what was one of the hottest evenings of the year in the city.

Washington Exhibition and Afternoon Tea, Saturday 21 June 2014

San Diego Alumni Drinks, Thursday 29 May 2014

To coincide with the launch of the new exhibition An American in London: Whistler and the Thames, the University invited local alumni to come along to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC for a special event. The afternoon included a private tour hosted by Dr Lee Glazer, Associate Curator of American Art at the Freer Gallery of Art, followed by afternoon tea for all guests. After arriving in London in 1859, American artist James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) set out to capture the rapidly changing urban environment. The exhibition, co-curated by two Whistler scholars from the University of Glasgow, Margaret MacDonald and Patricia De Montfort, focused on his paintings and prints of the Thames, from the early etchings of the London docklands to the atmospheric ‘Nocturnes’ of the river at Battersea.

20 local graduates and friends met with Professor David Fearn, International Dean for the Americas, Acting Vice Principal & Head of College, College of Science and Engineering, at Torrey Pines Golf Course for an informal social evening. The get-together was an opportunity for local alumni to meet each other, swap contact information, and discuss ideas for future events in the area. For anyone interested or with suggestions for future events to help revive the Southern California Alumni Association contact Norrie Russell at norrierussell@yahoo.com.

Grey and Silver: Old Battersea Reach James McNeill Whistler 1863 Oil on canvas The Art Institute of Chicago

Nocturne: Blue and Gold—Old Battersea Bridge James McNeill Whistler ca. 1872—1875 Oil on canvas ©Tate, London 2013

Dates for your diary We are looking forward to meeting alumni and friends at our forthcoming events. Keep an eye on our webpages at www.glasgow.ac.uk/alumni/events to find out about events and activities in your area.

Tuesday 25 November Thursday 5 March Saturday 7 March

Andrew Carnegie Lecture Washington, DC Burns Supper North Carolina Burns Supper

Andrew Carnegie Lecture Series Paul Tudor Jones II, Founder and Chairman of Tudor Investment Corporation, will visit Glasgow on Tuesday 25 November 2014 to deliver the second Andrew Carnegie lecture “The Business of Conservation”. The lecture will see Paul Jones talking about the role of philanthropy as a strong force in key worldwide issues such as health, poverty alleviation, education and conservation. His continuing contributions to conservation are highly complementary to on-going research in the University’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine and the Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, which won the Queen’s Anniversary prize for Higher and Further Education in 2013. Funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York will support the lecture series at the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews over ten years, bringing some of the world’s most important thinkers to Scotland to engage with local audiences in a vibrant exchange of knowledge and ideas in the arts, sciences, education, and international affairs.

Commonwealth celebrations in Ottawa and Toronto During the run up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July the University hosted a variety of new events including receptions in Ottawa and Toronto on Sunday 27 and Tuesday 29 April 2014. Around 30 alumni and friends of the University gathered at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa for an afternoon reception. It was the first time the University had staged an event in Canada’s capital and the visit was timed to coincide with the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay, the curtain-raiser to the Games, in the city. Professor Anne Anderson, Vice Principal and Head of the College of Social Sciences, welcomed the guests who had the chance to view a specially-commissioned series of posters highlighting the University’s Canadian connections through the years. The ‘style-venue-du-jour’, the Storey Building in downtown Toronto, was the location for the second alumni gathering in Canada this year.

Some 70 alumni and guests from the City of Glasgow came along to this fabulous venue for a networking reception which continued the Commonwealth theme and also coincided with the Baton’s arrival in Toronto. In addition to a presentation from Professor Anne Anderson, guests enjoyed a speech by Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, in which he stressed the strong, shared heritage of the two institutions. Councillor Matheson also spoke of the excitement and passion around the Commonwealth Games, their legacy and long-term benefits for the city and looked forward to an ever-strengthening relationship between University and City in the years to come. The assembled alumni - whose graduation dates spanned the 60 years between 1954 and 2013 - then had the chance to enjoy some drinks and canapés and to mingle with University of Glasgow staff, the City Council delegation and executives from both Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Glasgow 2014.

Giving from Canada

Giving form

(tax deductable)

American Alumni of Glasgow University

Give online: www.gla.ac.uk/about/givingtoglasgow Telephone: +44 (0)141 330 2810 or email Emma.Sloan@glasgow.ac.uk to arrange a call from Glasgow.

Give online: www.glasgow.ac.uk/givefromtheUSA

Please complete this form and return to: Development & Alumni Office, 2-3 The Square, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK

Please complete this form and return to: Melvyn Pond, President, AAGU, 183 Wolf Harbor Road, Milford CT 06461-1961

Name

Name at graduation (if different)

Address (inc postal code)

Address (inc zip code)

Phone

Graduation Year

Degree and Subject

I would like to make a gift to the University of Glasgow of $

Enclosed is a cheque made payable to ‘The University of Glasgow’

I will give this amount every year for

I would like to make a gift in the amount of $

years

Please charge my Visa Delta Mastercard Switch (please note that we cannot accept American Express): Card number Start date

Expiry date

Please accept my gift to further the mission of American Alumni of Glasgow University.

I will give this amount every year for

I enclose my check payable to American Alumni of Glasgow University

years

My company will match my gift; I will forward the appropriate forms to AAGU

Issue number (Switch only) Card security number (on reverse)

Signature Date

I wish to convey to the Board of Directors of AAGU my hope that consideration will be given to allocating this contribution to

Please allocate my gift to support: The Chancellor’s Fund The Scholarships Fund* The Beatson Pebble Appeal The Medical Fund* The Vet Fund* The Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre College of Arts* College of Social Sciences* College of MVLS* College of Science and Engineering*

I understand that AAGU’s Board of Directors retains sole discretion and control over all gifts made to help support its grants to the University of Glasgow. The University may not include my name in its publications in connection with or by reason of my gift to AAGU.

*If applicable, please specify which project you would like to support eg. Small Animal Hospital, Edwin Morgan Postgraduate Scholarship fund.

Please send me information about making a gift in my will I would like my gift to remain anonymous

Thank you for making a donation. Acknowledgment of your gift will be sent to you. Please make cheques payable to ‘The University of Glasgow’, not ‘University of Glasgow Trust’. The University will send you a receipt for your own tax records.

2014 AUT NA NEWS

Thank you for your donation. Acknowledgement of your gift will be sent to you. Details about this gift will be shared with the University. American Alumni of Glasgow University is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (recognised by the U.S Internal Revenue Service) which funds grants that benefit the University of Glasgow. In compliance with IRS regulations, the Board of Directors of American Alumni of Glasgow University maintains complete discretion over allocation of gifts to the University. A copy of its latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from its Treasurer. If you are giving from Canada, please complete the form opposite. 2014 AUT NA NEWS

Data Protection Act 1998 Under the codes of the 1998 Data Protection Act, the University of Glasgow will use the information provided by you for University education, social and charitable purposes only. Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 The Development & Alumni Office acts in accordance with the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Information on donations received by the University of Glasgow is provided in ‘Giving to Glasgow’ and other project-specific newsletters. Information is included only on donors who have given us their express permission to do so.