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Philanthropic impact

Over recent months, the University of London has been fortunate to have received donations from a number of alumni, friends and organisations, enabling some important initiatives to come to fruition. These alumni include those who were members of the former Convocation, or who have given through the Convocation Trust, and we extend a sincere thank you to all for your continued support.

These donations have played a vital role in supporting the University’s strategic mission: allowing more students access to our unique education; stimulating innovative intellectual exchange and research in the humanities; and developing our organisation to anticipate the university of the future.

Warburg Renaissance to benefit from £3million donation

The Warburg Institute, part of the University of London since 1944 and a founding member of the School of Advanced Study, is set to benefit from a £3m gift by a German foundation. This gift, the largest ever donation to the University of London, will secure the future of the Warburg Institute and help it to grow its programmes and its outreach activities.

The Institute is planning a major capital development, known as the ‘Warburg Renaissance’, to transform both the Bloomsbury building and the services it offers. The project has been boosted by a generous donation of £2m from the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, a Hamburg-based foundation, which is a significant milestone towards the Institute’s fundraising target. The foundation had previously made a lead donation of £1m to the project in 2018.

The Warburg Institute was honoured to host Mr HermannHinrich Reemtsma, the foundation’s founder, members of the Reemtsma family and representatives from the foundation, on a visit to London in summer 2019. This was the last trip Hermann-Hinrich made before he died in 2020, and the £2m gift was pledged in tribute to Hermann-Hinrich, whose support and enthusiasm for the project was evident during the visit. The Institute and the University are sincerely grateful to the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung for its unprecedented generosity.

The Warburg Renaissance will create new spaces and programmes, allowing the Institute to open its doors to new audiences. In addition, it will host artists, curators, writers and translators-in-residence; serve as a laboratory for experimental exhibitions; provide a haven for exiled, itinerant and visiting scholars; and connect with leaders in digital technology to share collections and explore Aby Warburg’s pioneering work on images.

To find out more about the Warburg Renaissance project, please visit: warburg.sas.ac.uk/support

Alumni support recent telephone campaign

Regular opportunities to speak with alumni and friends of the University by phone are a key part of our fundraising efforts. These telephone calls allow alumni and friends to hear more about our activities and future plans, as well as raise vital funds in support of the University’s strategic needs.

In March and April 2021, the University of London collaborated with CoAltus, a professional fundraising organisation engaged by the University, to call UoL graduates and friends living in the UK. These phone calls gave alumni the chance to learn more about what is happening at the University, hear about the benefits and services available to them, and have the opportunity to make a donation in support of the University, should they wish to. The campaign also gave our callers, all of whom were University of London current students or recent graduates, a valuable opportunity to speak with our alumni and find out where their degree has taken them.

We would like to say a huge thank you to the 1,200 alumni and friends who took the time to speak with one of our callers, many of whom were members of the former Convocation. We are delighted to report that the campaign also raised over £20,000 in philanthropic gifts. One donor, Alan Prince, made a generous gift towards scholarships, to enable a student to complete their studies without financial worries. An alumnus of the University, Alan was inspired to donate after attributing his degree to helping him in his way through life. We extend a sincere thank you to Alan and to all those who kindly made a donation in support of the University.

If you are happy to be contacted by phone by University students and graduates in future, please ensure that we have your correct contact details by emailing alumni@london.ac.uk or completing our online form: www.alumni.london.ac.uk/convocation/keep-in-touch

The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

History of arbitration project receives generous support

A research project to investigate the history of arbitration in the 19th century will go ahead at the University, thanks to the support of the international arbitral community.

Access to Justice: Arbitration and Mediation in 19th Century England will follow on from Professor Derek Roebuck’s 20-year landmark study into the history of arbitration which, since 2013, has been hosted at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS), part of the University’s School of Advanced Study.

A prolific writer of arbitration history, Derek was a Senior Associate Research Fellow at IALS. His research was staunchly supported by Johnny Veeder QC, an influential figure in the field of arbitration. Sadly, both Johnny and Derek passed away in 2020. IALS has had an ambition to complete the final volume of this important historical study in memory of both Johnny and Derek.

The University has almost reached its target of £170,000 in donations, ensuring that this monumental series will be completed. We would like to sincerely thank all those in the international arbitral community who have so generously supported this fundraising effort. Beyond the academic impact, this initiative will be well-placed to inform Government policy, and to provide robust historical foundations to debates around arbitral practice.

To commemorate Johnny’s and Derek’s contribution to IALS and to the wider scholarship, the Institute and the University of London are very pleased to be naming the main event space in IALS in their honour. The VeederRoebuck Conference Room will also house a plaque to acknowledge and thank the most generous donors who have supported the project.

For more information on the project, please contact development@london.ac.uk

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