Margin of Excellence
A Message from the Vice-Chancellor
The University of Sydney has a proud history, much of which has been enabled because of the farsighted generosity of others.
Without the visionary gifts of people like Thomas Fisher, John Henry Challis and Sir Samuel McCaughey the University would not be what it is today and generations of students could not have enjoyed its benefits. Generous philanthropic support has revitalised the University time and again. So much of what we have achieved since 1850 has been because our many supporters have shared our vision for a great university.
It may surprise many to learn that, up until the Second World War, the University’s income from benefaction was significantly more than from the Government. Commonwealth funding for higher education steadily increased only after WW2 and expanded to include the costs of running a major research university and extend grants and scholarships to students as well. This funding relationship cultivated a sense that the public coffers had, and always would, be sufficient to sustain all our activities.
Unfortunately this is no longer the case. Today, it is increasingly clear to universities across the world that Government cannot pay all the costs for a university to be genuinely world-class. In fact our Commonwealth operating grant accounts for only 18% of our revenues, a share that has steadily declined since the mid-90s.
Our future is tied in no small part to our capacity to find new sources of support. Now, more than ever, the ongoing support of our alumni and friends plays a critical role in making that difference between a good, and a truly great institution.
Our vision for the University is a place where students and researchers are engaged together in a community of scholars where excellence in research and education is prized because of the benefit it creates for Australia and the wider world.
Recently a number of visionary gifts have enabled us to move more quickly towards our goals. This philanthropic support has a remarkable impact in a range of ways- from creating academic chairs to enable us to recruit professors who can conduct advanced research in the most critical issues that affect our society, to establishing named scholarships allowing the brightest students to maximise their potential, to building a modern campus. There is no doubt philanthropy can transform both the scope and the quality of our ultimate achievement.
On behalf of the staff and students of the University of Sydney, thank you for your support and for helping us to thrive in a changing world.
Michael Spence
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
Some history...
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The University of Sydney has benefitted from the generosity of many individuals such as these: |
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The first bursary the University awarded was the Maurice Alexander bursary, endowed in 1874 with a gift of £1000 from Mr. Alexander’s widow. This bursary allowed student Edward Raper to attend and take advantage of the sporting opportunities at Sydney. He ended up leading the first NSW team on its New Zealand tour in 1882.
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In 1880, the University Chancellor, Sir William Montagu Manning, announced the Challis bequest of £276,000, (equivalent to $32 million today) from John Henry Challis who bequeathed his residuary real and personal estate to the University of Sydney “to be applied for the benefit of that Institution”.
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In 1885 the University received £30,000, worth almost $4 million today, from the estate of the late Thomas Fisher. The bequest was to be used "in establishing and maintaining a library" – this is now the Fisher Library.
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University of Sydney researchers will be able to pursue innovative solutions to one of the 21st century’s biggest global health challenges thanks to the £13.5 million (A$20.6 million) sale in 2011 of Picasso’s Jeune fille endormie, given to the University by an anonymous donor on the strict understanding that it would be sold and the proceeds directed to scientific research.
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The University has benefitted enormously not only from these landmark gifts, but from the generosity of thousands of supporters.
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