THANK YOU – FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

A message of gratitude to alumni and friends - from the Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Duncan Ivison

I am so grateful for the generosity of spirit that many alumni and friends demonstrated in 2011, since it makes a real difference to what we – researchers, teachers and students – can achieve, for the benefit of Australia and the world. From the most transformational of major gifts and bequests through to the growing groundswell of annual gifts, community support continues to play a vital role in equipping us to do our best.

In 2011 it was a great privilege for us to announce to the University and wider community the farsighted benefaction of the late Tom Brown, LLB ’46, BA ‘74, expressed through his extraordinary $9 million gift, establishing the Tom Austen Brown Fund for Pre-history. This endowment will fund a prestigious academic chair and research program in the linked fields of archaeology and anthropology.

Equally, it was a special milestone for us to welcome and thank – for the first time in the history of our Faculty – more than 800 financial supporters in a single calendar year. These donors, drawn from our most engaged and committed alumni, friends and staff, have provided critical funds for current expenditure on strategic priorities, student support, and equipment. While visionaries like Tom Brown transform our ability in a profound and lasting way, annual supporters boost our capacity and confidence today.

2011 was a notable year for the Faculty in so many ways. We continue to attract the very best students from around Australia and the world, young people who do remarkable things both inside and outside the classroom. And our researchers continue to excel – in 2011 we were ranked among the top 20 faculties of our kind in the world across a range of global ranking indices. But we couldn’t do this without your support. We have made it a priority over the past 2 years to re-engage with our alumni and friends and I am thrilled that so many of you have responded enthusiastically.

Last year I sought support for our Student Activity Fund and I was delighted by the generosity of the response. Through this program, some of our talented undergraduates have received financial support to attend conferences and events around the world. This has exposed them to new ideas and cultures, and enabled them to meet young leaders like themselves and help put their studies into wider context. Events have included the Harvard World Model United Nations, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, the International Association of World Englishes and a special undergraduate conference at the Kule Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Alberta.

Student prizes, bursaries and scholarships have long been a high-priority with our donors, and rightly so. I am therefore delighted to announce that in 2012 we will establish The Dean’s Scholarship Fund in order to provide further encouragement and assistance for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Through this fund we will be supporting our remarkable students to extend their studies in innovative and transformational ways – whether this involves fieldwork in South East Asia, attending a prestigious academic conference, gaining access to a valuable archive, or working with local community organisations. We think this is exactly what is required to help produce the leaders of the future.

This exciting initiative brings together a number of our existing programs, including the Student Activity Fund, the International Exchange Scholarships Fund, and the Postgraduate Graduate Research Support Scheme. Indeed, it is directly as a result of the generosity of alumni and friends that we are taking this important next step to help our talented young women and men reach their full potential.

On behalf of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, I thank you for helping us to achieve the ambitions we have for students, staff and our community, and for contributing so that we can compete with the best in the world. I do hope to that we will continue to benefit from your involvement and support.

Sincerely,

Duncan Ivison

PS. All gifts for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are tax deductible and our development and philanthropy officer Guy Houghton welcomes your enquiries and ideas – feel free to contact him at .