On Tuesday 18 June, we were delighted to welcome 40 handpicked donors to a special ‘thank you’ celebration. This forms a key part of our efforts to build a vibrant donor and scholars’ community at City.
Deputy President Elisabeth Hill presided, opening the speeches by sharing updates about the importance of philanthropy to the university, establishment of a Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualisation in collaboration with the University of Warwick and finally City, University of London’s merger with City St Georges, University of London to create a powerful multi-faculty institution.
It was a great pleasure to hear from James Boyle (Property Investment 1997) who talked about being inspired by the person that once jumpstarted his car. When James thanked him with a coffee in a local cafe and called him a hero, the motorist said, ‘feels good doesn’t it?’ James used this analogy to highlight how he supporting our students makes him feel – that he’s making a difference, and it does indeed feel really good.
The guests thought this would be a challenging act to follow. However, they weren’t expecting the thoroughly moving story from Fedaa Al Jundi, recipient of the Stephen Knafler QC Scholarship at the City Law School. Named after the late Stephen Knafler QC (an exceptional barrister known for his work in the forefront of the protection of the rights of migrants and vulnerable asylum seekers in the UK), this award funds one student annually on the Bar course at City. Fedaa spoke passionately about his journey to City from a war-torn Syria and how the funding from donors goes beyond that of financial help.
Our guests then enjoyed a whirlwind tour of our engineering laboratories, guided by our engaging and enthusiastic academic colleagues in the School of Science and Technology. Highlights included the Wind Tunnels, the Civil Engineering Centrifuge facility, Mechanical Engineering laboratory and the new Augmented Reality learning space.
Guests had a memorable evening, sharing the following feedback:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, including the tour of the world of experimentation downstairs. What struck me most was the professors’ infectious enthusiasm for their respective areas of expertise – their students are lucky to have them.”
“It was great to have an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at your special engineering labs in the depths of the building.”
“I really enjoyed seeing the wind tunnels and listening to the enthusiasm in the voices of everyone I spoke to.”
We are grateful to all our donors and the impact that they make to City and our students and are pleased to have had the opportunity to thank this small group in person.