University of Western Australia
UWA launched its Alumni Giving Program in 2001, to empower our community to provide an endowed scholarship fund and support cultural projects.
Twenty years later, with hundreds of scholarships awarded, 800-plus disadvantaged Year 12 students supported via the UWA Fairway program, 95 student-led projects funded and over $7 million raised, the UWA Alumni Fund has successfully established a culture of community giving and helped the brightest students achieve their dreams of a university education.
“Being the first in my family to go to university, and living most of my life in rural Northern Territory, I was grateful to receive the accommodation scholarship”, says Yone Ansell, Master of Professional Engineering graduate (2019), and 2014 recipient of the UWA Alumni Fund University Hall Scholarship. “Not only did it allow me to focus on my studies without financial worry, I also met so many new friends at Uni Hall from different cultures and ways of life.”
As you walk through the UWA campus today, you can see the evidence of alumni generosity. From the Business School building, to the iconic McGillivray Organ in Winthrop Hall, over to the community garden beds on the Nedlands campus; the footprint of community giving is truly embedded in UWA’s history.
Fairway UWA students at Summer School in 2015
And in times of crisis – when affected students required financial relief and assistance during the pandemic; when Winthrop Hall’s leadlight windows were damaged in the ‘great Perth hailstorm of 2010’ – this community spirit and generosity rose to the challenge.
With student support at its heart, it’s fitting that the annual campaign is delivered largely by a team of students who engage with our community and introduce them to the potential of philanthropy.
“It’s a real privilege to be able to speak directly to our community”, explains Euan Gleeson-Brown, current Business Law student. “On any given night I can be talking with a doctor, a retired teacher or a business leader. It is always an inspiring conversation and their generosity is truly astonishing."
With ongoing support needed for new initiatives like The Living Room, a mental well-being ‘safe space’, the life-changing kindness and generosity of our graduates, staff and friends continues to enrich the fabric of UWA.
For more information on the Alumni Fund visit: https://www.alumnifund.uwa.edu.au
Read the full issue of the Winter 2021 edition of Uniview. [PDF 3MB]