Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones this week launched the VC’s Circle with a formal dinner and discussion of the Liverpool 2031 strategy in the Victoria Gallery and Museum.
The VC’s Circle comprises a select membership of individuals and organisations whose philanthropic contribution has had a sustained and profound impact on the University.
Professor Tim Jones said: “It was a real honour to be able to celebrate the inaugural VC’s Circle dinner with so many friends of the University, both longstanding and new, to recognise the enormous contribution that philanthropy makes. This supporter community is at the heart of what we do at Liverpool and will continue to play a significant role in shaping our future. I was delighted to be able to personally thank our guests for their support and welcomed the opportunity to continue to build on these meaningful relationships which have proved to be so vital to the University.”
Among those present were representatives from donors who supported the University of Liverpool’s recent fundraising campaign with IntoUniversity. Everton in the Community, the LFC Foundation and the Steve Morgan Foundation were instrumental in funding the new learning centre in Kirkby, which officially opened last week and will work with 1,000 young people each year.
Individuals and organisations present at the dinner supported a range of transformative initiatives at the University of Liverpool, from cancer research and the Liverpool University Biobank to PhD scholarships and bursaries for students facing hardship.
Anthony Hannay, Trustee of Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust, which recently supported the new Equine Isolation Unit at Leahurst, said: “It was a privilege and pleasure to attend the inaugural dinner of the VC’s Circle. Professor Jones, after 15 months in office, did not hide from the challenges facing the sector, but enthusiastically laid out his plans for taking The University of Liverpool forward to its 150th anniversary in 2031 and beyond. It also gave the guests a splendid opportunity to get to know other supporters of the University and to get to know better members of the Philanthropy Team with whom we interface.”