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Supporting St Mary's College

A message from the Principal...

 I am writing to convey my personal thanks for your ongoing support of St Mary's College, and to give you an update on how your donations are being used to further the work of the Colllege. 


For me, it is both an honour and a pleasure to have stepped in to the role of Principal. I have already discovered that St Mary's more than lives up to her reputation as a warm and vibrant intellectual community, and I am determined to keep that hospitable and hopeful spirit at the heart of all we do. To that end, I also want to continue the long tradition of supporting our students in a challenging, enriching experience as they study in Durham. This tradition is made possible through gifts from our dedicated supporters, and I am personally so grateful to you for your continued support of the student body. 

Alumni gifts help students in several ways. First, they enable us to give scholarships and bursaries to students who face financial hardship. In addition, they give us the resources to offer bursaries to enable travel and internships to further our students' educational ambitions. In addition, we are able to help various societies and student initiatives at St Mary's that enable students to develop their interests in the arts, sports, or civic. 

Here are some examples of what alumni gifts have achieved during the year:

More than 20 students received bursaries, either for travel related to their academic studies or to fulfil a personal development opportunity. 
The Bee-keeping Society received support for thier 'Experinece Days'. 
We re-developed our darkroom to create a dedicated space for the Arts Society
17 students who were facing financial hardship received bursaries. 
2 new scholarships were established to help students from low-income households.

As we embark on a new academic year, we are keenly aware that our students face a particularly uncertain university experience and a greater financial burden than ever before. St Mary's was born a College to open up education for women - those for whom higher education seemed an impossible dream. In line with our founding ethos, we continue to seek ways for St Mary's to support education for people who - through whatever lack of privilege or opportunity - need assistance to realise their dreams.

That is why your support is as important as ever.  
To acheive this I want to ask you, as a St Mary's alum, to support the Student Development Fund. 

This Fund will be used in two ways - firstly to support St Mary's students in a personal academic or intellectual opportunity that they could not otherwise pursue because of financial limitations, and secondly by giving grants to JCR or MCR projects connected to cultural or sporting activities that will benefit the whole College community. 

Increasingly, we hear from students that they cannot afford anything beyond their core academic and living costs. We want to help our students to engage with the whole breadth of educational opportunities both in College, and right across Durham. As a St Mary's graduate, you know how vital extra-curricular scoieties were to rounding out your education, and we are asking you to help the next generation of students to have a similar experience. 

We want to be able to support every student who applies to the fund. To do this we need your help, whether in large ways or small. A host of small monthly donations, pooled together can make a dramatic impact on the life of a St Mary's student. For example, if you and nine other alumni gave just £10 a month for a year, we could support three different student initiatives. Every graduate who decides to give will make a tangible difference, with immediate effect, to the lives of current St Mary's students. 

With very best wishes, 

Professor Maggi Dawn, Principal
St Mary's College


 

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The 1899 Club - Regular gift

Leaving a Legacy

St Mary's College
Elvet Hill Road
Durham
DH1 3LR
+44 (0) 191 334 5719
stmarys.alumni@durham.ac.uk