Donor Impact Report 2014

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It is my pleasure and privilege to introduce the Brasenose Donor Impact Report for 2014 and to thank you, our members, very warmly for your support of Brasenose College. The generosity of the Brasenose community is extraordinary and is hugely appreciated by everyone connected with  College.This report gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that we are using our resources, which you have helped us enhance, wisely and transparently. This is underlined by the details of our financial operations which you will see further on in this report and by the messages and accounts of experiences from some of those current students who have benefited from your generous gifts.

Brasenose continues to be an institution of world-class teaching and research. In order to ensure that we maintain the highest academic standards, we look to our members and benefactors to support us in our endeavours.

Every year, I am moved by the number of members, across the whole range of matriculation years and academic subjects, who give back to the College from which they have received so much in the past. This year, as in previous years, our members have supported a number of projects and causes including student bursaries, our library and archives, sporting and cultural activities and grants for a range of extra-curricular schemes and we thank you all very much indeed.

In recent years, your support has also enabled us to endow a number of tutorial Fellowships at Brasenose in Law, Politics, Economics and Classics, demonstrating the commitment of the BNC community in protecting the tutorial system, attracting the best academics and ensuring that the College remains a place of high intellectual achievement. You will, of course, continue to receive information in future reports about the progress of the Fellows in these and other posts, and their impact on excellence in their fields. In last year’s report, I mentioned that the first stimulus to our plans to enhance our library facilities came from our current students. Major capital projects are not possible without the support of the Brasenose community. Your unstinting generosity has a hugely positive impact on the

College’s capacity to undertake such projects which will endure for years to come.

As you read through this report, you will discover that around 25 per cent of our students receive some kind of financial assistance during their studies here – so your continued support is vitally important in ensuring that the brightest minds in our society are not burdened by worries about money and maintenance costs.

Thank you for your generosity and for playing such an important role in the health and the outstanding success of the Brasenose community.

Professor Alan Bowman Principal

Welcome from the Principal

Brasenose continues to be an institution of world-class teaching

and research

Major capital projects are not possible without the support of the

Brasenose community

Around 25% of our students receive financial assistance from College

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Phil’s storyIf you have spoken to ‘Phil’ during Brasenose’s Telethon over the last two years then you were speaking to me. I trained to be a caller because I wanted to help maintain a fund which has benefitted me so much recently and allowed me to make the most of my time at Brasenose over the last two years.

Everyone knows that living at university is expensive and even small things like buying books, which I need for my English Literature degree, eventually add up over time. Thankfully I’ve not had to worry too much about this, or over-stretching my student loan, and for that I’m extremely grateful to the Annual Fund donors.

Being able to support myself has meant, importantly, not burdening my parents and for that I owe a huge ‘thank you’ to all those who chose to donate. Funds like this make an Oxford education available to

students who might otherwise not consider it and, as the JCR’s Access and Admissions Rep, I know how important this is. I never tire of persuading prospective applicants to apply to our university and it is therefore heartening that this support system continues to encourage the best and brightest to apply regardless of financial background.

Phil Rigley (English Literature, 2012)

By giving back to BNC, you show that you are committed to making Oxford available to students who might not have considered applying or are prevented from applying because of the cost. Phil’s story below really does say it all: we need current students to demonstrate that an Oxford education is available for anyone who shows academic promise, regardless of their background. Only you can ensure that this aspiration remains a reality in perpetuity.

This has been a fantastic year for Brasenose; thank you very much for your incredible contributions. You donated an outstanding £2 million to BNC, including £576,000 to endow a Graduate studentship, £272,000 to endow undergraduate bursaries, £221,000 to endow a Classics Fellowship, £185,000 to endow a Law Fellowship and a record £314,000 to the Annual Fund. Thank you.

The Annual Fund is where most of you directed your gifts. Unlike endowments, this fund is spent instantly, giving you the opportunity to have a real impact on students’ experiences as quickly as possible. If we were to establish an endowment with the same annual return, we would have to raise almost £8 million. Never believe that your donation is insignificant.

For some of you, this will be the first year that you have donated to College. We would like to thank you especially for joining us. I do hope that you feel

welcomed into our community of donors and I hope you have a chance to meet the students whom you support and see just what a di�erence you make.

The year ahead is an exciting one for Brasenose. We will, of course, continue to admit some of the finest minds in society through our gates. For those who need it, the bursaries that are funded and, in some cases, endowed by you will help them overcome any financial obstacles that they face. Also, we look forward to revealing details of the exciting multi-million pound

improvement of the library in Old Cloisters. It promises to be an incredible transformation – a twenty-first century library space

in a beautiful building commissioned between the reigns of Charles I and Charles II, overlooking the magnificent vista of Radcli�e Square. All of which won’t be possible without your generous contributions to College life.

The entire college community is very grateful for your support and I do hope that you come back and visit us soon.

Dr Liz Miller Director of Development & Fellow

Thank you

Never believe that your donation is insignificant

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As a former student caller, I have witnessed first-hand the generosity of Brasenose alumni. The table opposite shows the 2013-4 ‘class giving’ results by matriculation year in decades ranked by ‘participation rate’. Put simply, this is the number of donors as a percentage of possible donors.

Since graduating, I have become a Year Rep for my matriculation year group. I believe that, as alumni, we should help the current crop of students in any way we can – through mentoring, attending College events and ultimately giving back to College. The easiest way that we can have a huge impact on the current students’ experiences at College is by giving to the Annual Fund. Donations of any size have a huge impact on College and it would be fantastic if as many of us as possible gave back. In particular, I would be personally very happy if the 2010 onwards group made their way up the rankings! Come on, let’s do it.

James Johnson (English, 2010 – Year Rep)

Ranking Matric Decade % Participation

1 1950-59 24.01%

2 1960-69 21.39%

3 1970-79 16.63%

4 Pre-1950 15.48%

5 1980-89 14.31%

6 1990-99 9.49%

7 2000-09 4.93%

8 2010 onwards 3.45%

Fundraising at Brasenose

College finances Incomen Academic £2.4mn Domestic (incl conferences) £3.0mn Investments (Endowment return) £3.2mn Development (ex Endowment gifts) £0.4mn Other £0.1m

Total £9.1m

Expendituren Academic £2.2mn Student Support £0.4mn Domestic (incl. conferences) £3.9mn Loan interest £0.4mn Overheads £2.0m

Total £8.9m

Endowmentn Equities – UK £19.7mn Equities – Overseas £36.4mn Private Equity £5.4mn Land and property (direct & funds) £28.6mn Hedge Funds £12.9mn Cash/Other £2.2m

Total at 31 July 2013 £105.2m

Expenditure

Income

Endowment

Our endowment covers around 35% of our costs

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Sarah’s storyMy only financial support comes from scholarships, bursaries and loans. Although I probably would be able to scrape through a degree on student finance alone, my bursary has given me the opportunity to participate in Oxford life rather than merely survive. Thank you so much for this.

Receiving a Brasenose bursary has made a huge di�erence to my time in Oxford. In addition to essential help with my day-to-day living expenses, it has allowed me to get involved with aspects of College and University life from which I would have otherwise been excluded.

I have been able to a�ord membership of a number of Oxford societies: the Oxford University Gliding Club, which I captained for the past year; the Women’s Blues Football Squad; and the Oxford Union, through which I have pursued my passion for competitive debating and was even selected to judge at the 2013 European Universities Debating Championships.

It also funded my participation in Mooting: representing Oxford, reaching three Semi-Finals and substantially improving my future job prospects as a barrister.

I’ve even been able to attend a couple of Oxford Balls, something I never thought I’d be able to experience!

Sarah O’Kee­e (Law with Spanish Law, 2012)

Hugh’s storyWhen I came up to Brasenose I was lucky enough to be in receipt of financial support from the College in the form of an annual payment and a one-o� ‘start up’ bursary for costs associated with coming to Oxford.

Your support has made a huge di�erence to my first year at BNC. Firstly, Oxford – with the tri-pressures of students, tourists and capital-bound commuters – operates on what are essentially London prices. However, the government does not provide a ‘London premium’ loan to students in Oxford like they do to those who study in the capital itself.

Also, Oxford – with all its wonderful traditions – has certain costs (gowns, hall etc) which can be expected to be higher than those of other universities and which, again, are not accounted for in central government calculations.

Finally, with the intense pressure of Oxford terms there is no realistic opportunity to get a term-time job in order to support one’s study, which may be an option at other universities. More broadly on this point, with the all-consuming nature

of Oxford academic study it is super not to have to worry about money all the time. I think proving that Oxford is not a financially exclusive place to study through the college grant support system is one of the most important jobs that access work can do.

I was also lucky enough to be in receipt of a travel grant

this summer to travel to Washington DC. This will be a fantastic opportunity to support my degree academically by meeting BNC alumni at the Pentagon and the British Embassy.

I am hugely grateful for the extra help that your donations have given me. Thank you.

Hugh McHale-Maughan (PPE, 2013)

Your impact on students

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I read Botany at Brasenose but learned so much more, something I was vaguely aware of at the time but truthfully have only come to appreciate fully years later. I loved my subject but, although much of my learning was beyond the college gate, I gained just as much from being part of the Brasenose family.My friends studied the arts, humanities, law, as well as sciences; and those friendships, the conversations, the cut and thrust, inquiry and debate, were a uniquely valuable part of my student experience. They broadened my interests, educated me in the general sense and sharpened my mind. All good things for the world of work but, more than anything else, experiences that made me a rounded, better person, able to get on with anyone.

More than twenty years later I appreciate how fortunate I was, and continue to be, thanks to Brasenose. It is for that reason, and the hope that my donations help others have the same benefits, that I donate to the Annual Fund.

Dr David Lloyd-Thomas (Botany, 1988)

I thoroughly enjoyed the life of a residential student at BNC. As well as working hard towards the gaining of an M.Sc., I also played squash, hockey and rowed for College teams and appreciated attending the Oxford Union debates as a Frewin Court resident.In 1987 I was appointed Headteacher of an inner London comprehensive school, and upon leaving that post in 2005 continued my professional career in a number of di�erent ways.

As a teacher and headteacher for over 40 years, I strove to broaden the horizons of my students. The opportunity provided to me by BNC’s Annual Fund Student Support option is one I greatly appreciate. This means that I can still continue to encourage and financially enable young people with restricted means to attend Oxford University and, most particularly, benefit from being a student and becoming graduates and alumni of Brasenose College, thus enabling them to fulfil their ambitions and dreams.

Mrs Patricia Sales (nee Hull) (M.Sc. Governance of Education, 1985)

Why I give

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Like many of us I was lucky enough to come from a generation for whom there were no university fees. Whatever the merits of the current system, in my mind the gateway to the best education should never be based on ability to pay. Moreover, I remember that I chose Brasenose because its philosophy was an inclusive one – it made its selection based on merit and enthusiasm rather than background or means – and helped wherever necessary. These are enduring qualities and I am happy to help make sure this positive and enlightened approach continues.

Dr Ian Jauncey (Physics, 1982)

Francesca’s storyI believe the Annual Fund is an integral part of Brasenose and its success.

My goal in life is to be a museum curator so the chance to see how collections are treated and displayed in other countries will be very important.

I have been given the opportunity to embark on a tour of Athens and

the Peloponnese with the British School at Athens. Not only will this provide me with a more comprehensive

understanding of many colossal building projects featured on my degree course, but also give me an opportunity to see museums across the world and thus decide what constitutes a successful museum. I am so excited about the trip which would not have been possible without the Annual Fund’s support.

The fund allows students to undertake trips and other forms of academic pursuit, which may not have been open to them otherwise. The opportunity to try new things, and perhaps take risks, makes college life so enjoyable. The Annual Fund has a positive impact because Brasenose students know that they have the College’s support to achieve their dreams or try once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

I would like to thank donors for their extraordinary generosity and support. You have provided me with one of the best summers I could have hoped for.

Francesca Anthony (Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, 2013)

The most popular gift to the Annual Fund is £15 per month. Any gift has a huge impact on BNC and its students.

Ella’s storyThanks to your generosity, I was able to spend a month in Buenos Aires as an intern for Ensamble Lírico Orquestal. I am keen to explore a career in arts administration and I feel strongly for increasing the accessibility of the arts.

Ensamble Lírico is a Classical music organisation with the specific aim of promoting and developing Classical music in popular culture. Whilst I was there, I worked on productions of two concert series, a Festival of the music of Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, and Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess, both performed at the Auditorio Belgrano, the second largest symphonic hall in the city. My duties ranged from managing the box o¯ce on concert evenings, to accompanying choral rehearsals, and translating the libretto from English to Spanish for the subtitles.

This internship allowed me to contribute to this in a country whose arts industry is just beginning to flourish.

It also introduced me to some of the key skills required to work in this industry. The donation meant that I could live in a shared house with other foreign students and interns, allowing me to mix with people from a variety of backgrounds but also experience living life like the locals in a totally foreign city. Furthermore it was a great opportunity to improve my Spanish language skills.

I am extremely grateful to Annual Fund donors for their kind support.

Ella Thorpe-Beeston (Music, 2012)

Student stories

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Victoria’s storyI am very grateful for the funding that I received, thanks to your donations to Brasenose College as this has helped cover the costs incurred during my project.

I have just finished my second year of my Chemistry degree and this summer I will undertake a placement in Prof. S. Davies’s research group in the Chemistry Research

Laboratory. I have been assigned my own project and am working under a DPhil student to support

their research (and perhaps ultimately towards the publication of a paper). This will have a huge impact on me and hopefully on the ground-breaking research in the department too.

My experiences this summer, aside from being very enjoyable, will be invaluable in my degree; the project that I submit will be counted towards my final practical mark and the experience will doubtless be in my favour when applying for my Part II (4th year) project (and likely jobs in the future as well).

Thank you very much for giving me the chance to seize this incredible opportunity.

Victoria Atkinson (Chemistry, 2012)

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What our students have achieved this yearThis has been a fantastic year for Brasenose students. You should be very proud that your support has helped them achieve these remarkable outcomes. Thank you.

• This year, our students obtained outstanding results in their Final Honour Schools examinations. Of our 107 candidates in this cohort, 30 achieved first-class honours, 71 upper-second class and 6 lower-second class.

• Of these, several have been awarded prizes for their achievements. Amongst them, Bethan Rodden (Ancient and Modern History) was granted a prize for her final year thesis. You can read her story on our website.

• Our BNC Arts Week 2014 was a roaring success with outdoor jazz on the quad, a performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing and some rather less traditional events such as live mayonnaise-making.

• Three of our students were elected as Oxford University Students’ Union o¯cers: Louis Trupp (President), James Blythe (VP Access and Academic A�airs) and Ruth Meredith (VP Charities and Community).

• Brasenose had a solid Summer Eights, with more bumps inflicted on other colleges than su�ered ourselves. Amazing results in preparation for the 200th anniversary of BNCBC.

For centuries, the generosity of our benefactors has enabled the brightest students to benefit from the experiences that a Brasenose education has to o�er. A gift in your Will helps us to ensure that these experiences will always be available for our students.

A legacy is a particularly special gift. It is a unique way of giving which shows that you believe your gift will have such a positive outcome, that you make it knowing you will not be there to witness its transformative e�ects.

Those donors who generously include BNC in their Will are entitled to take their place in the Alexander Nowell Circle. Nowell was a Fellow, and later Principal, of Brasenose. He was also Dean of St Paul’s, a celebrated angler, the supposed inventor of bottled beer, and one of

the most energetic and committed supporters of the College. As well as his personal gifts, he

also persuaded Elizabeth I to join him in granting funds for the ‘poor Scholars

from the School of Queen Elizabeth in the Royal Hall and

College of Brasenose’. Meetings of the Alexander Nowell Circle give us the opportunity to thank those who have remembered Brasenose in their Will. Each year, members of the Circle, and their partners, are invited to a luncheon in celebration of their generosity.

Making a gift to Brasenose in memory of a loved one or friend is another way to make a special gift This is a perfect way to remember someone with a very special connection to you and to Brasenose.

If you would like to discuss making a gift in your Will or making a gift in memory, please contact Dr Liz Miller, Development Director, on +44 (0) 1865 287277.

A bequest to Brasenose

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Single and regular giftsYou can make single gifts by cheque (payable to Brasenose College), credit or debit card or via the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

Regular gifts can be made via direct debit, CAF or standing order. You can arrange a regular gift to suit you, by giving monthly, quarterly and annually and at a level with which you are comfortable. Direct debits give you

the flexibility to change your gift in the future without visiting your bank.

You can also give to BNC via bank transfer. Please contact the Development O¯ce for more details.

If Brasenose is able to claim Gift Aid on your donation, let us know and we can provide you with the necessary forms.

Making a gift onlineThe University of Oxford’s online giving page allows you to give a single or regular gift, as well as make a Gift Aid declaration, with all donations going directly to BNC. You

can give online by visiting www.giving.ox.ac.uk/colleges/brasenose.

Stocks and sharesGiving shares is an attractive method of giving. Gifts of shares are free of Capital Gains Tax on accumulated value, and you may set this value against your Income Tax liability – a double advantage. We can o�er guidance

on giving stocks and shares but it would be beneficial for you to consult your financial advisor over the exact tax implications this will have for you.

Giving from outside the UKIf you pay tax outside the UK, giving online (see above) may be the easiest method for you, dependent on the nature of your gift and your location and circumstances. The University of Oxford giving website o�ers advice and forms on giving from many countries. If you want to

discuss tax-e¯cient giving to College from your country, please contact the Development O¯ce.

Those who pay tax in the United States can give via the Americans for Oxford website. Please visit www.oxfordna.org/giving_how.htm.

Other queriesIf you have any questions about your current or future donations, please contact the Development O¯ce on development.o¯ce@bnc.ox.ac.uk or +44 (0)1865 287277.

Thank you for supporting Brasenose.

Ways to give

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Remember to Gift Aid On donations made by UK taxpayers, Brasenose can claim a further 25p for every £1 donated

at no extra cost to donors.

If you are a UK taxpayer, Brasenose can claim Gift Aid on your behalf if you pay Income or Capital Gains Tax equivalent to or of greater value than the amount we reclaim. We can reclaim on gifts made in the last four years and on an ongoing basis as long as it is supported by documentation. If you qualify and have already given us a declaration, you need not do anything. However, if your

circumstances change, you must tell us as soon as possible so we can amend your record accordingly.

Thank you so much for allowing Brasenose to reclaim Gift Aid on your behalf. It is a small gesture with a very big impact.

Brasenose College oxford ox1 4aJ United Kingdom •www.BnC.ox.aC.UK • +44 (0)1865 287 277

development.offiCe@BnC.ox.aC.UK•twitter.Com/BnC_memBers•registeredCharityno.1143447

Photographs by Dr Julia Diamantis, Dr Joe Organ, Keith Barnes and Molyneux Associates. Edited by James Fletcher.