Aberdeen business chief Duncan Skinner has donated £10,000 to Robert Gordon University (RGU) to help widen access to higher education and enhance the student experience.
The global financier turned social entrepreneur has pledged £10,000 towards the RGU Foundation Annual Fund which secures philanthropic gifts from alumni, friends and staff to enhance the university and its student experience.
As an RGU alumnus, the former chief financial officer of oil giant PSN and current chairman of social enterprise Glencraft, which he saved from liquidation in 2009, wanted to give something back to the university and ensure others get to experience higher education.
Mr Skinner, who graduated from RGU in 1979 with a degree in Business Studies, said: “I think that while students enjoy a fantastic education – both academically and socially – this is a privilege which without support can exclude those less fortunate and unable to afford the investment in further education.
“I also think that those graduates who go on to great career success should give something back to the university which equipped them with the skills and knowledge to achieve their professional goals.”
His donation will assist the RGU Foundation Annual Fund with projects which benefit current and future students of RGU and cannot be funded through existing channels.
Stephanie Miller, development officer at the RGU Foundation, said: “We are extremely grateful for Duncan’s very generous gift which will go towards funding projects that give students access to the best possible education and extracurricular experience, as well as supporting the development of focused, industry-oriented and high value research programmes.”
The Annual Fund invites applications for academic and administrative projects that make an immediate impact on the student experience, which are then picked for funding awards by a sub-committee of the RGU Foundation Trustees.
In October 2015 the first Annual Fund awards were made to student projects RGU:Nightline, a confidential listening support service, and the 5710 architecture society; a Wider Access Discretionary Fund to provide critical financial support for vulnerable applicants and students experiencing financial disadvantage; a student mobility to India project; and a psychology research project.
For more information on the RGU Foundation and its Annual Fund visit https://www.rgu.ac.uk/supportingrgu