Leicester v-c backs philanthropy campaign with £100,000 donation

The vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester, Nishan Canagarajah, has donated a six-figure sum to a philanthropic campaign launched by the institution. 

Canagarajah is giving £100,000 to the university’s “2121: Founders of the Future” campaign, which aims to raise £100 million to fund life-changing research and education, in what Leicester describes as one of the “most ambitious philanthropic endeavours” in its history. 

The donation, which is being made by monthly salary sacrifices, will specifically benefit the university’s Student Success Fund, which provides financial support for Leicester students facing financial difficulty.

Canagarajah, who grew up in war-torn Sri Lanka, said he was motivated to donate after he was able to fund his undergraduate studies and PhD at Cambridge through philanthropic scholarships. He said that “it is important that if I am asking others to contribute financially, I should do so myself”.

“I can firmly say I am where I am today because of philanthropy. I always felt that I have a duty to do something in return, and supporting the 2121 campaign is the perfect way to do so,” said Canagarajah, who is also chair of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association.

“One of the most deserving causes right now is student hardship. I’m really hoping that through this funding that students who are in real financial difficulty will be given an opportunity to succeed in their education and go on to do great things, just like I’ve been able to do in my life.”

Last year Goldsmiths, University of London also launched a philanthropic donation model to help “sustain its future”, which asked wealthy donors to give works of art to help fund creative education.

Leicester described the campaign as “comprehensive, facilitating a broad range of transformative projects”, with donors able to contribute to a range of initiatives, from capital projects and research initiatives to student scholarships. They will be able to request what area their money goes towards.

The university added that its origins were based in philanthropy, with its site having been gifted by a local businessman, Thomas Fielding Johnson, to create a living memorial for all local people who made sacrifices during the First World War. 

Canagarajah added that government and research funding “will always remain important, but philanthropy gives us something different: the freedom to think beyond immediate priorities and invest in ideas that could change lives decades from now”.

“The universities that shape the future are often those with the confidence and resources to take a long-term view. Philanthropy helps make that possible. It empowers us to support brilliant people, back ambitious ideas and invest in opportunities that might otherwise never happen.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com