The 19th century campaign to build 'a University worthy of the city'
‘The Sub-Committees of the Senate, of the General Council, and of Gentlemen unconnected with the University, appointed to obtain subscriptions for erecting the new University Buildings and Hospital, beg leave to enclose for your perusal an Explanatory Statement by the Senate ... ‘... the joint Committees feel satisfied that they may rely with confidence upon the liberality of the alumni of the University, of the inhabitants of Glasgow and the West of Scotland, of the public at large, and of those Scotchmen who, though now absent from their native country, retain a regard for her Institutions and have been so prosperous in life as to be able to contribute.’
In the 1860s and 70s, Glasgow alumni and those connected to the city received an appeal to support the vision to build ‘a University worthy of the name of the city’ – a new campus at Gilmorehill.
Over 1,500 supporters contributed to the campaign with appeals reaching graduates in Glasgow, London and across the globe. The city’s community was asked to support the appeal as well as dignitaries and merchants whose donations named the great halls of the University, the Bute and the Randolph – familiar to many of us from exams and graduations.
Through subscription cards alumni pledged their support to enable the construction of the Gilbert Scott building. The people of the city and beyond pulled together because Glasgow mattered. As well as providing a lasting symbol of the importance of education, the project aimed to ‘promote efficiency and enhance the value of the institution to present and future generations’.
Each new wave of students and graduates since has benefited from the vision and generosity of their forebears and we want to thank those of you who are donors today for continuing this tradition and helping to ensure the University’s excellence for the staff, students and graduates of today and tomorrow. Almost 150 years ago, out of many contributions – some big, some small – came an iconic university campus and today, if each of our graduates pledged just £10 per month to one of our priority fundraising campaigns, it would generate an annual income of approximately £15m for the University.
This support would help deliver the University’s vision for the future and help enhance not only a University worthy of the city but a world-class centre of learning whose graduates and research provide benefits to communities in Glasgow, Scotland and throughout the world. We hope you will consider supporting your University and making a gift from this generation to the future.