Giving to Glasgow

575 years of giving: the generosity behind Glasgow’s future

Each year on Commemoration Day, one of the University of Glasgow’s oldest traditions takes place: the reading of the Roll of Benefactors.  
 
As names are spoken aloud, from medieval nobles and monarchs to modern philanthropists and people who have left gifts in their will, the Roll offers a powerful reminder that great universities are never built by scholars alone. They are collective enterprises, sustained by people willing to invest in ideas whose future value cannot yet be fully known. 
 
This year’s Commemoration Day, held during the University’s 575th anniversary year, offered a particularly meaningful moment to reflect on that legacy. 
 
A tradition of belief 
Giving has shaped Glasgow since its earliest days.  
 
In 1460, Sir James Hamilton gifted land and buildings on the High Street that became central to the University’s first home. In return, he asked staff and students to pray twice daily for his family. A century later, Mary, Queen of Scots endowed support for “poor students”, an early act of widening participation whose impact still resonates today. Even the University Library owes part of its history to philanthropy: when King Charles I pledged funds for its development in 1633, he was executed before the payment could be made, but Oliver Cromwell later ensured the gift was honoured. 
 
The details may have changed over the centuries, but the spirit of giving has remained the same.  
 
Throughout the changes of time, donors have helped Glasgow grow, and that story continues today. 
 
Legacies that keep moving forward 
Among the names added to the Roll of Benefactors this year are the MacPhail Roxburgh Trust and Iain and Abigail Thompson, whose names will now join this long tradition of philanthropy. Their generosity will help shape  teaching, research and discovery for years to come.  

 
Sheila Tuck’s gift, made in memory of her husband Melville, a University of Glasgow engineering graduate, transformed a mechanical engineering teaching laboratory and equipped it for future generations of students. Affectionately known as “the Tuck”, the lab has become  the place where aspiring engineers gain practical skills and confidence. 
 
Now, as engineering moves into the new Keystone Building, the equipment and impact of that gift will move alongside it, continuing to inspire future generations of students. 
 
That feels fitting. 
 
Across 575 years, the University has changed beyond recognition.  Campuses have moved, new disciplines have emerged and the challenges facing society have evolved. But one thing has remained constant: you--the people who believe in Glasgow's future and chosen to invest in it.  
 
Gifts of every size, including gifts left in wills, have helped ensure Glasgow can continue changing lives and changing the world. 

The Roll of Benefactors is more than a record of generosity. It is a reminder that every generation helps shape the next. One day, the names being read aloud will include those who are investing in Glasgow's future today. 

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