The Cambridge 800th Anniversary Campaign has now been completed, having raised £1.2 billion.
Launched publicly in 2005 as the most ambitious educational fundraising initiative in Europe, the Cambridge 800th Anniversary Campaign aimed to raise at least £1 billion.
Launched publicly in 2005 as the most ambitious educational fundraising initiative in Europe, the Campaign sought to maintain the University's ability to compete as a leader on the world stage of teaching and research. Under the theme of ‘Transforming Tomorrow’, the four goals of the Campaign were to increase support to students, to attract excellent academics to well-funded positions, to support excellence of research, and to conserve heritage and the University’s outstanding collections.
The Campaign attracted broad support from alumni and friends globally and 54,000 alumni, more than a quarter of the total, contributed at least once to a College and more than 8,000 contributed at least once to the University.
Acknowledging this success, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, said: “This is a remarkable achievement. I pay tribute to my predecessors, Alec Broers and Alison Richard, who saw the need for such a Campaign and then led it with such distinction. The University and the Colleges are immensely grateful to all our donors who have given to this Campaign so generously.
“It is now the right time to declare that the 800th Campaign is complete. But, paraphrasing Churchill, this is simply “the end of the beginning”. The need for philanthropic funding to sustain Cambridge’s position as one of the best universities in the world has never been greater. To be a global leader in education and research requires Cambridge to continue to be a leader in philanthropy. We are beginning, immediately, to prepare for a new, even more ambitious Campaign”.
Find out more about the impact of the 800th Anniversary Campaign and philanthropy at Cambridge in our final Campaign report and our stories.
What made Cambridge special for me was the people and the sense of community – the feeling of being treated as an equal and belonging to something bigger than yourself... My time here – so different from my preconceptions of Cambridge – has made me determined to share my experiences with students as unsure about applying to Cambridge as I was four years ago.
Charlotte Richer (Jesus College, 2004), Liaison Officer, Cambridge Admissions Office
With its commitment to rigorous intellectual collaboration, outstanding resources and uncompromising support of its academics and students, Cambridge provides the most nurturing environment in which to test new ideas. The resulting advances in fundamental knowledge underpin applications of new knowledge in diverse areas such as biomedicine that benefit the whole of society.
Professor Azim Surani CBE, Professor of Physiology and Reproduction
Cambridge made me. I played sport, I directed plays, I wrote some bad poetry and had it published. I learned to use a film camera. Oh yes, and I did some work as well. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, at Cambridge you will always find a means of expression.
Sam Mendes (Peterhouse, 1984), Film Director
Our students make us into better teachers by the demands they make and the challenges they offer: they really make us think. To witness the growth of a student's intellectual personality, and to know that you've played a part is what makes this job so rewarding.
Dr Gavin Alexander, Lecturer in English, 2008 Pilkington Award-winner
Cambridge is a great place! We have outstanding, committed colleagues, first-rate facilities for research and scholarship and excellent students who form an integral part of our community. The support of our benefactors is ensuring that Cambridge continues to attract the very best by providing them with the resources and freedom necessary to fully develop their potential.
Dame Jean Thomas CBE, Master of St Catherine's College, Professor of Macromolecular Biochemistry
