Duval College Appeal
2019 celebrates 60 years since Duval College was established on the University of New England’s Armidale campus. During that time, numerous students have shared your experience of living, working and studying in its rooms and corridors. The College, as well as the University’s residential system, has evolved and changed, staying committed to the needs of our students in creating a vibrant community of learning and providing them with the best possible foundation on which to build their future.
We are asking you to make a commitment to the future prosperity of the College and our students by donating to the Duval College. This provides you, and all of our alumni, with the opportunity to support our students through scholarships and other activities aimed at improving their experience of studying on campus at UNE in Armidale.
Today, Duval College is home to an inspirational community of young people who are dedicated to making the most of their time living on campus while receiving the 5-star educational experience that is a hallmark of a UNE education. The College offers a fun and vibrant environment that promotes a healthy balance between academic excellence and social and sporting opportunities. Your donation will help the College to add more value to that experience for the benefit of our students.
We ask you to support any of these three priorities:
The Edwina Ridgway Scholarship
The inaugural Edwina Ridgway Scholarship will be offered to a Duval College student in 2020. The scholarship celebrates the outstanding contribution that former Head of College, Edwina Ridgway, made to the lives of so many College students over the course of her 40-year career at UNE. It was established as an endowed scholarship by the Senior Common Room, College administration and scholarship donors, who worked with the UNE Foundation to consolidate a number of existing accounts to establish a new scholarship fund of $150,000. This fund generates enough income to enable the College to offer $6,000 per year to a student to assist with study and living costs. With your support, we hope to grow the endowed funds to $250,000 so that its income will support the full annual College fees for one recipient ($10,000 per year).
The scholarships offered by the University of New England each year aim to ensure that a university education is accessible to a wide cross section of the community. The new Edwina Ridgway Scholarship will help to create a supportive pathway through University for some of our future students who make an active contribution to College life.
New Kayaks
The College recently welcomed back an exhausted but exhilarated group of students who had taken part in the annual 111 km Hawkesbury Canoe Classic paddle. This is the 20th year that the College has sent down a contingent to take part in the challenge, which has become a mainstay of our annual calendar. The Duval Kayaking Club epitomises the Duval College ethos by combining sport, socialising, team bonding, leadership opportunities, and fundraising activities. Whether members choose to paddle or crew, it’s about fun, teamwork, achievement and charity, and the life values that we want to impart to our students. Interest in the event has grown and we ask your support in purchasing four new kayaks for the students to use for training and in the Challenge each year.
Junior Common Room Student Programs
As you know, the experience of living at Duval College extends far beyond academic studies. Our residents leave with fond memories of the active social, community and cultural life of the College — activities organised by the students themselves through the Junior Common Room. Your donation to this program will support the JCR leadership team to plan and organise special excursions, performances, events, workshops and other activities that will help create the vibrant, memorable student experience for which Duval College is known. The funds will be administered by the Head of College to support planned activities that allow our students to enhance their wellbeing, express and enjoy themselves as well as participate in the life of the University and the local community.
Your support is vital in creating new opportunities and initiatives for our students, resulting in fond memories that they too will cherish in years to come. The College has worked closely with the University’s Office of Advancement, Communications and Events to develop the Edwina Ridgway Scholarship and this Appeal. Your donations will be invested and managed by the UNE Foundation and allocated to the Head of College for use according to the purpose for which they were raised.
We ask you to remember your own experience of studying and living on campus and think about how it helped to form you as an adult. Many of our former students tell us that it was one of the best times in their lives. With your support we can help to make sure that our current and future students are able to access a similar experience and create new opportunities for them.
You can make a donation online or by attaching your payment to a completed Donation Form and returning it to the listed address. All donations to the UNE Foundation are tax-deductible and we will promptly send you a receipt.
If you would like to know more please contact the Duval College office on 02 6773 5700 or Donor Relations on 02 6773 2870 for further information.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Duval College.
