Harper Life 2019 - Alumni Magazine

Harper Adams University is delighted to have been awarded £1million by the John Oldacre Foundation to provide a fund fromwhich support can be drawn to support a PhD scholarship, together with taught postgraduate and undergraduate awards starting from academic year 2019/2020. The awards will be co-funded by other charities or industry partners as well as the Harper Adams Club, which has agreed to draw on its annual funds donated by alumni to help support the new scholarship scheme. Dr David Llewellyn, Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University said: “The University has been supported in its applied research work by the John Oldacre Foundation for many years. We are delighted that the Trustees have decided to make a major donation to the University so that it can continue work to support PhD students, and to extend that opportunity to undergraduate and postgraduate students on their taught programmes.” Mr Henry Shouler, Trustee of the John Oldacre Foundation said: “The Trust has been very pleased with its long standing links with Harper Adams and that we have now entered into a partnership with the University that ensures that the John Oldacre legacy will be maintained in perpetuity, through the research and experience of the future John Oldacre Scholars chosen by the University.” The John Oldacre Foundation was formed in 1981 and has provided financial support for the advancement or promotion, for the public benefit, of research and education in agricultural sciences and the publication of the useful results of such research since that date. £1M from John Oldcare Foundation to fund PhDs Vet school set to open in 2020 In September 2020, the Harper & Keele Veterinary School will welcome its first cohort of veterinary medicine undergraduate students. The new veterinary school, developed as a partnership between Harper Adams and Keele Universities, will provide a five-year programme leading to a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery, with training to be delivered on both university campuses in partnership with local clinical providers and industry partners. Professor Mills said: “Our vision is to build on the strengths of the two universities. Harper has considerable experience as a provider of veterinary nursing and physiotherapy and extensive animal facilities, whilst Keele has a leading medical school - these are very strong synergies. “The school will work in partnership with a large number of practices, and we’ve been absolutely delighted with the response we’ve had from the veterinary profession wanting to work with our vet school, and with the appointment of our new Head of School Dr Matthew Jones. “The first beneficiaries of the vet school will be the students, giving them another choice in the UK, which will offer them something slightly different, including engagement with agri-tech, agriculture engineering and business studies. The local economy in the West Midlands will also benefit significantly from the school with an influx of 500 students and a substantial number of staff.” Veterinary education centre contruction under way Building is well under way at the site of the new veterinary education centre at Harper Adams University. Telford based building and civil engineering contractors, McPhillips (Wellington) Limited, have been erecting the steel frame for the new building, which will serve students of the new Harper & Keele Veterinary School as well as those on Veterinary Nursing, Veterinary Physiotherapy and wider animal sciences courses at Harper Adams. The 2,200sqm building – equivalent to half a hockey pitch or four netball courts – will include a range of facilities across two floors. It will have two new lecture theatres, a large number of IT rich teaching and learning spaces, and will provide the full range of necessary clinical skills environments as well as first class general teaching rooms. The £7.3 million centre is part of a wider investment at Harper Adams of £10.2 million over the next year. Work on the build started towards the end of July 2019 and will be complete for the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year. A number of generous pledges to support the centre have been received to date. The University’s Development Trust is continuing to actively seek support for this exciting project, including capital funding and/or sponsorship/donations of equipment Any alumni who feel they can assist in any way are invited to contact Doris Taylor on 01952 815095 If you have any ideas to support to the university or to find out more about opportunities to donate, please contact Doris Taylor, Head of Development, Development Trust. Tel: 01952 815095.