Glasgow Caledonian University celebrates over £1.5m support from Santander Universities

Glasgow Caledonian is delighted to celebrate a new partnership agreement with Santander Universities marking more than £1.5m in support for students to date.

Since 2009, Santander Universities has supported more than 1,500 students and staff at Glasgow Caledonian through scholarships, travel awards, technology grants, Magnusson Awards, as well as mental health and wellbeing support, making a truly remarkable contribution to student life.

On Thursday, November 9, a special on-campus event took place bringing together Glasgow Caledonian staff, representatives from Santander Universities and beneficiaries of their support, to mark the signing of a new £150,000 agreement by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Decent and Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities UK.

Over the next three years, working with the GCU Foundation, Santander Universities will provide a programme of support focused on providing talented students with access to a variety of educational opportunities including scholarship, travel and personal development awards, as well as seed funding grants that will help aspiring entrepreneurs at Glasgow Caledonian to take their business ideas to the next stage.

Professor Steve Decent, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said: “£1.5 million pounds support is an incredible milestone to reach. I would like to thank Santander Universities for their support over the past 14 years, and for this generous new donation that will ensure students from some of the most challenging backgrounds get the support they need to thrive.”

Jill Watt, Director of GCU Foundation, said: “Hearing first-hand from students who have had life-changing opportunities thanks to Santander Universities funding is fantastic. This far-reaching support goes a long way, and has ranged from a student travelling to Kenya to re-build a library to staff receiving mental health training at the start of the pandemic to help signpost students to vital resources and services so they felt less isolated.

Matt Hutnell, Director of Santander Universities UK, added: “At Santander Universities we believe education is today’s solution to a prosperous tomorrow. We’re proud to continue our partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and provide even more opportunities for students, staff and the local community to develop skills to build a brighter future and achieve their future potential.”