Spending priorities

1. Rosemary Murray Fund: the establishment of a fund to be called the Rosemary Murray Fund for Student Support, for both undergraduate and graduate students. The College will ensure that through the 50th Anniversary Campaign it will have achieved by June 2006 a capital sum of £330,000. Fundraising for this priority will remain ongoing.

The purposes for which the Fund and its income shall be expended shall be determined from time to time by the Council, after consultation with the donors, in the light of such factors as the prevailing government regulations for student finance but shall always include some or all of the following:

• access grants
• student hardship grants and loans
• academic expenses (including vacation study grants, research grants book or equipment grants and conference grants)
• travel grants

Progress: As of May 2008, £1.28 million had been received in donations for the Rosemary Murray Fund for Student Support, which means that this priority has been achieved. The College continues to raise money for this Fund.

2. Research Fellowships [RFs]: to offer in 2005 and in every second year thereafter one Stipendiary RF, alternating between Arts and Sciences. In every year in which a Stipendiary RF is elected in the Arts, to offer one non-Stipendiary RF in the Sciences.

Progress: Prior to 2005, because of the heavy demands on resources as a result of the closure of the Dining Hall and Kitchens and the failure of the Library roof, the College had to stop the appointment of any new Research Fellows as one of its austerity measures. The first tranche of the donation enabled the programme to be restarted in 2005/6 and it is continuing as detailed above. Research Fellowships are the seedcorn of the academic profession and the College is delighted that appointments can be resumed.

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3. Funding for Graduate Students: to put in place studentship or bursary funding for at least ten Graduate Students per year, from the UK or abroad. For the first five years, commencing in 2005, such graduate funding shall be as follows:

BP Centenary Scholarships

• (i) 4 BP Centenary One-Year Bursaries of £2,000 each for Overseas Graduates taking one-year courses, with a preference given wherever possible to students from Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union countries, China, The Middle East and particularly Egypt, Southern Africa and South Asia
• (ii) 6 BP Centenary Research Bursaries for Overseas Students on courses of research leading to the PhD, each of a tenure normally of three years (subject to satisfactory reports at the end of the first and second years) of £2,000 per year, with the same geographical spread as (i)
• (iii) 2 BP Centenary Research Studentships of £8,000 per year each of a tenure normally of three years (subject to satisfactory reports at the end of the first and second years), for Overseas Students on courses of research leading to the PhD, with the same geographical spread as (i)

These terms may be altered from time to time by Council in the light of changes in external circumstances, eg. the replacement of BP as the main donor. If in any year there are not enough applicants of appropriate quality for an award, additional awards may be made in later years.

Progress: Thanks to the generousity of BP this priority will be funded until 2010. It will then become a top funding priority for the College as very able Overseas students from developing countries will always need financial help. Many UK students, who now graduate with serious debts, are increasingly unable to proceed to graduate study and the numbers of women graduate students are dropping.

4. Fellows' Travel and Research Grants: to increase the funding available for Fellows' Travel and Research Grants (including book grants). In 2005 the maximum annual grant is £250 per person; this shall be increased over a 10- year period as follows:

Progress: Fellows' Travel and Research Grants in 2008/9 were £400 pa, which means we are on target with this priority.

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5. College Teaching Officers' Salaries: To improve salaries for all Full-time and Part-time College Teaching Officers [CTOs] employed by the College on permanent contracts and with more than five years' service. The College salary scale will be extended incrementally by one point in at least every second year to the top of the standard University Lectureship Scale (excluding the University points for Discretionary Payments). This priority will be reviewed as necessary in the light of changes in the University's salary scales, after consultation with the donors, so as always to maintain the salaries payable to this class of CTOs in line with the range of salaries payable to University lecturers.

Progress: CTOs with more than five years service are now on the University scale.

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6. Student Recruitment: To appoint a recruitment officer to identify and attract high quality applicants from the Secondary and FE sectors in the UK and abroad.

The range and duties of this post to be defined, after the effects of the imposition of full-cost fees on applications to Cambridge have been analysed.

Progress: We have been able to employ a full-time Schools Liaison Officer since 2008/9 to address student recruitment to the College.

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7. Development Programme: to undertake as part of an active and ongoing Development Programme to raise External Funding of a minimum of four million pounds (£4,000,000) committed by the time the final instalment is paid, starting with, and including, all gifts from the launch of the 50th Anniversary Campaign, 7 March 2005, excluding any matching funds received from the donors. A report will be made annually at the beginning of each funding year on the sums raised and committed in the previous funding year, up to and including the final instalment.

Progress: As of January 2009 we had received over £3million in donations from alumnae and friends (excluding donations from Ros and Steve Edwards) since 7 March 2005. So we are on track with this priority.

8. Confidence Programme: to develop, trial and implement an annual programme to enable students to make the most of their talents and opportunities, both at Cambridge and afterwards through enhancement of communication and presentation skills and an awareness of their own strengths.

Progress: A programme has been running annually since 2006/7.

9. Merit Awards: to increase the value of scholarships to undergraduates to £400 in every year in which they achieve a First Class result in Tripos examinations.

Progress: From 2006/7 the College has awarded £400 to each student who has achieved a First, and so this priority is being achieved.

10. Placements and Internships: to facilitate annually at least ten Summer Placements or Internships for up to one year with industry, commerce, educational, research and healthcare institutions and the professions, in the UK or abroad, for:

• (a) current students
• (b) those who have been accepted by the College but have not yet taken up their places
• (c) those in their first year after graduation

Progress: More than ten internships are now open to students and recent alumnae, and so this priority is being achieved.