Chapter 1: Giving with impact

A university doesn’t spring up on its own. A university is built, by people who care, by people with foresight. Behind every brick, building, and breakthrough is a story of generosity. 

Those stories are collected here, in all their fascinating diversity. Some gifts are symbolic, like our sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, given by the people of India to gesture peace. Some gifts are strange, like the brain of Ullin Place, a passionate lecturer in psychology and philosophy—and some gifts are grand, like Peter Waite’s donation of 54 hectares. The Waite Campus is now the southern hemisphere’s preeminent agricultural and wine research centre.

The donations and scholarships given by our institution’s champions fuel innovation, opportunity, and progress. As early as 1878—four years after the University’s founding— John Howard Angas provided £4,000 towards the first of the University’s scholarships. As recently as 2022, McMillan Constructions donated $4.55 million. We are where we are today on yesterday’s philanthropy, and it is today’s philanthropy that drives us toward tomorrow. 

This chapter is an invitation to celebrate the individuals, families, and organisations whose philanthropy has helped the University achieve its worldclass reputation. It’s impossible to acknowledge every contribution, but each has built our legacy, and each one builds our future. All our successes are our champions’ successes too, proof of the enduring impact of their trust in us. 

As we celebrate our 150th year and reflect on our past milestones, we keep sight of the years to come. A university is built. And it’s still building. What bricks will you lay? What could you do to help the students and researchers of tomorrow make a meaningful impact? 

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Giving with impact.  p.9