St Andrew’s College Foundation Trustees (back) Mark Mulholland (OC 1973), Thomas Stanley (OC 2007), (front) Gordon McLeod, David Boyd (Chair), Richard Smith (OC 1984). Absent: Matthew Lancaster (OC 1984).

Throughout its history, the St Andrew’s community has demonstrated incredible generosity, with significant funds gifted to upgrade and improve facilities at the College and provide scholarship opportunities for students who may not otherwise be able to attend St Andrew’s College.

Many who have generously supported the College’s current Your Legacy, Our Future campaign will have had contact with the Development Office, who do a great job of sharing the stories of the projects and people the funds will benefit. Behind the scenes, it is the job of the St Andrew’s College Foundation to oversee the responsible management and prudent investment of the gifts and donations which flow from Old Collegians, individuals, families, and businesses connected to the College.

Foundation Chair, David Boyd, says the Foundation is one of three important pillars of the College. “We focus on the idea of collective excellence, in terms of the leadership from the Board of Governors, management of the school, and the Foundation. Each part has an important role to play, with our collective effort ensuring an exciting future for St Andrew’s in the coming decades. Feeding into this is the College community, which enables us to do these things.”

David is an experienced executive and company director, who has been involved at St Andrew’s for over 20 years as a parent and as a member of the Board of Governors serving as Deputy Chair. Prior to the Canterbury earthquakes, he was part of a team which created a Master Plan for the development of the College’s assets and buildings. The earthquakes significantly hastened that programme, and although much of the funds came from insurance, the Foundation had a key role in the redevelopment, says David. “Alongside the astute management of the insurance claims by then Board Chair, Garry Moore, the Foundation was able to provide additional funds when needed to keep projects moving. Having the opportunity to play a part in the College’s redevelopment is a huge privilege.”

David says the professionalism and diversity of the Foundation’s trustees is a key strength, which has also
led to positive restructuring over the last five years. “Former trustee, Andrew Bascand, who is highly experienced in terms of fund management, and current trustee, Matthew Lancaster, with his experience in law and corporate management, have been instrumental in raising our structure and systems to a level of excellence. Then Chair, Roger Findlay, did an great job of leading us through this phase. I took over as Chair when Roger stepped aside last year.”

Scholarship funds are also managed by the Foundation. “In the past, scholarships were funded through fees, whereas it is now our responsibility as a Foundation, to ensure we have sufficient funds to cover them on an annual basis. It’s exciting to see the immediate benefits to students from these scholarships.”

The Foundation trustees work closely with the Development Office, Board of Governors, and Executive team, and are always focused well into the future, says David. “We are investing for the long term and ensuring people can see a clear pathway in assisting the College and being part of its future. The generous donations from our community improve our environment and will benefit not just our current students, but their children too. It is very powerful to be part of that.”