University of Cambridge

Mr McGrath, who graduated with first class honours in Geography from St Catharine's College in 1974, has pledged £3.6 million to support both teaching and a key building project on the "Island site" - at the heart of the college.

Mr McGrath was until last year Chairman of Man Group plc. His earlier gift to the University was made to support efforts to attract more applicants from state schools to Cambridge.

The generous new endowment will support College Teaching Officer posts at St Catharine's. These posts are crucial to maintaining the University's unique supervision system, whereby students receive regular, focused tuition from outstanding academics in small groups, sometimes individually. The system relies on colleges being able to recruit and fund exceptional academics who are also excellent teachers. Mr McGrath has already endowed one College Teaching post at St Catharine's in 2004.

Mr McGrath's donation will also provide part of the funding for a new building at St Catharine's which will house a 180-seat auditorium and additional multi-purpose rooms, creating a location for lectures, recitals, film screenings and poetry readings, providing St Catharine's with a much-needed communal space.

Harvey McGrath said: "My strong conviction is that Cambridge must continue to provide world class education to the brightest candidates from all backgrounds, and do so in a collegiate environment that will enrich the rest of their lives. That means funding widening access initiatives, teaching posts and improvements to college facilities and I am very pleased to assist both St Catharine's and the University in these ways."

Professor Dame Jean Thomas, Master of St Catharine's, said: "This extraordinarily generous gift from Harvey McGrath will make a huge difference to the College. It compares with that of our 18th century benefactress Mary Ramsden, whose bequest both transformed the main College site and in addition funded Fellowships and Scholarships."

St Catharine's College

Reproduced courtesy of University of Cambridge Office of Communications