Leeds alum Andrew Patrick recalls the conversation which sparked his long-time support for Leeds students – and explains his decision to leave a legacy to the University.
“When I was first approached by the University about supporting a student, it was a lightbulb moment for me,” says Andrew Patrick (Textiles Management 1971).
“It made me realise so clearly that I had got so much out of my time at Leeds – and I really ought to give something back. It was like I’d been poked with a stick. In a way, I was quite embarrassed that I had never thought of doing it before.”
Looking back to his own student days, Andrew tells how he was just a few weeks into his original degree course in Mandarin Chinese when he realised that he’d made the wrong choice. “It quickly dawned on me that I didn’t want to be a linguist.” Even so, he worked hard through his first year of language studies to enable him to change direction.
“I moved across to study textiles and business – and this proved to be absolutely my sweet spot,” he says. “Textiles itself was interesting, but the whole concept of business organization and leadership – and how the working environment could have a big impact on productivity and teamwork – absolutely mesmerized me. My brain was lit up.”
At the same time, Andrew threw himself into everything the University had to offer – joining the running club and watching gigs in the Refectory, including the historic Who Live At Leeds concert in 1970. “There was a really rich cross-section of people on my course, too. We came from all corners of the earth, from all types of background, rich and poor, and everything in between. We integrated really well,” he says.
“In my first year, I was in Charles Morris Hall, then in the second year I rented a house on the other side of Hyde Park. There were five or six of us, sleeping on lilos, not washing up and listening to the rugby league crowds from nearby Headingley Stadium on a Saturday evening.”
After graduating, Andrew initially went into a research role, before beginning his 40-year career in business which included senior positions at global brands such as Levi Strauss, PepsiCo and Virgin Media.
He finally re-connected with the University ten years ago. “When they first contacted me, I thought ‘there’s a blast from the past’ and my mind flashed back to those days. I should have thought about it before, but you leave University, you start a career and leave that whole period of your life behind. During that conversation I saw that it was almost my responsibility to give something back.
“I don’t think people of my generation really knew how lucky we were. Our tuition fees were all paid for, and we were eligible for maintenance grants – and this freed us up to have a great education and immerse ourselves in university life. That wasn’t just about the education, it was those experiences and the range of people you befriend from such a variety of backgrounds.
“I never had a loan, everything just fell into place.”
Andrew is well aware of how students today can have their own experience of higher education limited by financial constraints. “Through the experiences of my own children, I saw how the financial support that my generation received had been stripped away in the years since. I was in the fortunate position of being able to support my children through university, including my daughter Alice who also studied at Leeds. But I also knew that many of their peers left university with significant student loans.
“In my working life, social mobility has been a real hobby horse for me. When I was working overseas, I would come across youngsters who were on the career ladder, but could really benefit from support and mentoring, which I was happy to give. These people work hard and succeed, and I did take a certain pride in their success. Giving my support to the University is really an extension of that.”
Andrew initially committed to supporting scholarships, but also now lends his knowledge and expertise as a volunteer, mentoring students as they prepare to enter the world of work. And he has recently deepened his connection to Leeds by pledging a gift to the University in his will, ensuring that his support for students and social mobility will extend long into the future.
“There were definitely points earlier in my career when I could have done all of this, but I didn’t really know or think about it. Once I had made my first gift I felt really elated, but I also wondered why I hadn’t thought of doing this before.
“University is a world of opportunity, and what donors and volunteers do, is offer moral and financial backing to enable young people to go forward in their studies with real confidence.
“If you do the right things when you're there, work hard but also experience every single taste and flavour of everything that you can, it opens doors and ultimately changes your life. The financial landscape may have changed, but the impact of the university experience can be just as powerful now as it was in my time at Leeds.”
Find out more about leaving a gift to the University in your will.