Called Great Futures, the programme aims to more than double the University’s philanthropic scholarship funds by 2020. Great Futures will allow capable students to reach their full potential by removing the financial barriers that could prevent them from going to university or thriving while they are at university.Great Futures will support more students who face increased barriers to participation and achievement in tertiary education, including Māori, Pasifika and refugee-background students. The Scholarship programme is designed to help ensure that they can stay at university and complete their degrees.Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford says, “Great Futures represents a tangible commitment to two fundamental aspirations of Victoria University of Wellington’s strategic plan—first, to provide a student experience that is second to none and second, to secure the intellectual potential put at risk through experience of disadvantage.“Through a wide range of scholarships, we will provide the opportunity for students to write their own future and that of their communities,” he says.Executive Director of Victoria University’s Development Office Patricia Danver says, “The greatest outcome of a university is its students.“This philanthropic programme will enable students who never even thought university was an option to come to Victoria University of Wellington. It can help students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who have experienced hardship in many ways and on many levels, leave their past behind to make better lives for themselves and others. It can give international students the chance to expand their horizons and heighten cultural awareness and sensitivity. Scholarships are not just a gift, they’re an investment in the future,” she says.To find out more about the Great Futures scholarship programme visit www.victoria.ac.nz/great-futures.