CHARTER

Recognising what has been achieved and the heritage that has been gifted to St Leo's by past administrators and students, the Foundation in cooperation with the College Council, the Rector and the College Leadership Team will work to ensure that St Leo's continues to develop as a place of learning and pastoral support for young men.

THE VISION

The Foundation will support the St Leo's community to remain a first class residential college facility providing a stimulating, comfortable and safe residence for young men while undertaking university studies, from all walks of life and geographical locations. It will ensure that future generations will find in St Leo's a place to achieve scholastically and to develop into responsible citizens committed to social justice and the environment.

The Foundation will work towards generating the necessary financial support so that the College may realise its aims.

AIMS

The Foundation of St Leo's College is established for the purpose of providing money, property or benefits to St Leo's College. The aims of the Foundation are:

• to establish and maintain a 'public fund' to receive all donations made to the Foundation
• to receive income tax deductible donations from the public to assist St Leo's College with planned public works and to proivde scholarships and bursaries for students

The Council has under active consideration to:

1. construct and furnish a new student residence, N Block, to be built on St Leo's property within the University of Queensland. The new residence would comprise accommodation of 40 shared ensuited rooms, an accommodation unit for staff, two additional tutorial rooms, a new gym and undercover parking for residents. The new accommodation wing, N Block, would connect to M Block and run parallel to the tennis/basketball court utilising existing carpark space.
2. K Block would be extended towards Duchesne College providing more accommodation, additional kitchen storage, a multi-purpose function room and at ground level, a new maintenance workshop.
3. Provide scholarship funds to support potential/current residents who experience significant financial hardship.

HISTORY

St Leo's College, situated within the University of Queensland, plans to continue its building program to cater for the increased demand for residential places at St Leo's. By August each year St Leo's has filled its accommodation for the following year.

Established in 1917 on Wickham Terrace and moving to the current site within the University in 1961, the College has a lengthy tradition as a welcoming Catholic academic community. St Leo's primary goal has been to cater for the needs of those students who are obliged to live away from home to attend the University of their choice. This goal is still valid with nearly all Australian students at St Leo's coming from outside Brisbane, extending from the far north (Cairns) to northern New South Wales as far south as Newcastle. The College also considers applicants from Catholic schools in Brisbane on a case by case basis.

St Leo's also caters for overseas students; the balance being approximately 95% Australian and 5% International. Residents have a wonderful opportunity to mix and to share with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and histories.

The Trustees of the College are the Catholic Bishops of Queensland. On their behalf, the College is administered by the Christian Brothers, of whom three are resident in the College. The Christian Brothers, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice in Ireland 1802, have a worldwide history of dedication to the care of young people, particularly in the field of education.

Empowered by the Queensland Bishops, the College Council is responsible for the governance of the College. The Council, chaired by Adjunct Professor Joan Sheldon AM, former Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, focuses particularly on a vision for the College, oversight of policies and approval of the Budget. In this capacity, the Chair Joan Sheldon is a Trustee of the Foundation Committee.

In recent years, St Leo's has enjoyed a surge in popularity such that each year progressively more applicants are being turned away for lack of space. Fortunately, St Leo's is set within large expansive tree-filled grounds that allow the College to build without impacting on the relaxed, spacious atmosphere of the College. In 2006, 30 applicants were turned away; in 2009, 70. The rush for places is such that Leo's was filled for 2010 by August 2009.

This project is a worthy recipient of donors' generosity to the Foundation because in so doing, donors are supporting those rural/regional families who live and work outside Brisbane. By virtue of distance it is necessary to send their sons away from home to further their university studies. St Leo's has been committed since 1917 to support the community in its efforts to educate its sons. St Leo's is still so committed and requires financial support to realise such at a standard required for the 21st century. All donations to the St Leo's College Foundation are 100% tax deductible. Applications for 2011 will close by 31 August 2010.