Nigel Rendell

BSc (Econ) graduate Nigel Rendell has become the first member of a new club set up by the University to mark its 75th anniversary this year.

The 75th Anniversary Club is made up of members who have agreed to donate £75 a month to the University's fund-raising campaign.

As the founder contributor, Mr Rendell said he had made one-off contributions to the University in the past, but was now in a position to give a little more.

"I have always been aware that the University has a tradition of generations providing for the future and consequently I hope that my participation, albeit in a small way, will help those currently at the University and in years to come.

"The University gave me a lot, both academically and socially, and I would like to give something back. When I was a student I had little spare cash, but now with a regular salary I feel that I'm able to do something positive."

"Beyond the obvious financial benefits for the University, I hope the 75th Anniversary Club will boost contacts between those who contribute. I'm sure it will also encourage current students at the University to participate in the future," he added.

"I would encourage all those who feel an affinity to the University to give something back for the future. It doesn't have to be a fortune, but every little bit helps."

Mr Rendell, who graduated in 1982, has worked as an economist in the financial markets for the past 18 years, mostly in London but also for a short time in New York in the early 1990s. He is now Chief Economist at CLSA Emerging Markets, an arm of Crédit Lyonnais Bank.

Looking back on his time at the University, he said: "It's more than 20 years since I graduated but rarely a week goes by without some recollections of student life at Hull ­ living in Auckland Avenue, concerts in the Union, the opening of the Humber Bridge, endless hours in the Brynmor Jones Library ahead of finals, and places such as the Gardener's Arms pub, Sorentos chippy and Jacksons supermarket."