Magdalen College has elected alumnus and Marshall Scholar Bryan Leach (2000) and his wife, Dr Jennifer Gaudiani, to Waynflete Fellowships. They were formally admitted to the Fellowship at a ceremony in College last week.
A Waynflete Fellowship is the highest form of recognition that Magdalen awards for an exceptional contribution to the College and follows a donation from Bryan and Jen. This historic gift, the largest we have ever received, will help fund the new Waynflete Quad development, a state-of-the-art, sustainable development that will include facilities for the local community and act as a new gateway to the eastern entrance to Oxford.
The new quad will offer outstanding en-suite student accommodation, with large shared kitchens and communal areas. It will also include a retail space and a multipurpose events area available to the local community. Alongside the quad, a new riverside garden will create a beautiful green space for wildlife and relaxation. Construction on the project will begin later this year, thanks in no small part to Bryan and Jen’s incredible generosity.
Bryan, who came to Magdalen as a Marshall Scholar in 2000 to complete an MPhil in Economics and Social History, is the Founder and CEO of Ibotta, which operates the largest digital promotions network in North America. As well as an Oxford alumnus, Bryan is a graduate of both Harvard and Yale Law School.
Jen is the Founder and Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic, an outpatient clinic specialising in the medical complications of eating disorders. She is the author of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and an alumna of Harvard, Boston University, and Yale.
“Magdalen is a special place that has given so many of us lifelong friendships with people all across the world,” said Bryan. “Jen and I are inspired by the President’s bold vision for the future of the College and proud to support the development of the Wayneflete Quad, which we believe will enhance the student experience immeasurably for years to come.”
“We are enormously grateful to Bryan and Jen for this historic gift,” said Dinah Rose KC, President of Magdalen, “and are delighted to welcome them into the College’s Fellowship”.