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University of Otago deputy vice-Chancellor (external engagement) professor Helen Nicholson and Dr Elman Poole in Oxford in 2016. Poole has donated almost $2.9 million to help Invercargill students. In an interview in 2016, Dr Poole said the scholarships were targeted and carefully planned initiatives that provided opportunities for young people to go to university and study abroad. “They are life-changing opportunities for those who are prepared to step-up and make a success of it,” Dr Poole said. Executor of his estate in the UK, Emerita Pilgrim, said “Elman had always told me of his desire to enable young, talented New Zealand scholars to fulfil their academic abilities, to achieve the highest possible professional leadership goals, with a commitment to serve their community.