The University of Salford have been raising funds to provide 67 of their students with philanthropically funded bursaries and scholarships, to mark their 50th anniversary this year.
With the increase in tuition fees for university increasing this year from £9,000 to £9,250 per year of study, the bursary scheme at the university will provide students with a £1000 bursary for their first year of study.
This will ensure that talented students can come to university to study, regardless of their financial circumstances. by providing
Since 2015, 45 of these bursaries have been funded and awarded to the most deserving students who have no family support networks or are care leavers and asylum seekers, as there are low percentages of students from these demographics who are making it into the final stage of their education and getting a degree.
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To tie in with the University being half way to 100 years old, the 67 for 67 project was created to mark the university being established in 1967, when it was awarded its Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth II for “the advancement of knowledge”.
Vice Chancellor of The Unviersity of Salford, Professor Helen Marshall, explained that the aim of the project is “to provide 67 really bright potential students, who are coming from backgrounds that have not got the kind of financial support that they would need or hope for.”
“We were born in 1967 as a university, and we’re fifty years old today, so we thought it would be great to create 67 bursaries and scholarships for students to come here, and we’re well on our way to doing that.”
One of the bursary recipients, Nicole, told me just how much the bursary has impacted her education:
“Without the scholarship I wouldn’t have been able to continue my studies, I would have had to cut out at the last hurdle.”
To ensure that these 67 bursaries can be awarded, the University of Salford have also set aside finances so that the gifts to the 67 for 67 project can be match funded, meaning that donations to the bursaries can make double the difference by being matched pound-for-pound for gifts up to £30,000.
However, with The Guardian recently reporting that University fundraising from some Russell Group university’s has breached data protection law through allegedly sending former students data to firms for wealth screening, 2017 has proved to be a difficult year to try and get alumnus of the university to support current students.
The University hasn’t backed down though, and have stepped out of the box by engaging with alumni through a telethon campaign and social media, as well as 50th anniversary events such as an Alumni BBQ and an Alumni Winter Celebration event.
This is what it's all about, making a difference in our students lives https://t.co/VivLAgUhwo
— Salford Giving (@SalfordGiving) September 27, 2017
Tricia King, the vice president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, explained how important alumni fundraising is, following UK universities raising over £1bn last year through philanthropic support. She said:
“This money supports many things including support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to crucial life-changing research. As an important part of the university community, it is very clear that many alumni are proud to support the work of their former institution and want to be contacted.”
As the year is coming to a close, it has been confirmed that at least 47 of these bursaries are secured, however there is a real push to ensure that the final twenty bursaries can be funded and more students can come to the university to achieve their best potential.
You can find out more about the 67 for 67 project here.
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