The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Outstanding Student Services category at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs). The THELMAs showcase and celebrate the best examples of innovation, team work and enterprise at institutions throughout the UK. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University believes that all students regardless of their background should be able to gain access to a quality education and pursue their dreams to improve the lives of others. The Scholars Program team strive to ensure that they design and deliver a scholarship which recruits, supports and inspires a generation of transformative leaders. We’re delighted to be nominated for this prestigious award. The recognition is really owed to our Scholars who co-design many of the features of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Edinburgh – and much of what we do simply couldn’t be done without our academic and professional colleagues from across the University and beyond who support us in what we are trying to achieve.It is a real testament to the power and possibilities of collaboration. Euan Fergusson Program Manager Image The University of Edinburgh and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program The University of Edinburgh is the only institution in the UK to be partnered with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and over the course of seven years the University will provide 200 fully funded scholarships to students from Africa. In the two years that the program has been running the team has supported 41 scholars, including six recently graduated postgraduate scholars. The program offers access to a range of activities including holistic support frameworks and leadership masterclasses, to experiential opportunities such as summer schools and placements in the UK and Africa. The team work with the scholars so that they can enhance their experience during their studies here in Edinburgh. This allows the team to design the best learning strategies, content delivery for the Program’s summer schools, and orientation package as well as the wider Scholar program curriculum and support structure. The process behind the Program Working closely with the students has allowed the team to understand the student journey from application to beyond graduation allowing the team to highlight and push for updates to policies within the institution around global access, teaching and learning, language testing requirements and financial processes. The team has also collaborated with academics to undertake research projects looking at the approach to leadership, design methodologies, mental health and well-being of global access students and digital learning in developing countries. This research will not only help to shape the practice of the University but will also help to influence the sector and the Foundation network. Find out more about the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Edinburgh by visiting their website. Mastercard Foundation Scholars website This article was published on 2024-06-24
