Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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Chancellor awards scholarships to Leeds Beckett students
Pictured left to right: Jugraj Singh Bhadal, Saeed Muthana, Sir Bob Murray, Louise Wade and Jamie Howarth
The first year students were selected for the annual scholarships following a rigorous interview and application process and will receive £1,000 to support their studies and help towards their living costs and university expenses.
The recipients of the 2014-15 Sir Bob Murray Scholarships are BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance students Saeed Muthana, 27, from Leeds, Jugraj Singh Bhadal, 18, from Leeds, Jamie Howarth, 19, from Overton, Wakefield, Louise Wade, 18, from Quebec, County Durham, and BA (Hons) Economics for Business student, Billy Haigh 19, from Sheffield.
Sir Bob was installed as Chancellor of Leeds Beckett University in January 2013. Following his inauguration he pledged to personally donate £30,000 over the course of six years to worthy students. Five £1,000 scholarships are awarded each year to deserving undergraduate students on courses related to the subject which Sir Bob himself studied; accountancy.
Speaking about setting up the scholarships, he said: “I am passionate about education and it is very rewarding for me to be able to give something back to my university by supporting these hard working, talented students. I hope the scholarships will make a difference to them and I wish them every success in their studies.”
Sir Bob’s links with the University go back to 1969 when he moved to Yorkshire to study accountancy part-time at the University's predecessor institution, Leeds Polytechnic. Some years later, in 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in business administration for his contribution to business and sport. He is probably best known for his chairmanship of Sunderland AFC, but he has been a leading business figure in Yorkshire for the last 45 years; he is also heavily involved with charitable causes and is a passionate supporter of education.
Speaking about receiving the scholarship, Jamie Howarth said: “I feel that the scholarship will not only help me financially but give me the self-belief to go on and achieve much more in my degree. I am a passionate sports fan and Sir Bob's career has inspired me to hopefully go down the same or a very similar route. Without Sir Bob offering me this scholarship I may never have known about the path that he took to becoming a successful business man within sport. For him to offer this to me is very inspiring! I can now use this scholarship to help me with my living costs for the coming years.”
Saeed Muthana said: “When I received the confirmation that I had been awarded the Sir Bob Murray scholarship I was very happy, especially when I heard I was one of only five students to receive it. I really want to thank Sir Bob Murray very much for helping students like myself – it will make a real difference.”
Professor Susan Price, Vice Chancellor of Leeds Beckett, added: "We are very grateful to the support from Sir Bob in awarding scholarships in a subject area which is of particular interest to him and I know that it is very much appreciated by the students who are lucky enough to have been selected. As our Chancellor, an alumnus and honorary graduate, Sir Bob continues to take a keen interest in our students and I know he will be keen to follow the future progress of the students involved.”