University chancellor in £30,000 student aid

THE NEWLY appointed chancellor of a Yorkshire university is to donate £30,000 to help students from deprived backgrounds become accountants.

Sir Bob Murray said he wants to give a helping hand to students taking their first steps in their career at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Five scholarships of £1,000 a year will be awarded to first-year students over the next six years.

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It will be available to students on accounting and finance-related subjects from the North of England whose family income is less than £25,000 per year.

Sir Bob said: “I feel honoured to be the chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University and am a strong advocate of the power of education to transform the lives of people from all sectors of society.

“My own personal experience is very apt. I finally woke up to the value of education at 16 after I had left school with just one O-level and it took me another 10 years to finally qualify as an accountant and graduate from here.

“I didn’t get the opportunity to progress straight to university and know it can be difficult for a lot of students and their families. I would like to demonstrate my belief in and commitment to the university by extending a helping hand to some students during my chancellorship.”

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Leeds Met’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Susan Price, added: “We are delighted that we could work with Sir Bob to create scholarships which matched the areas about which he is passionate.

“We are particularly grateful that, as our chancellor, alumnus and honorary graduate, he is able to give something back to his university by way of making such a significant contribution to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“These scholarships will make a huge difference to hard working and talented students by helping them cover the costs of living and studying at university.”

Leeds Met is providing £180,000 of bursaries for students from low-income families over the next five years.

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