Five University of Ulster students from across Ireland have won coveted Garfield Weston Scholarships which gives each £2,000 for every year they study at university.

The successful students are Aoife Ferris from Donegal who is studying architecture; Ivan Drinan from Fermoy, Co Cork, who is studying optometry; Aine McDevitt from Derry who is studying music; Michael Forker from South Belfast, who is studying interactive multi-media design and retired UU Professor Harry McMahon from Portstewart, who has come back to the University to study fine and applied art.

The University’s acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Richard Barnett, who presented the students with their awards, said the scholarship scheme has been very successful. He revealed that two of the original recipients were now studying for PhDs, having graduated with First Class Honours. Others were now working after completing their studies. “We have had a very high calibre of student coming through with the aid of Garfield Weston Scholarships”, he added.

Professor Barnett said that with top up fees coming into force next year, the University is going to invest more of its own money in scholarships and bursaries for students. “We have agreed that a third of the extra income we get from top-up fees will be put into scholarships and bursaries to do the kind of thing that the Garfield Weston Scholarships have been doing.”

The Scholarships come from an endowment made to the University by the Garfield Weston Foundation and which is administered by a group of trustees. The Scholarships are aimed at assisting mature students or returning students during the course of their studies.

The Garfield Weston Foundation was established in 1958 by Willard Garfield Weston, a Canadian businessman who arrived in the UK with his family in 1932. He was the creator of Associated British Foods. The Garfield Weston Foundation has helped a wide range of organisations with grants of varying sizes. Recent rounds of funding have helped projects in Arts, Community, Education, Welfare, Medical, Social, Religion, Youth and Environment sectors.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office, Department of Public Affairs
Tel: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Scholarship. Tags: Aine McDevitt, Associated British Foods, Belfast, Department of Public Affairs, Derry, Education News, Fermoy Co, Garfield Weston Foundation, Grant, Harry McMahon, interactive multi-media design, Ireland, Ivan Drinan, Michael Forker, Richard Barnett, Scholarship, Student, Study, United Kingdom, University of Ulster, Weston Scholarships, Weston Scholarshipsâ, Willard Garfield Weston, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.