On 23 July, Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Jeremy Bradshaw, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International and Doctoral), welcomed Chair of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, Mr Christopher Fisher, and signed an agreement to formalise the strategic partnership between the University and the Commission.
The Commission administers the British Marshall Scholarships which finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. The Scholarships were established in 1954 and funded by the Foreign Office in order to build ties with the USA following the Second World War. They are considered to be among the most prestigious academic scholarships available to students in the USA.
To date, the University has hosted one Marshall Scholar, Major Anne McClain, who subsequently completed astronaut training with NASA. A further scholar, Jake Wellman, studied for an MRes as part of the Sustainable Futures programme based jointly between the universities of Bristol and Bath.
Commenting on the partnership, Dame Glynis said: “Marshall Scholars are highly acclaimed and it is an honour to be associated with this programme.
“Having signed this agreement, the University will now be promoted to some of the top students within the USA enabling us to attract high quality applicants and further our strategic objective to become an international leader in graduate education.”