THE University of St Andrews is to establish two new research postgraduate scholarships in the Arts.
The scholarships have been made possible by a generous donation from a former student.
They will provide support of at least £20,000 per annum to each student to cover tuition fees and living expenses and will be payable for a period of study of up to three years.
The scholarships are the gift of Mr Gordon Bonnyman, who graduated with an MA in Modern History and Political Economy from St Andrews in 1966 and is the Chairman of Charterhouse Capital Partners.
Mr Bonnyman has donated over £1 million to the university and the money will become part of the St Andrews endowment, providing an annual scholarship income in perpetuity.
The gift is a welcome contribution to the University’s 600th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, of which former student HRH Prince William is Patron.
Mr Bonnyman’s brother Douglas is also a St Andrews alumnus and the scholarships will be known as “The Douglas and Gordon Bonnyman Scholarships in the Arts”.
The awards will be open to students of any country reading for a PhD in any arts or humanities subject. St Andrews hopes to welcome its first Bonnyman scholars later this year.
Born in Glasgow and schooled at Jordanhill, Gordon Bonnyman graduated from St Andrews and then Columbia University in New York, before embarking on a career in the City. Charterhouse Capital is now one of the most successful private equity firms in Europe.
St Andrews Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Louise Richardson said: “I am delighted by Gordon’s generous gift to our 600th Anniversary Campaign.
“A major focus of our campaign is to attract and support the best students irrespective of financial means. Thanks to this gift we will be able to support for many generations to come, two research students in the arts and humanities, an area where we rank in the top 25 in the world.
“The gift will contribute to the realisation of two of our strategic aims: to build the university’s endowment and to increase the number of research post graduates at St Andrews.
“Gordon has ensured that today’s students can have access to the same high quality of education he enjoyed at St Andrews, and I hope his commitment will inspire other alumni to support our campaign.”
Professor Dina Iordanova, University Provost, said: “The gift will benefit aspiring doctoral students in the Arts. It will assist us in ensuring that humanities at St. Andrews, ranked among the top in the world, keep working to global standards of excellence.”
