Download September 24, 2004 - GE Foundation Scholar

October 20, 2004
GE FOUNDATION AWARDS OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATES
for the first time in the UK
The GE1 Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE) recognized the
first winners of the GE Foundation Scholarship at a public awards ceremony held in
London on September 24, 2004. At the ceremony, Charles Alexander, the National
Executive of GE in the UK, presented awards to 12 outstanding students from five
universities. Awardees and guests were addressed by distinguished speakers,
including Charles Alexander, Judy Powell (Director of Higher Education, British
Council) and Therese Buchmeier (Programme Director and Deputy Director, Institute
of International Education European Office).
Each student was awarded £2,000 as part of the scholarship programme. The award
identifies low-income, first year students who have demonstrated academic
excellence, community involvement and financial need, and continues throughout
their second and third years of study. “This scholarship identifies promising young
scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to society and provides them with
tools to develop their leadership potential. It eases their financial burden while
studying, provides broad avenues for community involvement and gives them an
insiders’ view of GE, the world’s most respected company”, said Therese Buchmeier.
The GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Programme, which runs in ten countries
worldwide, including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in addition to the UK,
was launched in the UK in May this year in partnership with the Institute of
International Education (IIE), a leading not-for-profit international educational
organisation. This programme marks the first activity of the GE Foundation in the
UK.
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1GE
traces its beginnings to Thomas A. Edison, who established Edison Electric
Light Company in 1878. In 1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and
Thomson-Houston Electric Company created General Electric Company. GE is the
only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in
the original index in 1896.
These scholarship programs are sponsored by GE’s philanthropic organization, the
GE Foundation, as part of GE’s strong commitment to corporate philanthropy
worldwide. “Active participation in our communities is a key part of GE’s corporate
ethos. In addition to grants from the Foundation, GE Elfun volunteers, made up of our
past and present employees, contribute a million hours of work a year to enrich the
places in which we live, and a significant amount of that energy goes towards
education. This scholarship adds a new dimension to our philanthropic and
community involvement in the UK. We expect awardees to participate actively in their
communities, as Elfun volunteers do all over the world”, said Charles Alexander at
the ceremony.
The GE Foundation launched the scholarship in the UK to attract students to key
areas of study, such as engineering and technology, and to contribute to opening up
access to higher education to the whole community. This reflects the Government’s
policy to expand higher education participation, particularly amongst 18-30 year olds
and those from lower income backgrounds. Currently, only 43 per cent of 18-30 year
olds participate in higher education and, of these, just 18 per cent of those from lower
income backgrounds, who have the highest drop out rate, can gain access to higher
education. “The need for a quality education has never been more pressing — both
in creating real opportunities for individuals from under-represented and lower
income backgrounds, and as a major societal and economic imperative. The GE
Foundation's fifty year history of supporting education has evolved into a commitment
to finding, developing and supporting high-impact programmes and initiatives to
improve the access, equity and quality of education in GE communities around the
world”, stated the National Executive.
“This is exactly the sort of incentive that we need in our higher education — it
encourages able young people to study engineering, business and technology and
helps to ensure that we will have the knowledge and skills that are vital in the 21st
century”, said Ms. Powell, Director of Higher Education of British Council
GE Foundation Scholars were selected from universities in the Government’s
Education Action Zones, one of the requirements of the programme. The Universities
of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield put forward the successful
candidates, who were assessed on their academic merit, including A Level results
and tutor assessment, income status, participation in community service, and
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performance during interview. Sundas Ali, a top Economics and Econometrics
student at the University of Bristol, explained "At the age of eight, my family
emigrated to the UK. My parents have continuously supported me in my education so
that I can nurture my full potential, however their capacity to provide financial support
has been limited. This scholarship has served as a beacon of light for me, filling a
gap which due to my financial situation was left unfilled".
In addition to the financial award, the students will also be offered a mentorship
opportunity within GE UK and will participate in community work in their home or
university communities. “Participation in this programme with the GE Foundation is
not only a scholarship, it is also a great opportunity. Through it, I have the chance to
meet talented students studying different courses at other universities in the UK. It
will also be a great pleasure to have a mentoring opportunity with a GE business
leader”, said Lirong Chen, a Scholar studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering at
the University of Leeds. "Even though the programme just started, I’ve already
learned a lot," enthused another winner, Kristopher Matthews, a Technology student
at the University of Birmingham, after the day of seminars and workshops provided
by GE and IIE leaders on financial planning, community service and internships that
accompanied the award ceremony. “The opportunity to take part in community
service and to work shadow a business leader at GE are precisely the activities
which will add value to their university experience”, added Judy Powell.
We heartily congratulate the scholarship winners:
Student
University
Field of Study
Home Town
Kristopher Matthews
Birmingham
Technology
Milton Keynes
Sundas Ali
Bristol
Economics & Politics
Walthamstow
Benjamin Leavett
Bristol
Computer Science
Endmoor, Cumbria
Stephen Lee
Bristol
Mechanical Engineering
Danescourt, Cardiff
Lirong Chen
Leeds
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Shanghai, China
David Fiber
Leeds
Mechanical Engineering
Hendon
Gautam Gupta
Leeds
Electronics & Computer Engineering
New Dehli, India
Victor Tsoi
Manchester
Computer Science
Islington, London
Salma Kauser
Sheffield
Business Studies
Sheffield
Daniel Chown
Sheffield
Materials Science & Engineering
Kettering
Manish Kumar
Sheffield
Software Engineering
New Dehli, India
Suniya Sadullah Khan
Sheffield
Aerospace Engineering
Islamabad, Pakistan
ENDS
For further information about this scholarship programme and others supported by
the GE Foundation in Europe, please contact Therese Buchmeier at
[email protected] or +36 1 472-2253.
GE (www.ge.com)
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified technology, media and financial services company
dedicated to creating products that make life better. From aircraft engines and power
generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming and
plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000
people worldwide, and more than 80,000 in Europe. In the UK GE operates from
more than 45 major sites, and employs more than 15,000 people.
GE Foundation (www.gefoundation.com)
At its establishment over 50 years ago, the GE Foundation instituted a core focus on
educational opportunity, recognizing the importance of investing in a well-educated
workforce and citizenry. Today, the need for a quality education has never been
more urgent - both in creating a lifetime of opportunity for individuals from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds, and as a major societal and economic
imperative in the world. The Foundation's historic focus has grown into a commitment
to finding, developing and supporting high-impact programs and initiatives to improve
the access, equity and quality of public education in GE communities around the
world.
Institute of International Education (www.iie.org or www.iie.hu)
The Institute of International Education is the most experienced global higher
education and professional exchange agency. An independent, nonprofit
organization, IIE is the world leader in the international exchange of people and
ideas, operating globally since 1919. IIE designs and implements over 250 programs
of study and training annually for over 20,000 students, educators, young
professionals and trainees from all sectors around the world, with funding from
government and private sources. IIE initiated its first educational programs in Europe
in 1919, and has been serving Europe directly from its office in Budapest since its
establishment in 1990, working in the fields of scholarship administration, higher
education, and English language assessment in 30 countries.
GE Foundation UK Award Ceremony Press Release