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Iraqi benefactor offers help to University of York students

Posted on 8 December 2004

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds who want to study sciences and languages at the University of York will soon be able to benefit from scholarships to help them to meet the cost of their degrees.

York is one of the 1994 Group of leading research universities which are offering the Dangoor Scholarships, worth a total of £1 million, to students starting their courses in 2005.

Donated by former Iraqi exile and London-based businessman Naim Dangoor, the 1,000 Dangoor Scholarships of £1,000 each will be available to students at 16 universities including York where between 40 and 80 scholarships will be available. The aim is to support talented students from across England and Wales.

At York, students who want to study for four-year taught courses in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Electronics, Computer Science and Language and Linguistic Science could qualify for the assistance.

The prime criteria for selection will be economic and/or social disadvantage. Selection panels will take into account the absence of family history of higher education to attract students from non-traditional backgrounds. Scholarships will be awarded to UK students resident in England or Wales.

Connie Cullen, Director of Admissions and Schools Liaison at the University of York, said: "I am delighted that Mr Dangoor has decided to support the 1994 Group in this way. The Dangoor Scholarships will be of immense benefit to those students who, for financial reasons, might not otherwise be able to study here and who might be inhibited by the costs of a longer period of study."

The Dangoor Scholarships have been praised by the Secretary of State for Education, Charles Clarke, who joined representatives of the 1994 Group to celebrate the launch of the Dangoor Scholarships at the British Academy in London.

"The Dangoor Scholarships will be of immense benefit to those students who, for financial reasons, might not otherwise be able to study here

Connie Cullen

Mr Clarke congratulated Naim Dangoor for his groundbreaking collaboration with the 1994 Group. He described the donation as a "massive boost" for "the most progressive universities in the country."

Announcing the launch of the scholarship scheme, the Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Lord Attenborough, said: "We are indebted to Mr Dangoor, not only for this magnificent donation, but for the manner in which he has demonstrated to others the vital importance of education for the success of our nation."

Naim Dangoor, 90, escaped anti-Semitic persecution when the Baath Party (later headed by Saddam Hussein) came to power in Iraq in the 1960s. He fled to England, where he had studied engineering decades earlier (at the University of London), and built his property empire in exile.

The Dangoor Scholarship scheme is his way of thanking the country that gave him refuge. Mr Dangoor said: "I promised myself that if I was ever able to help a British university student I would, to assist the native people of the country that welcomed me. But I never dreamt I would be able to make such a big contribution."

Professor Alasdair Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex and Chair of the 1994 Group, said: "This truly generous donation is wonderful news and an important first step for such collaborations. We would like to express our enormous gratitude to the Dangoor family."