€500,000 gift to fund Smurfit school MBAs

CASH-strapped business graduates are to be the main beneficiaries of a €500,000 anonymous gift to establish a scholarship fund for masters degrees at UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

The publicity-shy Irish donor’s gift will enable the establishment of the Aspire scholarships, which will provide an opportunity for up to 60 graduates who would otherwise be unable to afford fourth level education to attend the business school.

At the launch of Aspire 2010, Professor Tom Begley, Dean of UCD Smurfit School, said: “Many talented minds are unable to consider doing a masters due to a lack of finance.

“The Aspire scholarship will facilitate top-quality candidates who find themselves in this position to undertake a further step in their education.

“Not only is this a very generous donation, it is very positive for the recovery of the Irish economy,” Prof Begley added. “We will be looking for bright, astute, enthusiastic entrants who best represent tomorrow’s business leaders.”

This year, three MBA and nine specialist masters scholarships are on offer to “sharp, ambitious graduates”. The selection of candidates will be based primarily on financial need and the Aspire scholarship fund will initially run over a five- year period. This fund was set up by the donor to support the Irish economy.

“UCD Smurfit Business School is consistently ranked by the Economist and the Financial Times amongst the top 100 schools in the world,” said Prof Begley.

A typical MBA course at the school costs €29,500. The Aspire scholarship will cover 50% of tuition fees for successful scholars, and they will also have loan facilities available for the remaining 50% of their fees if required.