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Legacy adds to º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s £15m support package for students

One of º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s earliest graduates has left a £120,000 legacy to benefit local students which is now part of a £15m package of support for new starters at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ in 2013.

And thanks to the University’s continued success in attracting new students with the quality of the experience at º£½ÇÖ±²¥, around a further 300 places have been allocated to the institution by the Government for 2013 entry. Last year º£½ÇÖ±²¥ was one of the top few universities to achieve the student numbers allocated by government – the Student Number Control. James Douglas Hearnshaw studied Naval Architecture at what was then Constantine Technical College, graduating in 1942 while working for the Furness Shipbuilding Company.

He and his future wife, Marjorie Lewis, emigrated to Canada in 1951 where he pursued a successful career in shipbuilding in Montreal. His love of learning and mentoring young students never left him – and neither he nor his wife, forgot their roots and the life changing opportunities that study brought them.

Marjorie died in 2010 and Douglas left provision in his will for scholarships to local º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students in memory of his wife. The scholarships are to be known as the Marjorie Hearnshaw scholarships programme.

The generous Hearnshaw legacy adds to a whole £15m package of support for new º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students beginning their study in 2013. This includes over 700 National Scholarships worth a £3,000 fee waiver in the first year and º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Extra Scholarships worth up to £2,500 in cash for students achieving three Bs at A level or equivalent qualifications, starting a first degree.*

The University also offers a whole range of support to students once they begin their studies. This includes many chances to acquire all the skills employers are searching for. Opportunities include paid work placements, volunteering, an innovative annual internship scheme for new graduates, a dedicated web portal, Get Ahead, detailing a raft of opportunities – all part of the support package.

There are also opportunities to take part in competitive schemes and summer placements alongside core curriculum activities. º£½ÇÖ±²¥ also runs a full programme of events in partnership with schools and colleges to raise aspirations and widen participation in higher education in the Tees Valley.

Professor Eileen Martin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Student Experience, said: ‘We want to ensure higher education at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ remains accessible and this package will ensure that students can benefit from targeted support not just when they start at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ but throughout their time with us and after they graduate.

‘It is fantastic that we can also use the generous legacy from Douglas Hearnshaw to specifically benefit local students and offer extra support to those who receive funding from this source. It demonstrates that those who benefit from higher education rarely forget the difference it makes to their life and career.

‘Also being allocated the extra number of place demonstrates the confidence there is in º£½ÇÖ±²¥ as an increasingly popular choice of university.’

Fees for new undergraduate students beginning study in 2013 at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ have been frozen at 2012 levels.

*Criteria apply to scholarship awards – visit for full details.

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