Bill Gates sends a video message to event celebrating the scholarship's success.
Leaders from academia, industry, politics and the charity sector will gather in Cambridge today to celebrate the achievements and impact of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships.
Guests at the June 1 event will include the Chancellor of the University, Lord Sainsbury, Bill Gates Sr, representatives of the United Nations and US Embassy, and a number of industry leaders and CEOs.
To date the programme has enabled over 1,000 outstanding individuals from almost 100 countries and 500 universities worldwide to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject at the University of Cambridge. Scholars must be academically stellar, but also have a capacity for leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others.
Bill Gates will welcome guests via a filmed message, and senior figures within the programme, including the Vice-Chancellor of the University, will set out the Scholarship’s achievements to date and its vision for the future.
The event will also launch the new Gates Cambridge visual identity, including a new website with additional features such as a blogs section and a new-look magazine to showcase the work and passion of Gates Cambridge Scholars.
Bill Gates says: “I am incredibly impressed by the exceptional people the Trustees have chosen over the years; academically talented, socially engaged and committed to making the world a better place.”
Bill Gates’ father, William Gates Sr, has been instrumental in setting up the programme and has been a Trustee since its inception. Mr Gates Sr says his visits to Cambridge to meet with the Scholars make him “speechless”.
Professor Robert Lethbridge, Provost (CEO) of the Gates Cambridge Trust, will also speak at the event.“We are delighted that Bill and Melinda Gates’ gift continues to help the brightest students study at Cambridge so they can make a difference in all fields of human endeavour. Despite the relative youth of the programme, we are already starting to see our Alumni taking leadership positions and improving the lives of others in numerous and important ways. The impact of the programme will continue to grow with each outstanding class of new Scholars.”
Photo credit: Sir Cam
