Reporter 21/6/00: Report of the Council on the establishment of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship Trust to provide scholarships for students from overseas

1. This Report sets out for the consideration of the University a proposal for the establishment of a major scheme of fully-funded scholarships for students from overseas to be held at Cambridge and to be endowed through the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA. The Council commend the proposal to the University. The scheme represents a lasting and significant addition to the activities of the University.

2. Advanced education and research are key elements of the University's work and achievements, and the University's postgraduate student population plays an essential role in these activities. In the present academical year there are over 4,800 full-time postgraduate students in the University, the great majority of whom are registered as Graduate Students studying for the M.Phil. or Ph.D. Degree; in recent years these numbers have been increasing at about 2 per cent a year.

3. Overseas students form a significant component of the student population. Currently, out of the total full-time postgraduate student population, 34 per cent (1,625) are from overseas. In addition, there are about 850 undergraduates from overseas of whom about 100 are Affiliated Students. Overseas students receive their financial support either from private means or through government or other sponsorship. In Cambridge, the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and the Cambridge Overseas Trust are currently the largest contributors to the financial support for overseas students, across all Faculties.

4. Overseas students, in particular postgraduates, are essential to the continued academic, intellectual, and cultural vitality of Cambridge, and contribute significantly to the position of Cambridge as a leading international university. It is nevertheless the case that well over half the offers of places made by the University to postgraduate applicants from overseas are not taken up, principally for financial reasons. Secur-ing additional support for scholarships for overseas students remains a high priority for University fund-raising.

5. The Council were therefore pleased to learn, earlier this academical year, of the possibility of a significant benefaction from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to endow a scheme of scholarships for overseas students, with an emphasis on postgraduates. The Council encouraged negotiations to continue but unfortunately some details of the discussions were leaked by third parties to The Times newspaper and published (23 May 2000) without the agreement either of the Foundation or of the Vice-Chancellor, who had been leading the discussions for the University. With the agreement of the Foundation the Council now report on the proposal to the University.

6. The Foundation has offered a benefaction of US$209m to establish a scheme of scholarships to be known as the Gates Cambridge Scholarships. It is proposed that the Gates Cambridge Scholarships Trust should be established to receive the benefaction and to administer the scholarship scheme, with the University as Custodian Trustee under similar arrangements to the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts. A summary of the proposal on which the benefaction is offered is reproduced as the Annex to this Report. Gates Cambridge Scholars would be persons of the highest intellectual ability and leadership capacity who wanted to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world both as individuals and through the network of Scholars that will result. Gates Cambridge Scholars would be persons eager to apply new ideas to the benefit of the worldwide community. The scheme would provide new opportunities for students from all countries and all subjects to participate in higher education at Cambridge.

7. It is anticipated that, once the Gates Cambridge Scholarships programme is established, there will be up to 225 Gates Cambridge Scholars in residence at Cambridge at any one time, mainly Graduate Students studying for the M.Phil. or Ph.D. Degree together with other postgraduate students and Affiliated Students. About 100 of the programme's 225 students in residence will be from the USA, with the remainder coming from the rest of the world.

8. It will be evident that the Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme represents a significant organizational and administrative responsibility for the Trustees. The Council expect that the Trustees will, in due course, seek to make an appointment at a senior academic level to oversee the scheme and its development worldwide. If, as planned, the scheme is to have an intake of students in Michaelmas Term 2001 the Trustees are also likely to utilize the existing organizational and administrative arrangements of the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts.

9. The Council warmly welcome the imaginative generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in making this offer. They accordingly recommend:

I. that the establishment of the Cambridge Gates Scholarship Trust be endorsed, and that the University accept the role of Custodian Trustee;

II. that the Common Seal of the University be affixed to a Trust Deed, subject to the Council being satisfied as to its detailed terms.

ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor
A. J. BADGER
A. L. R. FINDLAY
L. GROO
DAVID HARRISON
GORDON JOHNSON
T. JONES

DONALD LAMING
MELISSA LANE
JOHN A. LEAKE
A. M. LONSDALE
M. D. MACLEOD
ONORA O'NEILL

M. PEPPER
JEREMY SANDERS
M. SARDY
M. SCHOFIELD
DAVID M. THOMPSON
R. E. THORNTON

ANNEX

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships

Proposal summary

Overview

The Scholarship programme will have two clear objectives. Firstly, to create a premier global scholarship programme at Cambridge University which will attract the most academically talented graduate students from every country. Secondly, to build a strong and influential alumni network of Gates Cambridge Scholars around the world who will become future leaders.

Outline

Approximately 120 Scholars will be admitted each year, predominantly to one-year Master's and three-year Ph.D. programmes but also as Affiliated Students. When the scheme is fully operational it will support approximately 225 Gates Cambridge Scholars in residence in Cambridge at any one time.

College life is fundamental to the student educational experience at Cambridge. The programme will provide financial support to Colleges (equivalent to one-third of a teaching officer's time per four Scholars) in recognition of the social care and academic support necessary if Scholars are to derive the optimum benefit from the Cambridge collegiate experience.

Administration and management

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships Trust will be an independent UK charitable foundation with tax-exempt status under both English and US Law. The University will be Custodian Trustee and will have the formal duty of appointing Trustees. There will be at least twelve Trustees of whom two will be nominated by the Gates Foundation. The Trustees will have responsibility for the management of the endowment and for the administration of the programme but in the short-term, so that the scheme can be implemented quickly and students admitted in 2001-02, it is expected that they will wish to use the administrative structures of the Cambridge Overseas and Commonwealth Trusts and to invest the endowment through the University Amalgamated Fund. The Trustees may also wish to establish an international advisory committee to promote the programme worldwide.

Gates House

The scheme provides for the development of a 'Gates House' to provide administrative offices and a meeting place for the Scholars. Planning for this will be undertaken by the Trustees.

REPORT