Media coverage of the of the Eliahou Dangoor scholarships December 2009 Media Coverage of the Eliahou Dangoor Scholarship December 2009 Contents National Press: 1. 07 Dec 2009: “Iraqi exile gives £3m for education of poor as debt of gratitude” The Times 2. 07 Dec 2009: “Top universities to offer new scholarships after donation” Press Association 3. 07 Dec 2009: “Top universities to offer new scholarships after donation” Independent 4. 07 Dec 2009: “Top universities to offer new scholarships” Evening Standard 5. 07 Dec 2009: “Property tycoon donates £3m to help poor university students” Guardian 6. 08 Dec 2009: “£4million scholarship scheme for budding scientists” Guardian 7. 07 Dec 2009: “Property tycoon donates £3m to help poor university students” UTV (Northern Ireland) 8. 08 Dec 2009: “Refugee pays UK student bursaries” BBC News online 9. 10 Dec 2009: “New Scholarships for Cardiff University” Western Mail Online and local coverage: 10. 08 Dec 2009: “Russell Group and 1994 Group universities launch £4 million scholarships scheme” Bioscience technology 11. 08 Dec 2009: “Refugee pays UK student bursaries” Edplace.co.uk 12. 08 Dec 2009: “Exiled tycoon gives £3m to students” Sideways News 13. 08 Dec 2009: “UK universities receive bursary boost” SFS Group Ltd 14. 09 Dec 2009: “Dangoor Scholarships at Russell Group universities” YouTube 15. 08 Dec 2009: “Speech given at the Royal Society about Dangoor scholarships” Mario Creatura blog 16. 08 Dec 2009: “Iraqi exile gives £3m for UK university scholarships” ‘Point of no return’ blog 17. 07 Dec 2009: “Queen Mary alumnus invests millions in the future of UK science and engineering” Queen Mary University of London 18. 08 Dec 2009: “Russell Group and 1994 Group universities launch £4 million scholarships scheme” University of Leeds 19. 08 Dec 2009: “Scholarship scheme rewards talent” University of Leicester 20. 08 Dec 2009: “Boost for STEM students at University of Nottingham” University of Nottingham 21. 08 Dec 2009: “Lancaster shares in a £4 million scholarship scheme” University of Lancaster 22. 08 Dec 2009: “Goldsmiths to take part in Eliahou Dangoor Scholarship scheme” Goldsmiths, University of London 23. 08 Dec 2009: “New scholarship fund for undergraduates” Cardiff University 24. 10 Dec 2009: “Eliahou Dangoor Scholarships” University of Warwick Iraqi exile gives £3m for education of poor as debt of gratitude Nicola Woolcock 07 December 2009 When he fled Iraq and arrived in Britain as a refugee in the 1960s, Naim Dangoor had to abandon his lucrative business empire and comfortable lifestyle in Baghdad and start again from scratch. Now aged 95, and the wealthy head of a successful property investment company, Dr Dangoor is giving something back by donating £3 million in scholarships, so bright teenagers from poor families can go to university. It is a debt of gratitude to the country where he was educated in 1930s, and returned to raise his family. Dr Dangoor was forced to leave Iraq because of anti-Semitic persecution after the revolution, and was awarded an OBE in 2006 because of his services to the Jewish community in London, to which he belongs. His donation is worth £4 million with matched funding from the Government. This will pay for bursaries of £1,000, for 4,000 students from deprived backgrounds who are the first in their families to study at university. It will be announced tomorrow by the Russell Group and 1994 Group, who together make up almost 40 leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge, and will give out the scholarships. They have come under pressure from ministers in recent years to take on more students from under- privileged areas and become less exclusive. Dr Dangoor, who married a former Miss Baghdad and went on to have four sons, has named the scholarships after his father Eliahou Dangoor. It is not the first time he has made such a donation; when he gave £1 million to universities in 2005, he 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.” Now he has trebled that amount. Dr Dangoor’s son David, who was 10 when the family left Iraq, has organised the latest donation on his father’s behalf. He told The Times: “When my father was 17 he came to the UK for three years to study engineering at the University of London — at a time when you had to spend five days coming here by road and boat from what was then Palestine. “He went back to Baghdad afterwards to help build bridges, some of which were destroyed in 2003 [after the invasion]. While here, he felt he had a special boost to his education and that, if he was able to, one day he’d like repay the debt. “My father went into business in Iraq and was quite successful. He built a furniture factory and a match factory. He had a property development company and the Coca-Cola franchise. “In the early 1950s, after the creation of Israel, most of the Jews left Iraq — whereas in 1917 the population of Baghdad had been 40 per cent Jewish. “Those who had businesses tried to stay behind, and my father was one of those. But things became difficult after the revolution in 1958 when the king was killed and the Baath Party came to power. “He brought his family to the UK in the 1960s and we were very lucky to be accepted. I had my primary education in Baghdad and my secondary education in Britain. “He had to start more or less from scratch as he was not allowed to take money out of Iraq. My father chose his liberty over his assets, and gave it all up. He was almost 50 when he came to the UK. Over the years he built up a property development business and was ultimately successful.” Dr Dangoor came to Britain at the same time as other Iraqi Jews, including the families of the Saatchi brothers and Alan Yentob, his son said. He sponsored an academy school two years ago in an area where many children speak English as a second language. He has also given money to Birkbeck University, which caters mostly for older, part-time students. The bursaries created by Dr Dangoor will be available only to students taking science, technology, engineering and maths courses — subjects earmarked by the Government as needing a vital boost to graduate numbers. Students will be identified by universities when they apply. The scholarships are intended to reassure students about the cost of embarking on a degree, particularly if no one in their family has ever been to university. Professor Paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group, said: “Dr Naim Dangoor’s generous donation will support talented students at leading universities in the UK. These scholarships are a tremendous addition to the range of bursaries our universities offer to help ensure that students are encouraged to apply to leading universities.” Last week a report by the Office of Fair Access criticised universities after finding that many students and their families did not know about bursaries, and did not realise universities had to give at least £300 to anyone on a full maintenance grant. Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the the Russell Group, said its members were “working hard to ensure that information about bursaries — including this magnificent scheme — is being constantly updated and improved.” Dr Piatt added: “Schemes like the Eliahou Dangoor scholarship will mean that, in the long run, that the UK can continue to be home to more than its fair share of the world’s top scientist, engineers and entrepreneurs.” Top universities to offer new scholarships after donation Press Association 07 December 2009 The UK's top universities are to offer new scholarships to students taking science and maths-based degrees, thanks to a £3 million donation from an Iraqi exile. Up to 4,000 students, many from poorer backgrounds, are set to benefit, each receiving a scholarship worth £1,000. Dr Naim Dangoor, a multi-millionaire property developer has donated the funding as a way to thank the UK for giving him refuge after he left Iraq in the 1960s. With matched funding provided by the Government, funding for the scheme will total £4 million. The scholarships will be administered by the Russell Group and the 1994 Group, who together represent around 40 of the nation's leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. Dr Dangoor, who is now 95, has named the bursaries the Eliahou Dangoor Scholarships in honour of his father. Professor Paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group said: "These scholarships are a tremendous addition to the range of bursaries our universities offer to help ensure that students fulfil their potential and are encouraged to apply to leading universities." Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group, said: "We hope more people will be prompted to consider studying science and maths-based subjects at the UK's leading universities. "Although there has been a welcome increase in science and maths students in recent years, we have been deeply concerned by the long term decline in students taking these subjects at A-level and beyond. "Schemes like the Eliahou Dangoor scholarship build on this upturn in popularity which, in the long run, will mean that the UK can continue to be home to more than its fair share of the world's top scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs." Dr Dangoor, a Jewish Iraqi, came to London to study engineering 75 years ago.