Author: Salford Giving

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Campus and Community

Salford shortlisted for THREE Heist Awards

We are thrilled to announce that our project, “Is Anybody Listening? Our Time, Our Place,” has been shortlisted for the Best Community/Business Engagement Campaign or Initiative at the esteemed Heist Awards. This nomination is a testament to the impactful work being done through this initiative.

The Heist Awards, have a long history of highlighting innovative and effective campaigns across the sector. They celebrate projects that make significant contributions to community engagement, student recruitment, and overall brand building in higher education​​.

“Is Anybody Listening? Our Time, Our Place” showcases the work of UoS alumnus Craig Easton, featuring a touring exhibition that explores heritage through powerful photography. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project expands on Craig’s exhibition by incorporating a community engagement programme. This programme empowers young people to explore and understand their heritage, appreciate its value, and learn how to preserve and share it through the art of photography.

This initiative stands out in its category for its creative approach to engaging the community and its success in building a deeper connection between young people and their cultural heritage.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and extend our thanks to everyone involved in making this project a success.

You can now book your tickets for the main event, which will be held on Thursday 11th July 2024 at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Book now to make sure you don’t miss out on your place at the event of the year: book my tickets.

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Salford Advantage Fund

Business Career Connect: Bridging Insights and Networking for Future Professionals

The Salford Business Schools’ student-led Business Society recently hosted the ‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking Event’, which was made possible by philanthropic donations to the Salford REVIVE grant. The event was designed to give students invaluable insights into diverse business sectors and to foster essential networking opportunities.

Around 30 students representing the Business School, encompassing disciplines such as business management, law and marketing, actively participated in the event. Guest speakers came from various careers, such as, finance, accounting, marketing, sports, HR and sales, including successful alumni speakers. These sectors were represented by organisations such as Deloitte, Waterfall Marketing, TLT LLP and Imprint Films. They shared insights into their fields, detailing how they entered into their respective careers and gave advice to attendees about how they can follow their career paths, whilst also helping students from different disciplines understand their available career options. Following the panel discussion, attendees had the opportunity to network. which enabled them to connect individually with speakers. Students indicated that several of them have established LinkedIn connections with the speakers, developing their networks and providing opportunity for future learning and employment opportunities, demonstrating their enthusiasm for exploring various career paths.

‘Business Career Connect: Insights and Networking event emerged as an indispensable platform facilitating students’ professional growth, encapsulating the essence of collaboration between academia and industry. The event’s success was made possible through the support of the Salford Revive Grant, covering essential aspects such as hospitality, venue adornments, and potential speaker and travel expenses, the event epitomized professionalism and efficacy in execution, accentuating its significance in nurturing future business leaders’ – Ahmad Ali, L6 BSc Business Management student, Salford Business society

Thank you to the generous contributions from the Salford REVIVE grant, the event contributed to Salford Business School’s calendar of extracurricular events, and as a student led event, it provided enhancement to the student experience. This is now being considered as annual event for the Business Society.

If you are inspired to help fund projects like this one or want to know more about a variety of different causes, you can find out more here. However you may choose to support us, your donation will make a big difference to what we can achieve.

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Students and Scholarships

Scholar Spotlight: Matt Turner

Matt Turner demonstrating his Architecture work.

Matt, an Architecture student, secured the Roysia Bursary during his third year at the University of Salford. The Roysia Foundation is a U.K. Charity dedicated to facilitating positive change in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Their focus is on promoting the value of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine, particularly with young people from diverse backgrounds. They have supported University of Salford students by providing bursaries since 2022.

As Matt comes to the end of his academic journey, he says, ‘as I reflect on the journey that the bursary has facilitated, the financial assistance received has been instrumental in various aspects of my academic pursuit. It enabled me to acquire essential model making equipment and materials, as well as digital model making and rendering software for my personal laptop.’ It is great to hear that Matt has been able to purchase valuable resources with the funds from Roysia.

The bursary has allowed Matt to be able to focus more on his academic studies, ‘focusing wholeheartedly on my studies without the need for part-time employment. This uninterrupted focus has been pivotal in my academic success, enabling me to delve deeper into my coursework and pursue additional learning opportunities.’

Matt is proud to share that he has produced some great work this academic year that has yielded fruitful results,

‘I am proud to share images of the site model that I’m currently constructing for my Design Studio module. The base has been constructed out of foam using a CNC router machine. In constructing this, I have gained valuable experience of various software that I had not previously used and although the model is not finished yet, I’m proud of how it turned out. The timber is me just trying some simple forms on the site in order to build a concept from.’

As Matt prepares to embark on the next chapter of his journey, he says, ‘I am confident that the skills and experiences gained during my time at the University of Salford will serve as a solid foundation for future endeavors. At the end of the academic year, we will be having an end of year show where my work will be pinned up and presented.’

We wish Matt he best of luck with his future goals and look forward to celebrating his achievements at graduation this summer.  

More information

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our student’s educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Matts, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

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Uncategorized

Haworth Trust Life Drawing Class

The University of Salford and the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology are once again indebted to the Haworth Trust for providing the funding to host The Haworth Life Drawing Series and exhibition in this academic year. The Life Class is organised and administered by the BA (Hons) Fine Art programme.  It is now in its ninth year. Founded by Jeremy Haworth in 1990, the Haworth Trust gives financial support to deserving young people with exceptional talent who are determined to make a career in the arts, especially in painting and music.

The Haworth Trust enables the school to host a Life Class for 20 weeks per academic year on Wednesday afternoons and a further 10 specialists ‘Masterclasses’ which take place on alternate weeks on Wednesday mornings.

The Fine Art team have observed a resurgence of interest in traditional techniques of painting and drawing in the last five years. Artists and students alike are reverting to their own bodies as a way of exploring their place in the world. This year approximately 110 students from 10 programmes throughout the school took part in the life drawing sessions.

The Haworth Trust Life Drawing Prize offers students a great incentive to participate in the sessions and a wonderful opportunity to study work, first-hand, in a major European museum/gallery.

The winners and other selected works chosen by the Fine Art team and Greg Fenwick are currently on show in an exhibition at the New Adelphi building.

The exhibition in April was a celebration of the year’s work and awarding of prizes. Historically, the exhibition has been in the old Old Fire Station, but this year, it moved to the New Adelphi building and it was overwhelmingly popular and perpetuated a significant increase in attendance. Feedback from students and academics throughout the building has been resoundingly positive.

 ‘The classes have made a significant difference to the observation skills of the foundation students that attended.  Confidence in mark making gestural and dynamic lines has been much improved. Irrespective of degree the disciple the fundamental fluency of hand eye coordination has revealed itself as key.’ Matthew Morriss, Programme Leader Foundation

Prize Winners 2024

1st Prize Mia Cinus

Mia Cinus 2024

Oil pastel on paper

2nd Prize Maria Scott

Untitled 2024

Acrylic on found cardboard

Maria Scott

3rd Prize Okechukwu Ikeme

Untitled 2024

Acrylic on canvas board

Okechukwu Ikeme

Highly Commended

Rebecca Riley

Harry Mfum

Robert McLeod

Elizabeth Hearfield

Kristen Lai

Ruby 2024

Acrylic on canvas

Kristen Lai

‘We are delighted with the level of engagement and the quality of the work produced by our students, and we are looking forward to their ongoing development in the coming years.’

Dr Angela Tait, Academic Fellow, BA (Hons) Fine Art

Categories
Students and Scholarships

Scholar Spotlight: Caitlin

Caitlin is a second-year Sound Engineering and Production student who was awarded the Gittins Family Charitable Trust scholarship in Engineering due to her excellent academic record and strong application, in addition to her proactive nature. The Gittins Family Trust is a charity focused on supporting students in engineering, manufacturing, and health work and has supported the University since 2022 by providing diversity-focused scholarships to provide opportunities for more women in engineering, and men in nursing alongside students coming from low-income backgrounds.

Caitlin expresses that she ‘felt so lucky to be rewarded with the scholarship’ and was encouraged to apply due to support from mentors from our Go Beyond Event which is focused on supporting the growth and development of Women in Engineering. ‘When I was awarded the scholarship, I was so proud of myself! I had to write a piece on why I think I deserve the scholarship and for other people to see potential in me as well is such an amazing feeling.’

The scholarship funding has supported Caitlin to ‘gain valuable experience to be brought back to the classroom.’ Outside of studying Caitlin has been proactively seeking work experience in the world of sound engineering and production, she reached out to a live music venue local to her and got work experience doing sound mixing for performing bands for a few weeks.

The support from the scholarship has enabled Caitlin to gain access to amazing opportunities such as being a technical manager at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Caitlin has said, ‘this scholarship has helped me to fund my train tickets to be able to work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023 and 2024’.

In addition to working at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Caitlin has worked at ‘Sounds from the other City’ (SFTOC) and Langworthy Live, ‘I feel I have not only gained experience, but I have gained a lot more confidence and have done a lot more events I feel I wouldn’t have done previously.’

Donor-Funded Scholarships and Bursaries make a huge difference to our students educational experience, it allows them to gain valuable experience and purchase materials to help with their studies, that may not have been possible before.

If you want to read more stories like Caitlins, click the drop under ‘Students and Scholarships’. If you want to help fund our scholarships, we would love to hear from you, you can email us at supporters@salford.ac.uk or simply donate here.

Categories
Salford Advantage Fund

Univision: Where Creativity Takes Center Stage

Get ready to be dazzled as the School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology at the University of Salford presents Univision, a collaborative entertainment showcase like no other! Inspired by the legendary Eurovision Song Contest, this electrifying event brings together students from diverse disciplines to ignite the stage with an explosion of talent and innovation.

At Univision, it’s not about competition; it’s about collaboration. Students unite to produce a spectacle that transcends boundaries, featuring captivating, diverse performances from music, dance to mesmerizing animations. With expert support in costume design, lighting, technical theatre, and media operations, the New Adelphi Theatre transforms into a hub of creativity, engaging audiences in an unforgettable experience.

But Univision is more than just a showcase—it’s a journey of professional development. Students step into leadership roles, navigate strict budgets, and innovate in their fields, gaining invaluable experience for their future careers. This extracurricular endeavor emphasizes accountability and prepares participants for success in the dynamic world of creative industries. This technical exploration is paving the way for future large-scale projects and sparking interest in new collaborative initiatives between the music and media departments.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday 22 May, and witness the magic unfold at the New Adelphi Theatre, University of Salford. Doors open at 7:00 PM and don’t miss the afterparty, where we’ll celebrate the hard work and achievements of all involved, fostering a spirit of community and camaraderie.

Tickets are available from Wednesday 8May, so grab yours here.

Special thanks to the Salford Advantage fund for their generous support in making Univision possible. Let’s make this night one to remember!

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Student Engagement

Engineering Futures: Inspiring Insights from the Gerry Mason Scholarship Networking Event

Gerry Mason Scholarship recipients had the opportunity to visit Morson Projects HQ earlier this month, where they gained insights in to Morson’s background, the origins of the scholarship, and explored potential career paths. The scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Gerry Mason, who founded the Morson Group in 1969. The scholarship continues in his legacy by enabling budding engineers to study degree-level courses rooted in STEM. Ged Mason, CEO of Morson International, has said, ‘The Mason family are proud to support the Gerry Mason Scholarship bursary, supporting over 50 students to date. Our partnership with Salford University is delivering real change by attracting new talent to technical sectors and developing the next generation of engineers, as well as helping those from underprivileged background achieve their dream in STEM. I am proud to be continuing my father’s legacy.’

Maria Stukoff, the Director of the Maker Space, set the tone for the event, emphasising the significance of connecting with professionals from Morson Group, ‘to kickstart their professional network and to foster a forward-thinking perspective towards what their future careers in engineering.’ Maria highlighted the unique opportunity for Gerry Mason Engineering scholars to engage with Morson Group’s, engineers, and architects who talked about their different career paths. This interaction promised not only to kickstart their professional networks but also to in still a forward-thinking perspective crucial for navigating the dynamic landscape of engineering. Andy Hassall, Associate Director of Business Development, echoed Maria’s sentiment, underlining the enthusiastic reception from the Gerry Mason scholars, he said, ‘They were engaged and inspired by the information provided on potential career paths, showcasing the positive impact it had on their future aspirations.’

For scholars, the event was more than just an informative session, it was an eye opener to different career paths. Serena, one of the Gerry Mason scholars, encapsulated the essence of the event, ‘I truly enjoyed hearing from professionals in different fields talk about their own experiences, and journeys. I liked hearing that I can explore other areas within engineering.’ It opened their eyes to the vast spectrum of opportunities within the field of engineering, transcending the boundaries of their current coursework.

In conclusion, the networking event at Morson Projects HQ was not just a gathering of professionals and scholars; it was a catalyst for growth and exploration. It served as a reminder that in the ever-evolving landscape of engineering, opportunities abound for those willing to venture beyond the familiar and embrace different engineering career paths.

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Student Engagement

Unlocking the door to academic excellence! Santander Brighter Future Grants

In 2023, we and our long-term partner, Santander, celebrated our existing partnership and the signing of a new three-year agreement. A key element of this funding agreement is the Brighter Future Grants programme, which is designed to ensure that financial barriers are less of a challenge and do not hinder our students’ academic ambitions.

The Grants are extremely popular with our students, and we have received over 1,000 applications both this year and last.

To enter, all students needed to do was:

1. Register for Santander Open Academy, a free online learning platform.

2. Log in and choose ‘Get Started’ to complete their entry into the Brighter Futures Grants programme.

Students who are awarded the grant can spend the money on rent, bills study resources or anything else they need to enhance their student experience. This is just the latest in a series of initiatives ran by our partner Santander Universities, aimed at relieving challenges and taking student’s studies to the next level. This isn’t just about a grant, it’s a commitment to creating an environment where students can focus on what truly matters – their studies.

If students missed the deadline, on the Santander Open Academy website, they could browse free on-demand learning content that can help support their studies as well as apply for several free learning programmes. There will be further opportunities for students to apply for a Brighter Futures Grant in subsequent years.

In some other exciting news, we are pleased to announce that through Santander, a Salford student, a Level 6 Diagnostic Radiography student, is the winner of their Tech Prize Draw and won a MacBook. This is another example of where Santander continue to break down the barriers and give students the keys to unlock their academic potential.

The university is extremely grateful for the support that Santander is continuing to give our students and we look forward to continuing our partnership over the coming years.

If you want to get in touch with team and discuss ways you can support our student’s success, email the Development Team at supporters@salford.ac.uk

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Salford Advantage Fund

Salford Advantage Fund Project: STEM Future Leaders

Rachael Magwaza, a lecturer in our School of Science Engineering & Environment (SEE), secured funding through the Salford Advantage Fund last year. The impressive project was to engage ‘SEE PGT cohorts in tailored training to connect and motivate pre-16 pupils from selected Greater Manchester inner-city schools.’

The programme began with a workshop which involved specialists from Johnson Matthey and Pharmakure discussing STEM career paths with our Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students. The specialists conducted workshops centred on careers plans, CVs and cover letters which enhanced the self-confidence of PGT students.

The students were able to attend the ELRIG drug discovery conference in Liverpool in 2023, this provided enriching experiences that fostered their academic and professional growth.

What was the impact of the project?

The purpose of the project was to ‘equip PGT students with language, public speaking, and leadership skills, promoting cultural integration, self-confidence, belonging, and employability’. Then, in turn, school pupils were able to gain early exposure to STEM-related careers and access to inspiring role models.

The project aimed to reach out to schools in communities with low participation neighbourhoods to stimulate interest in STEM careers. Rachael arranged a visit to the Albion Academy in Salford. The visit concluded with a STEM showcase event, featuring scientific speeches by postgraduate students and an array of interactive scientific tasks. Many pupils were unaware of the existence of STEM career opportunities besides ‘being a science teacher’ said by Mrs Elli Scott, Head of Science at the Albion Academy. After interacting with our PGT students, a considerable number of pupils acquired a newfound understanding of STEM careers, one pupil saying, ‘The workshop helped in preparing me to start thinking about my career aspirations’.Students displayed a heightened curiosity for STEM and associated careers, ‘I am now considering STEM careers when I finish school’. As a result, pupils now perceived these careers as accessible to them, having relatable figures as role models positively influenced their perspective about STEM careers.

This project had a profound influence on the public speaking and leadership abilities of the postgraduate students which is evidenced by these quotes from participating PGT students.

‘The project has inspired me to become a mentor, educator, or advocate for STEM fields’.

‘The project has helped solidified my interest in future STEM public speaking engagement’.

‘One thing I look forward to in the future is to collaborate with more high schools for this type of interaction with students’.

Thank you to alumni, friends, and supporters who made this project possible.

Our supporters’ donations make a big difference to what we can achieve. For further information on how you can support our students and read about the causes you can support, please visit our Salford Giving web page.

Categories
Students and Scholarships

Scholar Spotlight Interview: Barakat

We caught up with Barakat Olagunju recently, a first year Architectural Engineering student who was awarded the Gerry Mason Engineering Scholarship because of her academic excellence, attainment, and strong application. The scholarship was established in 2015 in memory of Gerry Mason, who founded the Morson Group in 1969. The scholarship continues in his legacy by enabling budding engineers to study degree-level courses rooted in STEM. These scholarships alongside other projects have created a long-lasting partnership between the Morson Group and the University.

In the interview Barakat talks about the immense pride and sense of achievement she felt achieving the scholarship, as it has helped her access vital resources needed for her course.  Barakat was struggling to find an affordable computer and the news came at a perfect time, Barakat said, ‘I was surprised that I [received the scholarship] because, when I applied, I wasn’t thinking that I was going to get it. It came at the perfect time as I needed a computer for the course. Computers used for architecture are quite expensive as they need to run additional software.’

After buying her laptop, Barakat is now contemplating other ways to best to manage her money whilst studying but says the scholarship ‘helps me to feel a bit more eased about money. When people told me that university can be a bit of a struggle, I did not really believe them or understand what they meant until I got started,’ .

Barakat’s scholarship funding has already had tangible effects on her studies, by being able to focus on her academic work, reducing the amount of shifts she’s working, Barakat said, ‘I can work regular shifts instead of working extra shifts and I don’t have to worry about where I am going to get the money for the laptop anymore.’

While Barakat hasn’t decided on her future career just yet, she is interested in architectural engineering and wants to continue exploring that element within her course. The scholarship has empowered Barakat to believe that she can become an architectural engineer while raising the profile of women in STEM. It has also inspired her to give back in the future.

Barakat recommends that other students apply for donor-funded scholarship. Barakat provides some great advice to potential scholarship applicants in the future, ‘Even if you think that you might not get it, that is the worst possible scenario. The best possible scenario is you getting the scholarship. You don’t lose anything by applying but you give yourself the chance to gain a lot.’

Barakat is extremely grateful for the opportunity that the Morson Group have provided her, and it makes her happy to know that our supporters are providing scholarship programmes to help students to achieve their dreams, ‘It’s nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to support you. The fact that there is a whole programme shows that there are people out there that are willing to help other people. It’s nice to know that there are people like that.’

More information

Students can find out more by checking out our donor-funded scholarships or learn about further money advice and support.

Donor-funded scholarships and bursaries offer a financial lifeline to those who need it most. Securing a scholarship is not only a non-repayable reward for our students, but a moment of recognition and a vote of confidence that we believe in their potential. Find out more about opportunities to support our students on our website.