Social Sciences establishes bursary for Black students

The Faculty of Social Sciences is establishing a general bursary for Black undergraduate students. Community members are invited to donate to it to help Black students pursue their goals, and thanks to an anonymous donor’s generosity, their contributions will go twice as far.

The bursary is part of the university’s ongoing commitment to inclusive excellence.

“We know that disadvantages are not equally distributed. Commitments to Black students, their scholarship and excellence must be met with more than words,” says Ameil Joseph, Professor in Equity, Identity and Transformation.

“This bursary is an important step to address the well-known, pervasive, and persistent barriers that have and continue to advance inequities.”

In honour of the announcement, an anonymous donor will match community donations up to a limit of $25,000.

“The Faculty of Social Sciences is committed to the development of equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenous strategies. I’m pleased this donor has taken our commitment to another level,” says Social Sciences Dean Jeremiah Hurley. “We sincerely thank them for supporting our Black student community.”

The Social Sciences Black Student Bursary will be open for applications for the 2022-23 academic year.

To qualify, applicants must self-identify as Black on AwardSpring and demonstrate financial need but will not have to satisfy any specific academic requirements.

Click here to learn more about donating to the Social Sciences Black Student Bursary.

For more information, contact Katie Ribout, Senior Development Officer, at riboutk@mcmaster.ca or at 905-525-9140 x 28921.