McGill SCS Instructors Launch Scholarships to Help Adult Learners in Need and Encourage Academic Excellence

In 2017, Dr. Kamal Salmasi was wondering how to offer more support to students in financial need and encourage working professionals enrolled in graduate studies to complete their programs. Faculty Lecturer and Area Coordinator for Management, International Business and Entrepreneurship at the McGill School of Continuing Studies since 2012, Dr. Salmasi decided to approach some of his colleagues with an idea; what if McGill instructors could work together to fund new scholarships for these students? His idea was met with overwhelming support — eight instructors at the School immediately jumped on board to contribute to the fund, and the Lecturers Scholarship in Management, International Business and Entrepreneurship was born.   

“The goal of the endowed scholarship is to encourage students to continue their hard work, regardless of their financial situation, and create meaningful, lasting bonds between instructors and students,” says Dr. Salmasi. “It was about instructors not just transferring their knowledge and experience to their students, but offering financial support as well,” he says.   

The first recipients of the new scholarship, which is based on academic merit, were chosen during the winter 2019 term. Since its inception, support for the scholarship, along with the number of instructors contributing to it has grown, with 11 instructors now generously donating.    

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must be admitted to any one of the School of Continuing Studies’ Undergraduate or Graduate programs in in General Management, International Business or Entrepreneurship, and registered in the corresponding term. For example, students must be registered in a course in the program in Fall 2019 to be eligible for the scholarship. The School aims to issue at least one scholarship every academic year either in the fall and/or winter semesters.  

For more information on the Lecturer’s Scholarship, visit https://www.mcgill.ca/continuingstudies/student-awards-and-financial-aid

Jessica Romera Jessica Romera has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Concordia University and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Translation at the McGill School of Continuing Studies. She has written for several publications including the Montreal Gazette and Montreal Families Magazine and is fluent in English, Spanish and French. A self-proclaimed bookworm and concert junkie, you will likely find her with her nose stuck in a novel or in the middle of a crowded music venue!