VMIL, UWIDEF launch scholarship programme
VM Investments Limited (VMIL), in collaboration with the VM Foundation, have partnered with The University of the West Indies Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF) to launch a scholarship programme for UWI students pursuing a degree in business, management, data analytics/data science and economics.
The scholarship, named the VM Investments Ltd - Maurice C Robinson Business Management and Economics Scholarship, in honour of former chairman of VM Wealth Management Limited and accomplished attorney Maurice Robinson, is valued at $500,000 per year for one successful student.
CEO of VMIL Rezworth Burchenson, delivering remarks at the official launch of the scholarship, said the move represents a firm commitment by the company to support the community through meaningful contributions to education and youth development, alongside the work of the VM Foundation. He said this was urgently needed, given the wide-ranging effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“It is impossible to ignore the impact that COVID-19 has had on our country. Students, in particular, have been dealt a heavy blow. Students, the future of our country, need our help to realise their dreams to change the world,” he said.
He added: “We maintain an unwavering commitment to delivering the best products, the highest level of service and the most impactful financial education so that more people can be empowered. We are also mindful of the reality of this moment in history that we now occupy. The past several months have been trying, and there are many hardworking, focused people who will need some assistance to reach their highest potential.”
The VM Investments Ltd - Maurice C Robinson Business Management and Economics Scholarship is open to firstyear students with at least a 3.0 GPA, who have verifiable financial need, are active participants in extracurricular activities, and demonstrate leadership skills as well as a spirit of volunteerism and social involvement.
In addition to full tuition coverage, the scholarship recipient will benefit from an internship opportunity with VMIL. The scholarship application, which is to be administered through the Office of Student Financing, UWI, will be opened in January 2022.
Carla Seaga, executive director of the UWIDEF, in lauding VMIL on the initiative, said she was very pleased with the partnership, as both entities share common core values in their commitment to providing financial solutions to improve the lives of Jamaicans.
“I would like to emphasise that the needs of students are very real... and being able to pay tuition via a scholarship means realising a dream that would not otherwise be possible,” she said.
UWIDEF is a non-profit organisation incorporated in 1990 and has over the years been the main fund-raising arm for projects that support the development of the UWI, Mona campus. UWIDEF provides financial solutions with a focus on unlocking the enormous potential of persons through research, welfare, infrastructure, and other vital forms of support.