Page 14 - Mansfield 2019/20

Welcoming the first Kofi Annan Scholars to Mansfield
A new partnership with the University of Oxford’s Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme.
In October 2020, we welcomed the first ever cohort of Kofi Annan Scholars to our College. In partnership with the University of Oxford’s prestigious Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme, Mansfield plans to offer seven new fully funded graduate scholarships for exceptional students from low-income countries, for the next five years.
The Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships and Leadership Programme aims to provide outstanding university graduates and professionals from developing and emerging economies with the opportunity to pursue study at Oxford. In addition to their studies, the graduates participate in a tailor-made leadership programme to give them additional practical skills and opportunities.
The new scholarships are named after the former Secretary- General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan (1938-2018), who officially opened the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at Mansfield in June 2018, just weeks before he died. We are delighted that the Kofi Annan Foundation has granted us permission to name this endeavour in honour of Kofi Annan, and to be working closely with the Foundation on this initiative.
The Kofi Annan Scholarships have been made possible thanks to the generosity of Mansfield alumnus, Jan Fischer (PPE, 1989), of Germany.
At an online event in late October, Mansfield’s Principal joined representatives from the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, the Kofi Annan Foundation, and our sponsor, Jan Fischer, to hear from each of the scholars about their aims and aspirations in pursuing
graduate studies at Oxford. All the scholars talked about the warm welcome they had received at Mansfield and how this College’s ethos and values reflected their own.
In what was an inspiring moment for everyone, Kofi Annan’s widow, Mrs Nane Annan, our special guest at the event, talked to us about how much she felt Kofi would have approved of the scholarships: ‘Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation’.
At a time when, globally, inequalities in society are deepening, we at Mansfield believe that universities can help, by enabling people from a broad range of backgrounds to develop their talents and to make a positive contribution to the world.
If you would like to know more about this year’s scholars, and their areas of research, please consult the Kofi Annan Scholars page on the Mansfield College website.
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‘At Mansfield we aim to educate, equip, and empower our students to realise their ambitions, ask questions, and make a positive impact on the world around them. We wanted these new scholarships at Mansfield to be associated with a figure whose name provides inspiration and honour to those in receipt of them, and to reflect the intended purpose of the scholarships in educating people to make the world a better place. With Kofi Annan’s deep commitment to education
for the benefit of international peace, collaboration and development, and our proud link with him, we could think of no better name to achieve that intention.’
Helen Mountfield QC, Principal, Mansfield College