On Tuesday 20 November, Lilian Visscher, acting Director of Leiden University Fund (LUF) and Rector magnificus Carel Stolker, LUF Board member, met with with representatives of the Lutfia Rabbani Foundation to officially establish a new matching fund called the ‘Leiden University Fund – Lutfia Rabbani Foundation Scholarship’.
The formal signing ceremony took place in the Academy Building’s Alumni Room where the Foundation was represented by Chairman Salim Rabbani, Board member Yonet Schroder and Director Heba El-Kholy.
Supporting talent
The Lutfia Rabbani Foundation and the Leiden University Fund have joined forces to support students who demonstrate exceptional academic excellence and a strong motivation to promote Euro-Arab dialogue. The Fund shall provide one full scholarship annually to a master student from an Arab country to attend an advanced master programme at Leiden University. Moreover, this student will be granted with a mentoring programme that offers guidance on a personal and professional level and also provides access to the Foundation’s extensive and diverse network and platforms.
Prof. Carel Stolker, Rector magnificus, and Chairman of the Lutfia Rabbani Foundation Salim Rabbani
Facilitating dialogue and educational exchange
The Lutfia Rabbani Foundation was founded by Mahmoud Rabbani, a Palestinian refugee who was offered a scholarship to study in the Netherlands. Eventually, he felt at home in both parts of the world and was motivated by the belief that Arabs and Europeans still have much to learn from each other. Both the Foundation and LUF recognize that international scholarships can be an effective and sustainable way of promoting dialogue and understanding. This belief has now led to the establishment of a new joint scholarship.
LUF looks forward to welcoming the ambitious and talented students who are given the chance to study at Leiden University because of the Foundation’s generous donation. Their annually awarded scholarships will be matched by LUF.
If you have any questions regarding the new joint scholarship, please feel free to contact scholarships@rabbanifoundation.org
