It was in 2018 when we completed the funding of the Digital Archive Room at the University of Guelph and the ability to digitize and put items online been especially fortuitous, given the need for professors and students to be able to work and study from home because of Covid-19. Exciting teaching and research is now being being done using digitized documents that will expand our knowledge of Scottish history. The University of Guelph, with unparalleled documentary collections, faculty expertise and student interest, remains the centre of such teaching and research outside Scotland.
With the archive project now out of the way our focus shifts to providing financial support to Scottish Studies students. We firmly believe that helping these students with the cost of tuition should be seen as an investment; for it is the youth of today that will help keep the Scottish tradition in Canada alive in the future. Professor Kevin James, who took over the position of Scottish Studies Foundation Chair at the University of Guelph in June 2020, is especially enthusiastic about this initiative, stressing its importance for undergraduate students, who are very energetic participants in the University's diverse Scottish Studies classes, and who are key to the continuing dynamism of Guelph's Centre for Scottish Studies.
As well as contributing to students' tuition fees, scholarships, which are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, can have a significant beneficial impact on a recipient's future. As Kevin put it…"Having an official award on a student's transcript is a reflection of their high level of performance, as well as tangible, monetary support for their studies. In a highly competitive applicant pool for further studies and for work applications, it will set them apart as having been recognized and supported financially for their academic excellence by their university. For Scottish Studies, it allows us to reach out to a new group we have not focused on — our talented pool of undergraduate scholars in history — and find ways of identifying the best and the brightest, rewarding them in a tangible way, and encouraging their studies — perhaps even guiding them in the direction of deeper research at the graduate level, related travel or employment."
By contributing, you will be helping the brightest minds achieve their full potential. All donations, great or small, will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate online by clicking on the PayPal button below, or by mail using our donation form which you can access here.
Thank you for your support and best wishes to you all,
David Hunter
President
Scottish Studies Foundation