A friend of Magdalen College and alumnus of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), Tony Bishop, has worked to create two new scholarships to fund Black postgraduate students from the USA.
Five years ago, Tony applied to Oxford’s Diplomatic Studies programme and was offered a place. Due to financial constraint, he was unable to attend. A later trip to Magdalen as a guest on one of the college’s executive programmes would give Tony the connections needed to work with the University and ensure others overcome the barriers he faced himself.
Tony, who is now a White House Advisor based in Washington DC, said, “There is no lack of academic or professional skill in the Black community when it comes to attending elite schools, but often we aren’t able to attend, or even dream of attending, due to an inability to finance. I’m now able to pay it forward and bolster the global Black leadership pipeline at the same time.”
President of Magdalen College, Dinah Rose KC, said, “We are delighted to be working with Tony and the CBCF on this exciting new initiative, which will provide generous financial support to help talented students from the widest possible pool to access the opportunities that Magdalen and Oxford can offer.”
CBCF Senior Vice President Donna Fisher-Lewis said, “These scholarships will allow our CBCF alumni to show their excellence in a new arena while simultaneously deepening the special relationship between the U.S. and UK.”
CBCF President Nicole Austin-Hillery said “These scholarships are coming at a time when opportunities for Black students are being struck down. It’s always the right time to do the right thing and this is one way we’re beginning to partner a find new path forward.”
The CBCF scholarships are set to launch in March 2024, with the first students attending Oxford in September 2025.
Details of information sessions will be available in early March. To sign up for alerts email info@cbcfinc.org
