The RCSA are delighted to announce another initiative designed to help our hard pressed RCS students during these continued tough economic times. Working with both the RCSU President, Julia Purrinos, and FoNS Head of Education and Student Experience, Becky Middleton, and following a survey of RCS student needs in 2023, we have initiated and launched ‘The RCSA Levy Awards’.
These are bursaries which help RCS hardship students who have already been successful in getting funds from sources such as the the Student Support Fund or the FoNS Dean’s Fund, but who nonetheless find themselves in short-term financial difficulty whilst they are waiting for those funds to actually arrive.
The idea is that our Levy Award bursaries are provided almost instantly in the form of a supermarket gift card. These cards will allow our students to purchase everyday essentials such as food and other necessities with absolutely no delay and keep them going until the more substantial funds reach their bank accounts. Full details are available at FoNS Dean’s Fund | Faculty of Natural Sciences | Imperial College London.
These bursaries are named for Professor John F Levy, a much loved ex-botany student, who arrived in College in 1941 and went on to be a lecturer and professor of timber science. Professor Levy, who passed away in 2005, was president of the RCSA from 1987 to 1989 and was a firm advocate and supporter of student welfare. His legacy is the RCSA Trust which was his brainchild and was founded in 1990. Prof Levy’s family believe he would have been delighted to have his name associated with these awards.
The Levy Awards complete a hat-trick of student welfare awards introduced recently by the RCSA including the Randerson Awards and the Ellingham Awards. All of these new awards are designed to support students financially and help them get the most out of their time are Imperial College and reflect the strong desire of the RCSA to enhance the RCS student experience during their short but seminal college years!
(If you like the support we offer to students experiencing hardship and to our students in general, why not help us do more? Consider making a donation to the RCSA Trust here. With no staff and no building costs you can be assured that every penny of your donation will be gratefully received and faithfully applied to assist the students of the Royal College of Science).
You could donate any amount you wish, but why not donate £100 right now?
We would like to thank Prof Levy’s old industry friends, Dr Harry Greaves over in Australia, and Dr John Ruddick over in Canada, and also the American Wood Preservers’ Association for their help in gaining us permission to use the fantastic portrait of Prof Levy taken in 1980.