Queen Margaret University (QMU) has teamed up with the Edinburgh-based WomenBeing Project to host the first international women’s conference on the University campus, 10-12 October 2017.

The WomenBeing Project is an international platform for discussion, sharing of experiences and knowledge, and support the empowerment of women, through online and offline events.

The first WomenBeing Project conference at QMU, Edinburgh will have an international focus and welcome delegates from 25 different countries to share their research and work on the status of women in the world today.

Delegates will address several areas that constitute challenges to gender equality and women’s rights, including US President Trump’s “war on women”, the gender pay gap, and violence against women and girls (VAWG).

International researchers and scientists from academic, public and private organisations will present their studies, exchange experiences, and disseminate their results on women’s and gender studies.

The aim of the conference is to amplify the research being done on women and gender equality, to create lasting productive partnerships among the conference participants, and to support the empowerment of women and girls worldwide through research and dialogue.

QMU’s Professor Claire Seaman is Co-chairwoman for the WomenBeing Conference and is an expert in family business and enterprise at the University. Commenting on the event, Professor Seaman said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the first WomenBeing Conference at QMU and providing a platform to an international forum for debate and exchange on the main challenges facing women in today’s society. Delegates will have the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which we can, individually and collectively, propose solutions to these problems.

“There is a growing awareness of the need to address the problems that women are experiencing, to speak truth to power, and to take action. WomenBeing builds upon this momentum by providing a ‘loudspeaker’ for female academics, civil servants, researchers, social activists, journalists and private individuals, to voice their opinions on the main challenges that women are facing in 2017.”

QMU’s Dr Rebecca Finkel and Dr Susanne Ross are also members of the WomenBeing Conference organising committee and specialise in gender identity, socio-economic and public policy research. They will be joined at the event by Professor Brigid Daniel, who has just been appointed Dean of School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management at the University.

The opening keynote, ‘Who broke feminism? The obligation of privilege’ will be delivered by Professor Emma Rees, University of Chester, and Director of the Institute of Gender Studies. Panel discussions cover a wide range of areas, including President Trump’s legislation on women’s reproductive rights, migrant women in Europe, Islamic feminism, the right to breastfeeding, women in senior management and entrepreneurship, violence against women and girls, women in the arts, and women in academia.

The WomenBeing project was created by Scotland-based entrepreneur, Monica Martins, who is also the CEO and Founder of the company Theorem Conferences, which organises conferences throughout Europe. Commenting on the WomenBeing conference, Monica said: “I’m really pleased with the way that the QMU has embraced this international conference that brings together delegates from several countries from across Europe, as well as Azerbaijan, South Africa, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, and many others.”

The conference coincides with Ada Lovelace Day and celebrates women of the present and the past, whose achievements have contributed so much to humanity. Like Ada Lovelace, there are many women fighting for equality, for their rights, and for peace.

QMU’s two female founders, Christian Guthrie Wright and Louisa Stevenson, were also pioneers of their time. They were key figures in driving the UK wide mid Victorian Women’s Movement, which campaigned for better education and improved career opportunities for females. Impressively, they were largely responsible for leading the campaign to secure the admission of females to Edinburgh University. Their drive, commitment and social conscience laid the foundation for what has helped QMU become an ambitious higher education institution. Their legacy is a university which is driven by the highest ideals and purposes, and remains true to its values of opportunity for women and improving quality of life.

Professor Seaman added: “QMU remains committed to gender equality and opportunity for all. We aim to be a university without borders and without barriers. Today, our female staff and students – be they lecturers, researchers, leaders, supporters, mothers, partners, carers – continue to achieve and inspire.”

The programme for the WomenBeing Conference is available online: www.womenbeing.co.uk/conference-programme

This week, Queen Margaret University is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its move to the campus in Musselburgh.

Ten years ago, in the first week of October, QMU welcomed its first cohort of new students to its newly built campus.

Over the last decade, QMU has responded to our fast changing world with agility, positivity and a practical approach.

Since relocating, the University has seen its student numbers grow, and has moved up the rankings in terms of research output. Today, the institution is ranked first in Scotland and third in the UK for graduate employability.

QMU’s vision is to be ‘a university of ideas and influence’ and over the last ten years, its reach has extended with graduates leaving the Musselburgh campus and using the skills and knowledge they have acquired at QMU to positively influence the lives of individuals and communities in Scotland, the UK and internationally. In addition, the University has seen increasing numbers of students study for its degrees through partner institutions abroad, including in Nepal, India, Singapore and Greece.

To mark the 10th anniversary, the University is running an exhibition on campus celebrating the stories of some of its graduates. These stories will also be shared on social media.

At its new campus, and through partnership with East Lothian Council, the University became the first Scottish university to host a Business Gateway. This development is part of a much wider programme of work to foster entrepreneurship and support the Scottish economy.

Alongside this, the University has also implemented ground-breaking initiatives to demystify higher education and to encourage widening participation, including the Children’s University and the South East Scotland Academies Project.

The QMU campus has blossomed. The mature grounds are now a haven for wildlife and students and staff enjoy sharing the attractive landscape gardens with the local community.

Dr Richard Butt, Deputy Principal of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh: “This is a very special time for QMU. It offers the opportunity for us to reflect on what has been achieved in the last 10 years, both at home as well as globally, and to reconnect with our alumni and share their success. The anniversary also gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude to our new community which has embraced and supported QMU, helping us put down strong roots in East Lothian. By building strong partnerships locally we are all more than a sum of our parts.

“Our move to our new campus and our QMU150 strategic plan have helped us develop a new found confidence, allowing us to become more ambitious in our outlook and helping realise our vision of being known as a university of ideas and influence.

Dr Butt concluded: “Whether you are a QMU alumni, current student, a friend of QMU or are new to the university, please do take this opportunity to connect with us on social media and learn more about the QMU story.”

A university professor has revealed the economic impact of Scotland’s ‘Top 100’ to mark Scottish Family Business Week, 2-6 October 2017.

Professor Claire Seaman from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, who is also Chair in family business at the University, has been working with Family Business United Scotland, Carbon Financial and a range of industry partners over the last six months to reveal ‘The Scottish Family Business Top 100’ and the significant contribution the sector makes to the country’s economy.

A first for Scotland, this new report has shown that the country’s 100 most profitable family-owned companies generate a combined £1 billion of pre-tax profits and have a collective annual turnover of £16.6 billion. The study has also shown that the sector employs over 100,000 staff and contributes 11 per cent to Scotland’s onshore gross domestic product (GDP).

In Scotland, SMEs account for 99.3% of all private sector enterprises and 63% of these are family businesses.

Professor Seaman helped compile the report, along with Family Business United Scotland and Craig Corporate. As part of her role as Chair of Family Business at QMU, Professor Seaman undertakes impactful research in enterprise and family business and works with businesses across Scotland.

Commenting on The Scottish Family Business Top 100 report, Professor Seaman said: “Family firms are the backbone of the Scottish economy and this latest research proves that the sector is a significant employer, revenue generator and contributor.

“Research into the family business sector in Scotland is fundamental to improving the understanding of the sector, the contribution they make and more importantly, to demonstrate to key decision makers and influencers that these businesses are important to Scotland, and therefore need to be given support and recognition to continue to flourish.

“All our research and work with businesses emphasise the importance of family owned and managed businesses. That’s why we’re tailoring some of our educational provision around family business at QMU.”

Family Business United Scotland founder, Paul Andrews, added: “Family Business United Scotland champions family businesses whatever their size, sector or age. Our research dispels many myths about family businesses being small or lacking in ambition. The top 100 have demonstrated impressive abilities to respond to market forces and to innovate and evolve in order to remain current, relevant and profitable.”

QMU offers two postgraduate study programmes in Family Business, which were developed following five years of industry consultation with organisations such as Scottish Family Business Association, Family Business United Scotland and a range of family-run Scottish businesses.

MSc International Management & Leadership with Family & Smaller Enterprises and MBA Family & Smaller Enterprises offer experienced business professionals, as well as recent business graduates and those who are returning to the family business after studying for an unrelated degree, greater insight into the value, practice and function of family businesses. Topics will include family business succession, governance, behavioural finance and risk.

For more information on the family business programmes at QMU, visit www.qmu.ac.uk or contact Professor Claire Seaman at QMU, E: CSeaman@qmu.ac.uk, T: 0131 474 0000.

For more information on Scottish Family Business Week and to order a PDF copy of The Scottish Family Business Top 100 report, visit www.familybusinessunited.com/regional-focus/uk/scotland

Campus tours, financial advice, help with university applications, course talks and free samples of Orkney ice-cream are just some of the things on offer at Queen Margaret University’s up and coming open day this Saturday.

The undergraduate open day, which will take place on Saturday 30th September, will give visitors a chance to find out about a wide range of undergraduate courses. The event, which is suitable for individuals looking to start university in September 2018, will offer visitors the opportunity to meet academics and current students, view accommodation in QMU’s student residences and find out about courses and student life. A range of presentations will provide information about student funding options as well as helpful tips for applying through the UCAS system.

The University offers a niche range of undergraduate degree courses in the areas of Health Sciences; Business, Enterprise and Management; Media, Communication and Performing Arts; and Social Sciences. To help visitors get a better insight into these areas, academics will present subject talks on, for example, Podiatry, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Nursing, Film and media, Performing Arts and Costume Design and Construction.

Open Day visitors will have the opportunity to tour the campus facilities including labs and clinics, speak to student helpers and ask questions of academic staff.
Campus tours will also allow visitors to view shared flats in student residences as well as the QMU sports facilities.

Visitors will also be offered free samples of Orkney Ice-cream which have been donated for use at the University event by QMU graduate Graham Bichan, director of the Orkney based company.

The open days will run from 11am – 4pm on Saturday 30th September.

Register for the event via the QMU website: http://www.qmu.ac.uk/marketing/bulletins/opendays.htm#UG

Registration is not compulsory. You are welcome to attend either of the days without registering but in order to speed up your arrival at the university it is best to register.

A number of new senior academic management appointments have been made at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh in time for the start of the 2017/18 academic year.

The move is part of QMU’s continued investment in leadership and development, and will strengthen the institution’s vision to become recognised internationally as a university of ideas and influence.

The appointments take place at a time when the University celebrates the 10th anniversary of its purpose-built campus. QMU moved to its new site to the east of Edinburgh, by Musselburgh, in October 2007. In the last decade, the institution has been increasingly well known as a university which is highly relevant and responds to the needs of society. This year it has been announced that QMU has the highest graduate employment rate of any Scottish university and has the third highest employability rate amongst all UK higher education institutions

The new appointments will help to strengthen QMU’s academic offering across its flagship areas of expertise in sustainable business, social sciences and media & culture.

Professor Brigid Daniel has been appointed as Dean of School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management; Professor Philip Drake as Director of the Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (CCCMS); Dr Oliva Sagan as Head of Division of Psychology and Sociology; and Professor Monika Foster as Head of Division of Business, Enterprise and Management.

Professor Brigid Daniel
Dean of School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management

Professor Daniel completed her PhD in psychology at the University of Edinburgh, and subsequently worked at the Universities of Dundee and Stirling. A professor since 2004, she was previously Deputy Head of School of Applied Social Science at the University of Stirling, and Director of the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, a research centre that she established. She is a member of the board for the charity Children in Scotland. Her research focused on child neglect and on children’s well-being and resilience in the face of adversity.

Professor Philip Drake
Director of the Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies

Professor Drake was previously Head of the Department of Media and Professor at Edge Hill University and has held a number of senior roles including Middlesex University, the University of Stirling and the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on media and creative industries, and he has collaborated internationally on a range of funded research projects, including recently on digital distribution and video-on-demand (VOD). He serves as an expert member on the Social Sciences and Humanities Panel of the Irish Research Council and his background also includes knowledge exchange activities with Channel 4, Film London, Scottish Enterprise, Creative Scotland, the British Film Institute, FACT and Creative England.

Dr Olivia Sagan
Head of Division of Psychology and Sociology

Dr Sagan is a chartered psychologist and former psychodynamic counsellor with 20 years’ experience of working with adults with long term mental health difficulties. She has extensive experience working with trauma and distress within specific populations, including refugees, the homeless, women experiencing chronic depression, individuals with eating disorders and people with combined physical and mental illnesses. She is regularly involved in overseas humanitarian work. Olivia’s phenomenological, user-led research explores the strategies that people develop over time through which they make meaning of their mental health difficulties and life experiences. Her projects to date have included longitudinal studies of the ways in which adults with severe mental illness and limited verbal ability have employed autobiographic writing and visual art making outside of the clinical domain.

Professor Monika Foster
Head of Division of Business, Enterprise and Management

Professor Foster has worked in higher education in the UK and overseas for over 25 years, including 15 years as Associate Professor and Director of Learning and Teaching at Edinburgh Napier Business School. Her external profile includes the award of Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of Chartered ABS Learning and Teaching Committee and a Visiting Professor at Shandong University of Finance, PRC. Prior to working at Edinburgh Napier University, Monika had industry experience of working in an international shipping company, VShips. She led setting up business and management of international training centres across the world, including centres in Burma, Thailand, Brazil, Croatia and Poland.

These four join Dr David Stevenson, who was appointed as Head of Division for Media, Communications and Performing Arts earlier this year.

Professor Petra Wend, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “We’re delighted to make these significant appointments. All four individuals are highly experienced experts in their field and bring impressive leadership skills to the University. Their contribution will ensure that we enhance our existing academic offering whilst being ever more dynamic and ambitious in our future activities. In short, they will help us develop our sphere of influence both within the UK and internationally, strengthening our reputation as a university of ideas and influence.”

Committed Court members are critical to the University’s success.

Court appointments take account of personal and professional skills and experience in the context of the overall composition of the Court. Currently, we are particularly interested to hear from individuals who have specific expertise in finance or who have a strong background in estates development and/or planning, particularly if this expertise has contributed to success within a higher education context (desirable but not essential). Applicants with other specialist knowledge are welcome to apply. You will have a strong, personal commitment to Higher Education, its governance and the values, aims and objectives of Queen Margaret University.

We are committed to ensuring that our Court membership represents our broader community. Applications are welcomed particularly from women, disabled people, ethnic minorities and applicants who would further enhance the diversity of the Court.

Further information about the role of Court members and the application process is available on our website at https://www.qmu.ac.uk/about-the-university/university-court. The closing date for application is Friday, 8 September 2017.

A ground-breaking initiative which offers paid employment opportunities for students is expanding to provide tourism ambassadors for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Pioneered by Queen Margaret University, the Student Tourism Ambassador Role Scotland (STARS) programme was designed to create a tourism ambassador programme for the City of Edinburgh, creating a seamless journey for all visitors from their arrival at the airport and on to the main city attractions. No other city in the UK has an initiative like this which nurtures the talent of university students to help enhance the visitor experience and strengthen the city’s tourism reputation.

The programme has helped more than 50 students secure paid employment in customer service tourism roles with Edinburgh International Airport, Virgin Trains at Waverley Station and Edinburgh’s St James. This summer, the winning career development project will provide up to 20 students to assist visitors at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Professor Joe Goldblatt, from Queen Margaret University, is a world renowned expert in events management. He conceived the project with Juan Garcia, QMU’s Employability Adviser. Professor Goldblatt explained: “Since it started in summer 2014 in the international arrivals hall at Edinburgh International Airport, our University STARS students have welcomed 350,000 people from all over the world. The fact that our STARS students speak 22 languages between then, helps to ensure that international visitors to Edinburgh are given a warm welcome, which is backed up with useful visitor information.”

The students are the project’s greatest asset and all have developed important customer service and communication skills, which equip them with desirable skills for the tourism, events and other relevant industries. The introduction of a student coordinator’s role has provided outstanding leadership skills, with students who have held this position gaining graduate jobs in related sectors. Having worked as STARS Coordinator, Rebecca Neish went on to work for Disney World in Florida, later returning to Scotland to secure a training position with the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. Lauren Osborne, who was the first Coordinator, moved on from STARS work to Membership Coordinator at 28 York Place.

Juan Garcia said: “Students are put through a rigorous application and training process with further training subsequently provided by the employer. Each student also has a personal development programme and coaching, and is tasked with producing a reflective essay. By the time they graduate from Queen Margaret University they will possess significant academic knowledge and practical skills, ensuring they are highly desirable graduates with the appropriate skills to hit the ground running when they enter the workforce.”

Edinburgh International Airport was pleased to kick-start the project. It utilised the STARS initiative to improve the customer experience for international visitor arrivals. Virgin Trains West Coast has embraced the STARS, with students adding to the visitor experience at Waverley Station by greeting passengers from trains and helping them on a positive onward journey. STARS students also helped create a seamless visitor experience around the Edinburgh St James by informing the public about the developments whilst the Centre is under construction.

The STARS team is now excited about the project expansion with students set to work in a variety of different customer service roles with the Royal Military Tattoo.

Roddy Smith, Chief Executive at Essential Edinburgh, explained: “Essential Edinburgh and our partners have greatly benefitted from the QMU STARS programme during the past year. These young people have brought professionalism, vitality and a warm welcome for thousands of our visitors that reflects very well indeed upon the City of Edinburgh.”

Adrian Crighton, a PR, Marketing and Events student, is currently working as STARS Coordinator. He said: “I am gaining essential practical management skills over and above the academic knowledge I’m learning on my degree. It’s improving my confidence and developing my leadership skills. We are gearing up for the Tattoo and many of our STARS students will be able to gain experience of working at this world famous event, as well as with the STARS projects in other parts of the city. That’s sure to be a real boost to their work experience and their CV!”

Professor Goldblatt confirmed: “The model not only creates paid work and outstanding skills development for our students, if offers business solutions for our partners, and could be easily transferable to other locations and universities.”

Pictured: STARS from left, Josselyn Tarazona; Emma Lourie; Adrian Crighton; Matt Higginson and RaakShaana Gnanamurali.

A new graduate from Edinburgh has been recognised by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh for her excellent performance during her psychology degree.

Marta Isibor, who is 32 years old and is originally from Poland, graduated from QMU with a BSc (Hons) Psychology. Her incredible efforts throughout her degree journey were recognised by the British Psychological Society when she was presented with the Society’s Undergraduate Award 2017 for achieving the highest overall scores on her degree programme.

This special commendation is awarded once a year to QMU’s top performing final year psychology student.

Marta, who has lived in Scotland for ten years, has juggled significant family responsibilities whilst studying for her degree. She is a busy mother of two beautiful young boys.

In addition to the British Psychological Society award, Marta also gained first prize in the Edinburgh University Neurological Society National Conference essay competition for her work on the contribution of psychology to present understanding of schizophrenia. The article has since been published in the Cambridge Medicine Journal.

She has also won first prize poster presentation award at the Queen Margaret University first Undergraduate Psychology and Sociology Conference. The poster illustrated her dissertation research study.

Discussing her work, she said: “I used my dissertation to study skin picking disorder which is a condition affecting 1.5% – 5.4% of the population. Compulsive skin picking (CSP) is characterised by the repetitive picking of the skin which ultimately causes damage and distress.

“CSP is classified under obsessive-compulsive and related disorders and is often repetitive, ritualistic and tension reducing. I was really interested in studying this area as the condition is so under researched and the people who are affected are really struggling.”

Marta continued: “I recently presented my research at a conference at King’s College London which was well received. I’m really enthusiastic about further developing this research at master’s level.”

The abstract of the work has been published in the Frontiers of Psychiatry journal, landing Marta her second academic publication as an undergraduate.

Marta is currently working in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital as an honorary assistant psychologist but is keen to return to QMU to do a Masters in Research.

Discussing QMU, she said: “I really enjoyed my time at QMU as the university is small and friendly. It’s easy to get to know your lecturers and I felt I got more individual guidance from academic staff that I may have got at a larger institution. It also has a very helpful learning support service which I found very useful in my first year of study.”

Stephen Darling, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, was Marta’s personal academic tutor. He said: “Marta’s success deserves celebration – she has overcome many obstacles to emerge with a highly impressive final degree. I am delighted that she intends to stay within the area of psychology, and in a world where we have so many crucial issues with regard to mental health, I believe she, alongside our other graduates, will go on to make a real difference.”

Marta was joined by her husband, mother, sister, and two sons at the graduation ceremony in July which took place at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

A Queen Margaret University (QMU) student who became one of the first international tourism ambassadors at Edinburgh International Airport in 2015, has now landed a leading graduate position with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

Rebecca Neish, 21, has been appointed as Training and Events Executive with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce after graduating with a first class BA (Hons) Events Management from QMU in July.

Rebecca’s new role with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce will include working as part of the operations team, where she is responsible for developing their existing portfolio of training and events and conducting quality standard checks to confirm members are being provided with the best opportunities to grow and develop their businesses. It is not only the members satisfaction that she manages, part of her responsibility is to liaise with the suppliers and support their needs and desires to collaboratively support the members development needs.

Whilst a student at QMU, Rebecca was one of only three university students to be appointed as part of the first Student Tourism Ambassador Role Scotland (STARS) team at Edinburgh International Airport, which is a partnership project between the University and the Airport. Rebecca talents were recognised during her time with the STARS project when she was promoted to the coordinator’s role. It was this position that she excelled as a people manager, gaining the skills set and experience which has helped secure her current job with the Chamber.

QMU’s STARS programme was designed to support the tourism sector in Edinburgh and has enabled a total of 50 students to find paid employment and develop employability and leadership skills. The programme has been endorsed by VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourism organisation, and has now been expanded to include Virgin Trains East Coast and Edinburgh St James. The initiative was also recognised in 2016 with an award from the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce in the category of innovation.

Commenting on her new role with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, experience as one of the first STARS, and QMU journey, Rebecca said: “The opportunity I was given through QMU’s STARS programme has directly supported me in my current role. I strongly believe I wouldn’t be in the role I’m in today without QMU investing in me, believing in my ability, supporting my growth and giving me the opportunity to learn practically.

“The experience I gained as a result of being the coordinator of the STARS programme, liaising with clients, performing evaluations and acting upon their outcomes has definitely given me the confidence to pursue my current role at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. The opportunity QMU gave me gave me the skills and experience to help start my career and owe the programme and QMU a lot.”

A short film of Rebecca talking about her experience as a QMU student is now available to watch on the University’s YouTube channel: https://goo.gl/CX89tX

An Events Management student from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, has graduated with flying colours after winning a new university scholarship to address lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in the events and tourism sector.

Gavin Baxter, 27, was awarded the scholarship by QMU, which is geared towards LGBT studies in the tourism and events industry.

With its specialisms in tourism and events, QMU has teamed-up with US-based TravelAdvocates to offer the scholarship to up to two students a year over the next three years.

The TravelAdvocates LGBT Studies Travel and Research Scholarship helps QMU students carry out their own independent research into the current LGBT issues affecting the tourism and events sector. Gavin used his Scholarship to help fund his final dissertation project, which focused on what motivated people to attend this year’s Edinburgh Pride Festival, including post-Brexit political factors.

Whilst a student at QMU, Gavin also got the opportunity to work and travel in the USA and Canada via the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Education Foundation, including working as a Conference Coordinator at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Conference in Washington D.C.

Gavin graduated with a BA (Hons) Events Management at QMU’s recent graduation ceremony in Edinburgh and is now working as a Conference Host for Crowne Plaza Hotels in Edinburgh City Centre and hopes to develop his career in the events industry by continuing to travel internationally and work on large scale major events in the future.

Commenting on his scholarship success and QMU experience, Gavin said: “This scholarship has been a fantastic addition to the awards that are given by QMU and their sponsors. It doesn’t just give you the chance to enhance your studies for your coursework, but it gives you the opportunity to meet inspirational and fantastic people that can help you within your career.

“I recently spoke to the sponsor from TravelAdvocates to express my sincere thanks and I really encourage future students and recipients of this award to make good use of it as it can do wonderful things for your education and career.

“QMU has changed my life. From being the shy individual and being scared to express my passion for the events industry, the lecturers, Students’ Union and fellow students have helped me come out of my shell and celebrate the amazing opportunities that have come my way in the past two years.”

The TravelAdvocates LGBT Studies Travel and Research Scholarship is the first LGBT scholarship funded at QMU. As a University of ideas and influence, QMU is continuing to seek further opportunities to fund scholarships that support both LGBT and other minority groups who wish to pursue these studies in the future.