The Power Scholarships

The Power Scholarship programme was founded in the 1960s between Magdalene College and the University of Michigan and supported more than 50 students over three decades, fostering a culture of collaboration between the two universities.

The scholarships were supported by Mr Eugene Power (1967), an entrepreneur, philanthropist, Honorary Fellow of Magdalene and alumnus of both universities.

A programme of research collaboration between the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan has grown out of The Power Scholarships, now called The Michigan-Cambridge Research Initiative (MCRI). Cambridge and Michigan are incorporating the type of collaboration and exchange exemplified by the Power Scholars programme into their current relationship. The MCRI provides a formal mechanism and funding to encourage collaborations between the two universities, as well as support to develop partnerships and share expertise.

As the MCRI develops, both universities hope to create a Research Scholarship Programme to enable doctoral student exchange between the two institutions in key research areas, primarily in engineering and computer science, amongst other initiatives.

Earlier this year, nine of the Power Scholars returned to Cambridge for a dinner at Magdalene. Attendees heard from senior academics from both universities about the partnership, and two Power Scholars, Lord Howard Flight (1966) and Dr Christine Martin (1988), spoke to celebrate the renewal of the collaboration between Michigan and Cambridge.

www.magd.cam.ac.uk