MU sponsors scholarship for Syrian refugee
October 30, 2014
Ecological, Economic and Social - these three dimensions of sustainability are a focus of MODUL University and a living reality within the entire teaching and curriculum. At the university's founding in 2007, both the Department of Public Governance and Sustainable Development and the Sustainability Committee were established, the latter consisting of a mix of students, staff, and faculty .
MU President Karl Wöber explains ‘’these dimensions play an important role in our Mission Statement and are firmly established in all areas. ‘’A key part of sustainability is education. Our mission as a university is, therefore, on to take a leading role on the issue of responsibility and leadership. We want to sensitize students during their studies to become socially responsible people, and prepare them for the future when we need experts in this field with new skills and patterns of thinking."
Within the Sustainability Committee, new strategies and plans are developed. Elena Zepharovich, MSc student in Sustainable Development and committee member said ‘’we are working on the preparation of a sustainability report. At the same time, the committee is a discussion platform for creative ideas and concrete implementations in the area of sustainability.’’
She is engaged in the committee for both professional and personal reasons: ‘’I am aware of my privileged situation and would like to use it in order to make the world more just. In addition, I think that it is also important for reasons of authenticity. MODUL University offers an MSc in Sustainable Development, so it would be incorrect to teach sustainability without living it.’’
One of the committee’s recent initiatives was to work together with the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) to sponsor a Liese Prokop scholarship for refugees. As education is a key factor for integration, the scholarship is another step in the living social sustainability of MODUL University. The Sustainability Committee has decided to award a scholarship to cover an entire undergraduate studies program to a young Syrian who lives in Vienna.
‘’We want to set an example that the chance of an education in our country should be open for all,’’ said Dr. Wöber.
ÖIF CEO Franz Wolf is also excited about the collaboration: ‘’The scholarship to MODUL University Vienna fits very well into the existing range of ÖIF in the area of promoting potential. To assist motivated immigrants to pursue studies and support integration in education and the labor market is an important step to promote potential and enable performance. Through new partnerships, such as this with MODUL University, we are able to further develop the Liese Prokop Scholarship and to provide young immigrants with additional development opportunities.’’
