Through Gandel Foundation, the Gandel family has committed A$1 million to the establishment of a transformational scholarship fund to support high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds to study a degree of their choice at Monash University. The Gandel Scholars fund will award two scholarships each year – the John Gandel Scholarship to a male recipient and the Pauline Gandel Scholarship to a female recipient, with selection based on academic achievement, social, personal or financial need and leadership potential.
The Gandel family have a close connection with Monash University; three generations have undertaken their studies at the University. Vedran Drakulic, CEO of Gandel Foundation, commented on the close alignment of the inclusive values and principles of Monash and the Gandel family.
“The Gandel family has had a long-standing commitment to supporting initiatives that have a lasting impact on the lives of individuals and communities, empowering people to improve their well-being. As part of this ethos, they always seek to prioritise support for the most marginalised and vulnerable groups within our society,” Mr Drakulic said.
“John’s and Pauline’s hope is that Gandel Scholars will create a platform for exceptional individuals to develop their skills through studying at a leading institution and ultimately contribute their talent to creating a better world.”
Scholarship recipients will be entitled to an overall award of up to $50,000 over five years. In a true partnership approach, this includes not only the Gandel Scholarship amount but also a Monash University contribution, providing a comprehensive package of support including campus residential accommodation and a Monash Global grant. Recipients will become ambassadors of the Access Monash mentoring program, fostering development in communication, leadership, presentation skills and strategic thinking.
“Scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds are pivotal in increasing access to higher education and enabling them to thrive and ultimately succeed in fulfilling their potential. We appreciate this generous endowment from the Gandel family, which will ensure that we can make a difference in the lives of students with exceptional promise,” Monash University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AO said.
Gandel Foundation is one of Australia’s largest independent family philanthropic funds, supporting both Jewish and Australian causes. In 2013, Gandel Foundation Chairman John Gandel AO was recognised with an honorary Doctor of Laws honoris causa from Monash University. In 2014, Dr Pauline Gandel was awarded a Monash honorary doctorate for her extensive work for philanthropic causes through fundraising and contributions to charitable funds.
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