Cooke Foundation Awards Inaugural Oxford Scholarship

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Jul 08, 2015, 08:00 ET

LANSDOWNE, Va., July 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In partnership with Lincoln College at the University of Oxford, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has established a new annual graduate scholarship and names today the first ever Jack Kent Cooke Oxford Scholar, Larry Liam Ching Liu.

"Over the years, Oxford has provided 19 of our scholars a first-rate education and the priceless experiences of living and studying abroad," said Executive Director Harold O. Levy. "We are delighted to embark upon a formal partnership with the university through Lincoln College and provide one of our most extraordinary scholars each year with an incredible opportunity."

Larry Liu received his associate's degree from the Community College of Philadelphia and, with the help of a Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in sociology and economic policy. He will pursue a master's degree from the University of Oxford in comparative social policy. Liu is also the recipient of the Cooke Foundation's Graduate Scholarship and will use it to pursue a Ph.D. at Princeton University after he finishes his studies at Oxford.

"Lincoln College is delighted to welcome our first Jack Kent Cooke Oxford Scholar. We are sure that Larry Liu will initiate a long line of distinguished graduate students who will help to promote the scholarship programme and forge closer links in the future between Lincoln and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation," said Henry Woudhuysen, rector of Lincoln College.

The new Cooke Oxford Award provides one Cooke Scholar each year up to $85,000 to pursue a graduate degree at Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. Cooke Scholars in their final year of college or recent Cooke scholarship alumni are eligible to apply each winter.

Lincoln College, founded 1427, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It offers a wide range of courses, and is home to more than 300 graduate students and 300 undergraduate students. www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. By offering the largest scholarships in the country, comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from 7th grade to graduate school, the Foundation is dedicated to ensuring high-performing, low-income students have the support necessary to develop their talents and excel educationally. In addition to its scholarship programs, the Foundation provides grants for innovative, high-impact initiatives that benefit such students. By doing so, the Cooke Foundation seeks to use its resources to end the Excellence Gap, the disparity between the number of low and high income students who reach the top levels of academic performance. Founded in 2000, the Foundation has awarded $130 million in scholarships to 1,900 students and over $80 million in grants. www.jkcf.org

SOURCE Jack Kent Cooke Foundation