LBS Launches New Endowed Scholarship Program
London Business School has unveiled a new endowed scholarship program, honoring the school’s former dean, Sir James Ball.
Ball, born in 1933, held the title of Principal at LBS from 1972-1984. He passed away in January of 2018. The new scholarship program comes as the result of a £2 million (about US $2.48 million) gift from his widow, Lady Ball.
The Professor Sir James Ball Endowed Scholarship Programme will encompass the Professor Sir James Ball MBA Scholarship and the Professor Sir James Ball Annual PhD Award.
According to LBS, the former will go to “MBA candidates who have demonstrated academic excellence, strength of character and leadership potential.” Diversity will also be a factor considered in distributing the scholarship.
Meanwhile, the corresponding PhD award will go to academically outstanding PhD students who need research funding.
During his tenure as LBS’s dean, Ball led the creation of the school’s Executive MBA program. He was also instrumental in raising funds for LBS’s Plowden building.
The creation of a PhD award in Ball’s honor is fitting because Ball, who was an economics professor at LBS, is known for his research as an economist.
In collaboration with the American economist Lawrence Klein, Ball developed the Oxford Econometric Model of the UK economy. This model helped spur further research in using econometric models for macroeconomic forecasting.
Lady Ball described her husband as “a passionate innovator and pioneer” who “loved surrounding himself with bright minds.”
She said the scholarship program honoring him represents “an opportunity for his vision and legacy to live on through the women and men that come to London Business School.”
The new endowed scholarships join several other scholarships LBS offers, some of which are open to all students and some of which are awarded on the basis of nationality, gender or industry. These scholarships vary in amount and go toward LBS’s tuition fee of £82,000, which is currently slightly over US $100,000.
Admission to MBA programs like LBS’s is already highly competitive, but the possibility for scholarships further raises the stakes.
Securing admission, and potentially scholarship funding, often comes down to having the right combination of unique personal characteristics that catches the adcom’s eye.
At EXPARTUS, we can give you feedback on how your application will come across at top B-schools and how you can submit an application that emphasizes the strengths you bring. If that sounds helpful, ask us for a free MBA application assessment!