The organizers of the Rhodes Scholarships say a Canadian philanthropist is giving of USD 120 ml to the program, the largest single donation since the prestigious program was founded more than a century ago.
The Rhodes Trust said today that the McCall MacBain Foundation's grant will help fund the current 83 Rhodes Scholarships to the University of Oxford each year, and to expanding the program.
The Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1903, is the world's oldest international graduate scholarship program.
Among the 8,000 beneficiaries are former US President Bill Clinton and six Commonwealth prime ministers.
John MacBain, a former Rhodes Scholar who founded the Geneva-based McCall MacBain Foundation with his wife Marcy, says he hopes the scholarship program will expand beyond the Commonwealth, potentially including China, India and Brazil.
