福利姬自慰

福利姬自慰launches Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund to honour Flight 752 victims

A condolence book for the victims of the PS752 plane crash is in the foreground with photos of the 福利姬自慰victims in the background
A memorial is set up at 福利姬自慰to remember students who died aboard Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 near Tehran, Iran (photo by Daria Perevezentsev)

The University of Toronto has launched a new endowed fund, , to honour the memory of those who died in the tragic downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in Tehran, Iran.

All 176 passengers and crew, including 57 Canadians, were killed. Eight members of the 福利姬自慰community, including six students, were among those whose names were on the plane鈥檚 passenger manifest.

The loss of lives, and a determination to memorialize the 福利姬自慰community members鈥 contributions, drove the creation of the fund, which will provide needs-based scholarships to international students from Iran as well as students from any background pursuing Iranian studies at U of T.

All donations to the fund will be matched by the university: The first $250,000 will be matched at an effective rate of 3:1, with all funds beyond that threshold to be matched dollar-for-dollar.

鈥淭he University of Toronto continues to mourn the heartbreaking loss of so many members of our community, and to offer our sympathy and support to their families, friends, classmates and professors,鈥 President Meric Gertler said.

鈥淲ith the creation of this scholarship we hope to honour the memory of those we have lost by helping students from Iran pursue their studies at 福利姬自慰and by supporting students of all backgrounds who are interested in exploring Iranian studies.鈥

The scholarship fund is the brainchild of David Palmer, U of T鈥檚 vice-president, advancement, and alumni Rahim Rezaie, associate director of the International Virtual Engineering Student Teams Initiative at the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and Mehrdad Hariri, CEO and president of the Canadian Science Policy Centre.

The university took the unusual step of matching donations at such a high rate in recognition of the enormity of the community鈥檚 loss, Palmer said.

鈥淲e wanted to create a legacy of hope, support and compassion out of the grief and sorrow that has gripped us all in the past week 鈥 and we wanted to ensure that the names of those we lost will not be forgotten,鈥 Palmer said. 鈥淭hese students and scholars were among the very brightest of their generation. We hope that this scholarship will allow their memory to serve as an inspiration for generations to come.鈥

Disbursement of the scholarship will be managed by U of T鈥檚 Enrolment Services Office and the scholarship will be available to undergraduate and graduate students. Applications and deadlines have not yet been determined.

Rezaie said he came up with the idea for a scholarship fund as he sought to come to terms with his grief the day after the downing of the plane.

鈥淚 was overcome with sadness as well as a desire to find a way, however small, to create something positive out of this horrific tragedy. I felt that the broader community, particularly Iranians and Iranian-Canadians, could use some way to channel our grief into a more hopeful outlet,鈥 he said.

鈥淕iven the economic conditions in Iran, this scholarship fund will be really impactful as it will support some brilliant students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to come to Canada and study at U of T.

鈥淎dditionally, by supporting students who pursue Iranian studies, this fund can hopefully strengthen cultural understanding and ties.鈥

Hariri said that multiple Canadian universities have expressed interest in setting up scholarship funds, but that 福利姬自慰was the first to get the ball rolling.

鈥淚 received a swift personal response from President Gertler; he offered assistance and connected me with the directors, who set up the fund immediately. It came together very quickly and I鈥檓 very thankful for that,鈥 Hariri said.

鈥淭he students and academics who lost their lives were all working toward producing something positive through their research and studies 鈥 this scholarship fund pays tribute to that, and will support future students from Iran in achieving the same.鈥

Hariri said it鈥檚 essential that the tragedy not discourage Iranian students from coming to Canada.

 鈥淩ather, the opposite,鈥 he said.  鈥淲e encourage students from Iran to engage with the academic institutions of Canada and contribute to Canada, and this scholarship will support and encourage that.鈥

The first of these needs-based awards will be awarded in spring 2020 for students studying at 福利姬自慰in the 2020-21 academic year. Students must be admitted to U of T in an undergraduate or graduate program before they can apply for the award. Further information, including how to apply and the award value, . Please check back then for more details.


Round-the-clock support:

Students can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

  • 福利姬自慰My SSP for students: call 1-844-451-9700 or download the app at the  or . Immediate counselling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.  

Other 24-7 supports available to students include:

  •  Student Helpline 1-866-925-5454. Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.
  •  416-929-5200 
  •  416-408-HELP (4357)
  • The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 
  •  416-360-0486

The following services are available to students on all three campuses:

  •          St. George campus:  (416-978-8030), located at 
  •          福利姬自慰Scarborough:  416-287-7065 
  •          福利姬自慰Mississauga:  905-828-5255

Faculty and staff have access to 24-7 support through:

  • The , offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142
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