University of Calgary to offer law scholarship to King’s College and Dalhousie graduates

University of Calgary’s faculty of law is offering a new scholarship to graduates of the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University who completed the King’s Foundation Year Program (FYP).

The F. Murray Fraser QC Scholarship will be offered annually to students entering their first year in the JD program at the University of Calgary’s faculty of law. King’s and Dalhousie graduates who completed the FYP and are entering their first year at the faculty of law will be automatically considered for the scholarship, with academic merit and student leadership rounding out the criteria. The scholarship is valued at up to $12,000.

In honour of Murray Fraser

Anne Fraser established the scholarship in memory of her late husband, Murray Fraser, former president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. Fraser also served as acting dean of Dalhousie’s faculty of law and founding dean of law at the University of Victoria. In 1998, the west block of the building housing Calgary’s faculty of law was named Murray Fraser Hall.

The F. Murray Fraser QC Scholarship aims to strengthen the budding partnership between King’s and the University of Calgary. Ian Holloway, dean of the faculty of law, and one of Canadian Lawyer's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2024,  previously announced that students admitted to FYP qualify for provisional pre-admittance to the University of Calgary’s faculty of law.

King’s Foundation Year Program (FYP)

The King’s FYP is in its fiftieth year. The program is known for its rigorous format of lectures, tutorials, and biweekly essays. The University of Calgary says students and alumni who have completed the program praise its format for honing their analysis, argumentation, and verbal expression skills. 

“There are many wonderful things about FYP, but from the perspective of legal education, what it does so brilliantly is teach students to understand that almost every single social issue we’re dealing with in the present is in fact grounded in the past,” Dean Holloway said. “It’s hard for me to imagine a better preparation for law school than an undergraduate education at King’s.”

William Lahey, University of King’s College president and law professor, emphasized that FYP develops students’ intellect and helps them learn how to relate to others. “The F. Murray Fraser QC Scholarship is tremendous recognition of the fact that thoughtful, caring young people make ideal candidates for the study and practice of law.”