Syracuse exchange back on

A U-TURN has been done on the Lockerbie Syracuse scholarship and the exchange programme is expected to restart next year, it has been reported.

And while there will be no scholars selected in 2025, a group of ten Lockerbie Academy students and two sponsors will instead visit Syracuse this October for a week during the annual Remembrance Week.

The scholarship is then proposed to get up and running again for the autumn 2026 term, with two Lockerbie students once again getting to spend a year Stateside.

The announcement from the university comes eight months after their shock cancellation of the much-loved scheme, which has been running since 1990, following the Pan Am disaster.

The move sparked global criticism and hundreds of people signed a petition calling for a rethink.

That has now happened, albeit described as a ‘reimagined initiative’, with Syracuse’s interim vice chancellor Lois Agnew telling the university’s newspaper, The Daily Orange: “This new and revitalized partnership with Lockerbie Academy honours the memory of those lost in the terrorist attack, while also supporting the educational aspirations of Lockerbie students.

“Our new approach preserves the programme’s most cherished traditions while ensuring we bring students to campus who are prepared to fully engage with the academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities Syracuse offers.”

She also confirmed that the scheme will continue annually until 2028 at the earliest.

It is understood that next year’s candidates will have to undergo an elevated selection process and demonstrate academic excellence as well as a strong understanding of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 crash’s impact on both communities.

And while the 2025-26 academic year will be the first time in 35 years the university has not selected two Lockerbie Scholars, planning is progressing for the group visit, during which students will meet with current Remembrance Scholars, university leaders and city officials.

A total of 35 Syracuse University students died in the bombing of Pan Am 103 on December 21 1988.