One of the best universities in the World, University of Cambridge, is set to hire a "Professor of Lego", to start in October 2015. He will be also the director of the Research Centre of Play in Education, Development and Learning. Within the faculty of education, the role is expected to be created after the university received £4 million in donations from the Lego Foundation. The winning candidate will be selected by a board of electors.
The aim of the "Professor of Lego" is to make children's life better and communities stronger by making sure the fundamental value of play is understood, embraced and acted upon.
Details about the position are unknown for now. Supposedly, the candidates need to be passionate about playing with colourful plastic bricks and to be enthusiastic about early childhood education. Curious about it? More details about the position are going to be revealed in October.
The Lego Foundation, which owns 25 per cent of the worldwide famous denmark-based toy company Lego specialising, wants to endow a professorship in "learning through play" and a research centre. For that 2.5 million pounds were given to the Cambridge University. After that an additional amount of 1.5 million pounds will establish the research centre to study the role of play in childhood development and learning.
The Foundation is known for regularly investing in education and for its philanthropic and research work related to childhood education and play.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Cambridge vice-chancellor, said in an interview to the University magazine "The Reporter", that the new role followed large donations from the toy manufacturer.
The benefaction of 1.5£ million from the Lego Foundation was accepted with gratitude, payable over three years, of which both the capital and income may be used to support a research centre of play in education, development and learning within the faculty of education over the same period. Foundation is also proposing to fund a Lego professorship of play in education, development and learning with a benefaction of £2.5 million.
The Lego Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and is best known for the manufacture of Lego brand Toys. Ole Kirk Christiansen was the founder of the company in 1932. The word Lego is derived from the danish word "leg godt" that means "play well".
