Boost for the world of learning
New generation scholarships help international students
Two Indonesian students, Master of Public Health AUSAID scholarship winner Inge Dhamanti, left, and Taufik Rachman, who is about to do a Master of International Laws on a La Trobe scholarship, meet local student, Katherine Hill.
The first group of international students under La Trobe University's new scholarship program, largely from Europe Asia and the Americas, was welcomed at a reception hosted by Vice-Chancellor, Paul Johnson.
The ambitious program, for which the University has set aside a significant increase in funding over the next five years, follows a review last year of all international scholarships. Professor Johnson urged students to enter fully into University life.
'It is an important part of international mobility that you not only focus on your work but try to enjoy other cultures,' he said.
'You can make friends here with people from around the world and experience many opportunities that La Trobe, the City of Melbourne and this State offers.'
Professor Johnson said the University had 120,000 former students in just about every country in the world, many of them now prominent leaders.
'I am confident that your time at La Trobe will be an important element in creating your future success. We will be eager to see how you progress not just through your time here, but also in your future careers.'
La Trobe Chief Officer, International, John Molony, said La Trobe's new scholarship program greatly increased spending on academic scholarships. These include eighteen Academic Excellence Scholarships for bachelor and coursework master degrees and forty new awards, Higher Degree Fee Remission Scholarships, that encourage the best and brightest international research brains to La Trobe to contribute to the University's research effort.
The program also boosts commercial and strategic scholarships which involve partner institutions and stakeholders in regions where the University has particular interests, and those that meet humanitarian and social justice needs, mainly for current students experiencing unexpected financial hardship as well as others from areas facing political unrest and natural disaster.
Mr Molony hopes the scholarship program will expand further through donations as the University more actively seeks financial support from its alumni and other groups to try and increase opportunities for future generations of students.