Bulletin

Issue: March 2005

News

La Trobe’s role in disaster reconstruction

La Trobe University will commit up to $1M to aid in the reconstruction of countries affected by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

‘The University believes that the greatest contribution it can make is to focus on assisting in the long-term reconstruction of the region,’ the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Osborne, said.
‘To this end La Trobe University will offer five full scholarships for students from affected countries to undertake postgraduate studies at the University.’

The scholarships are: in health sciences to a student from south-east India; in regional redevelopment to a student from eastern Sri Lanka; in tourism and hospitality to a student from the Phuket region in Thailand; and two scholarships to students from Aceh, in education and environmental management.

The scholarships will cover tuition and living costs up to four years. Each research thesis will address a field-based problem from the students’ home region.

‘This targeted approach will enable the scholarship program to have some positive impacts in the affected regions in a relatively short time period but should also provide a substantial contribution to longer-term reconstruction,’ Professor Osborne said.

In addition, the University has announced that it will waive current course tuition fees for its international students seriously affected by the tsunami disaster.

La Trobe postgraduate student in history, Mr Issa Farah, has gone to Somalia with a team of three doctors, an anaesthetist and representative from the NGO ‘Kids in Need’ to help following the tsunami. Mr Farah is originally
from Somalia.