Bulletin

Issue: August 2004

Scholarships

Boost to travelling scholarships

Twenty-three La Trobe University students have won this year's Vice-Chancellor's Targetted Travelling Scholarships, enabling them to spend second semester studying at five universities abroad.

The University has increased the number of awards from 13 since the pioneering scholarships were set up under the auspices of the International Network of Universities (INU) in 2002.

La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Osborne, said three new destination universities have been added to the scheme this year. They are Sichuan University in the People's Republic of China; James Madison University, Virginia, USA; and Hiroshima University, Japan.

Professor Osborne said another development was the increasing number of students from regional Victoria - ten this year -studying abroad under the scheme.

'I am particularly pleased about that because it emphasises we are one University which has many different locations and I hope we can always send people from all parts of the University on these overseas visits.'

The scholarships are part of an ambitious scheme to encourage more Australian undergraduate students to expand their horizons by doing at least a semester of their degree in another country.

Apart from personal and academic development, Professor Osborne said study abroad often improved students' employment prospects - and there were benefits from the experience to the nation as a whole.

La Trobe University is a foundation member of the International Network of Universities and Professor Osborne - who is President of the INU - is one of the architects of the scholarship scheme.

At a ceremony in July, Professor Osborne farewelled this year's scholarship winners, and thanked those who have returned to act as mentors for the scheme.

'You are a very special group within the University,' Professor Osborne said. 'You are the pioneers' and in the future I feel sure that many more students when they learn from your experience will be encouraged to apply to go on these visits overseas.'

La Trobe University also offers ten Vice-Chancellor's International Exchange Scheme Scholarships annually for language students.

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