REAL PEOPLE REAL NEEDS REAL HELP

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1 REAL PEOPLE REAL NEEDS REAL HELP

2 USQ Alumnus, Alan Cory, and his partner, Janet Gibson. REAL PEOPLE Couple help rural students achieve university goals Rural students wanting to further their education at the University of Southern Queensland have been offered a financial life-line thanks to the generosity of a USQ alumnus and his partner. Inspired to honour the memory of his parents, in 2006 USQ graduate Alan Cory (Graduate Diploma of Information Processing, 1985) and his partner, Janet Gibson, established the Goondiwindi Bursary with the aim of helping rural students reach their educational goals. My parents and my aunt were wonderful, giving people who contributed enormously to their communities and always supported me in any way they could, Alan said. They saw the power of education and after they passed away, we wanted them to be recognised and remembered in a way that reflected the support they had always given to others. The cost of moving from rural areas to a city can be extremely prohibitive and it often prevents many students from pursuing a tertiary education. Having left his home in Goondiwindi at age 11 to attend boarding school in Brisbane, Alan said he was well aware of the emotional and financial costs achieving an education can have on a rural family. We know that sometimes you have to leave home to get the education you need to achieve your life goals. We also know that it s not easy and it is expensive, Alan said. We think tertiary studies are particularly valuable and we want to make that step a bit easier for young people who have to leave home to study. Alan Cory There are a lot of things that can derail a course of studies, but we hope that easing the financial pressures of living away from home will give recipients a better chance of success that leads to a satisfying career of their own. The bursary is open to undergraduate students in Goondiwindi and surrounding districts commencing fulltime, on-campus study at USQ Toowoomba. One bursary is awarded each year to the value of $10,000 over the duration of a student s degree. Alan encouraged students from the region to put their hands up and apply for the bursary. Moving away from home will be exciting and challenging. Starting university will be too. Doing both at the same time isn t easy so don t be afraid to ask for help, he said. If the expense of your move to university is going to put you or your family under stress, this bursary is for you.

3 REAL NEEDS Generosity goes a long way for USQ Nursing students Did you know USQ has given out 197 Nursing Bursaries since 2011, but 159 students still missed out? A Bachelor of Nursing takes three years to complete, with almost half of the student contact time devoted to clinical practice. This important practice component takes place mostly outside the University in large general hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, smaller country hospitals, nursing homes, community health services, special clinics and rehabilitation centres. In 2010, USQ launched a support program to provide nursing students with financial assistance to encourage rural and remote clinical placements. While the program has received great support from donors such as the Greenwood Tomkys Trust, more funding is required to train the next generation of rural health professionals. We have a lot of nursing students who do their placements in rural areas and it inspires them to take their talents to those regions where it s very much needed, Head of School (Nursing and Midwifery) Professor Cath Rogers said. However these placements usually mean missing out on their regular income, or for students with children, paying for day-care on top of regular food and transport costs. Professor Cath Rogers This is why the bursary is such a great program because it helps to financially support those students. It lines up very nicely with USQ s broader goal which is to make higher education accessible to everyone. Second year nursing student Joy Hollier recently finished a placement in Dalby and said she couldn t wait for her next one. I was a bit unsure about doing nursing when I started but to my surprise I loved it. The rural placement really drove it home that this is what I want to do as a career. Joy Hollier I can see how many students might need financial support with their placements so I think the bursary is a great program that could encourage even more rural nurses. The Greenwood Tomkys Trust was established by Betty Greenwood who died in She used her estate to establish scholarships and bursaries for students of nursing and other health sciences. Betty had no close living family other than her sister Valery Tomkys. Betty particularly wanted to help students in regional areas with their studies. She also felt that this would help strengthen the provision of health services in those regions. Valery Tomkys Shortly before going to press, Valery Tomkys sadly passed away. Valery will be forever remembered and thanked by the University for her contribution. Head of School (Nursing & Midwifery) Professor Cath Rogers and Second year nursing student Joy Hollier

4 Heritage Scholarship recipient Joseph Roberson and Heritage Bank Chief Executive Officer John Minz REAL HELP Education shines brightly for local Toowoomba business There is no doubt the financial pressure on students these days is greater than ever before with many forced to combine long working hours with their studies in order to make ends meet. Thanks to donors like Heritage Bank, however, students have the ability to shed the financial burden and realise their education dreams. Since 2006, Heritage Bank has offered more than $140,000 in scholarships. Heritage Bank Chief Executive Officer John Minz said the scholarships were another way the bank, which prides itself on putting people first, can give back to the community as a whole. By offering scholarships, we are helping provide opportunities for people from the Toowoomba region to access higher education and enhance their skills. John Minz The scholarships not only help give local students an incentive to study at USQ, it also adds to the pool of talent available to employers in the region as well. Mr Minz said the scholarships, which include a financial component and the opportunity to undertake work experience at Heritage, offered a dual benefit to recipients. Winning a Heritage scholarship helps ease that financial burden and frees the students to concentrate more closely on their studies. That s in addition to the prestige of being a Heritage scholarship winner, which adds to their market appeal when they do start looking for employment, he said. Heritage Scholarship recipient Joseph Roberson said the ability to undertake work experience with such a prominent and well-respected company was a major factor in making his application. While the financial support of my scholarship is important in supporting me through my studies, the work experience component and contact with the industry I aim to be employed in when I graduate from USQ was key in my decision to apply. Joseph Roberson That is where I see the true value of my scholarship. Heritage Bank offers four scholarships worth a total of $16,000 each year: the Don Stevens Scholarship in Commerce the Geoff McClune Memorial Scholarship in Human Resource Management the Gary Moor Memorial Scholarship in Marketing the Len Ludgate Memorial Scholarship in Information Technology. The scholarships are open to continuing students at USQ who have completed at least the first year of their courses.

5 Help students reach their full potential - scholarships make a difference. How to join USQ s community of supporters If you or your organisation wish to consider supporting USQ students through creating a scholarship or bursary, or you would like to leave a gift, our team will guide you to create an option that suits your needs. Please contact the Alumni & Advancement Office for more information. usq.edu.au/alumni/giving-to-usq advancement@usq.edu.au The University of Southern Queensland provides various scholarships for current and future students in a range of areas. Most are generously donated by businesses and individuals, and often focus on a particular discipline area or level of study. The scholarships are extremely important to the recipients many of whom may otherwise not or find it a significant challenge to participate in university education. We need more support so that we can offer even more students an opportunity to study at USQ. This is an investment in their future and your future too. USQ Chancellor John Dornbusch

6 To our scholarship donors USQ and our scholarship recipients would like to thank all our donors, supporters and friends, of whom we are grateful for their important contribution to the University s scholarships and bursaries. Ambre Fuels Arrow Energy Australian Institute of Mine Surveyors (AIMS) Best Wilson Buckley Family Law Clifford Gouldson Lawyers Condamine Alliance Gas Detection (Australia) GJCM Surveys Graduate Women Queensland Darling Downs Branch Greenwood-Tomkys Trust Heritage Bank Ipswich City Council McNamara & Associates Solicitors Moree Plains Shire Council Mr Alan Cory & Ms Janet Gibson Mr Alan Edwards AM MBE & Mr Gregory Gesch Mr Graeme & Ms Jan Thomas Mr John Ross Clancy Mr Keith & Mrs Beryl Bellmaine (Bellmaine Trust) Mr Patrick Nunan Mr Rob Nielsen Ms Joyce Campbell Lloyd National Associate of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Power Tynan Purcell Family & Friends Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy Sister Elizabeth Kenny Memorial Fund Inc St Philomena s School The Charlesworth Family The Fontana Family The Thelander Family Tony Briggs Trust Toowoomba Garden City Zonta Club Toowoomba Regional Council USQ Women s Network Voltex Power Engineers CRICOS: QLD 00244B, NSW 02225M TEQSA: PRV12081 Media Services