University Grant By Federation

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32392, 3 September 1970, Page 2

University Grant By Federation

A scholarship to at. tend the University of the South Pacific will be offered to a woman student resident outside Fiji by the New Zealand Federation of University Women.

Considerable support for the scheme, proposed by the Wellington branch of the federation, was expressed at the N.Z.F.U.W. triennial conference in Christchurch yesterday. The scholarship will bo tenable for probably four years, including a preliminary course if necessary. Annual cost is estimated to be about $lOOO. The Wellington branch has already raised $2OOO, The branch had made a unanimous decision to raise funds for a scholarship fund, Lady Powles said in moving the remit, “that N.Z.F.U.W, offer a scholarship on much the same terms as New Zealand Government Bursaries to the University of the South Pacific, to enable a girl resident outside Fiji to undertake a degree or diploma course at the University of the South Pacific beginning in 1971." Members felt the university should not just be a university for Fiji, but for the South Pacific, including its 14 territories and nearly one and a half million people, said Lady Powles.

people would raise the standard of living much more quickly as expatriates. By granting a scholarship, members, and the federation as a whole, would be involving themselves in the welfare and future of an individual island girl. Lady Powles said she would like to see the scholarship become a recurring grant but at this time it was planned to offer just the one award. Several delegates expressed reservatipns about granting the award to one applicant

and suggested giving smaller sums to assist several students. Some concern about the federation’s future contributions to the Vice Chancellor’s Fund, establlabed in 1989, were voiced. Thia is an emergency fund for the University of South Pacific students, The N.Z.F.U.W.'s grant is allocated to assist women students outside Fiji. The meeting decided to continue with the Vice Chancellor’s Fund fbr the next trlennium.