Scholarship winners forging new future for Moreton Bay

Published 06 February 2020

Among the cohort of students streaming through the gates for the first day of uni at USC Moreton Bay campus later this month, there will be a unique alumni of eight.

The very first recipients of the Moreton Bay Region Equity Scholarship were announced today at special event for recipients, their families, local councillors and USC staff.

Acting Moreton Bay Region Mayor Mike Charlton said it was a momentous occasion.

“Today is history in the making, because it is the first time Council has been able to award scholarships to local students to attend a local full-service university,” he said.

“These eight outstanding scholarship recipients are the faces of change as we look to change our region’s future through better educational outcomes, better job opportunities, and better economic potential.

“Best of all they come from right across our region and I certainly hope that these local young people will go on to become local leaders in our community after graduating from their local uni.

“So it will be the job of future councils and governments to ensure we do everything we can to deliver the types of professional career opportunities that will keep these impressive academics here in Moreton Bay.

“Fortunately this institution sits within The Mill PDA which is set to become a knowledge and innovation hub that’s 50 per cent larger than the Brisbane CBD; and it’s forecast to generate 6,000 local jobs and inject $1billion into our local economy each year.”

The Moreton Bay Region Equity Scholarship is a $750,000 fund that provides cash bursaries worth $8,000 each year for local students who choose to study locally at the USC Moreton Bay campus.

That means beneficiaries will receive a total payment of either $32,000 or $40,000 – depending on whether they study a single degree full-time over four years or dual degrees over five years.

The recipients are:

USC Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Hill praised Moreton Bay Regional Council for pushing the need for a local campus and its vision in funding scholarships that will have a profound positive impact on the recipients.

“These eight remarkable students were selected by a panel of experts from USC based on established criteria,” Professor Hill said.

“These scholarships are part of our joint commitment with the council to improve the region’s participation in tertiary education and support the leaders of tomorrow who are choosing to study at USC Moreton Bay.

“If a student has the potential and the drive to achieve their education and career goals, then a scholarship can help them get there by covering expenses such as course costs, tuition, books, housing, food, a laptop and transport.

“We’re looking forward to continue offering these generous scholarships to new USC Moreton Bay students into the future.”

Cr Charlton said locals knew too well the statistics that drove Moreton Bay Regional Council to push for a university in the region.

“Our region’s tertiary education rate is approximately half the national average,” Cr Charlton said.

“Just 35% of Moreton Bay school leavers attend university which is a statistic that upsets me, because it means for years talented and determined local young people have missed out on higher education opportunities simply because their families couldn’t afford for them to go.

“That has to change and change starts today, with this scholarship, by helping to tear down the financial barriers that have prevented generations before from even contemplating that they might be able to go to uni right out of high school.

“The opening of USC Moreton Bay, and initiatives like council’s scholarship program, will herald an exciting chapter in our region’s history that nurtures new academic and professional opportunities.”

USC Moreton Bay will deliver more than 10,000 new study placements and offer over 100 different courses over the next ten years.