New scholarships to deepen UTS relations with China

New University of Technology, Sydney higher education scholarships starting in 2014 will assist both Australian and Chinese students pursue new study and mobility options in both countries, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ross Milbourne said today.

Made possible by a $5 million donation by Australian Chinese businessman Dr Chau Chak Wing, the generous gift is on top of the $20m contribution Dr Chau made to construction of the Frank Gehry-designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Business School, due to open later this year.

Falling into five scholarship categories, initially 24 UTS students and students from mainland China will receive support from a total pool of $250,000 in 2014. The number of new scholarship recipients each year will then rise to 30 from 2015. Income generated out of the Dr Chau scholarship endowment fund will allow the program to continue in perpetuity.

Professor Ross Milbourne said the range of new scholarships supported key UTS strategies to build the global skills of its students, provide exciting study abroad opportunities in China, and offer opportunities for students at UTS’s Key Technology Partner universities in China to study in Australia. He said it would also support the national drive to grow valuable links with Asia generally.

“Over its 25 years UTS has grown a rich and diverse range of educational and research links with China and places great value on continuing to grow and expand educational and research connections between our two countries,” Professor Milbourne said.

The five scholarship categories developed in close consultation with Dr Chau build on a number of initiatives already underway at UTS where a UTS/China connection already exists.

For the past few years UTS has run its global  leadership program, known as BUiLD, the success of which has seen the numbers of students participating grow significantly. Scholarships in the first category will be awarded to undergraduate UTS students enrolled in BUiLD to undertake short-term programs in China.

In the second category, scholarships will assist students studying at UTS’s joint venture campus in Shanghai (SHU UTS SILC Business School) who are enrolled in  the UTS Bachelor of Business to undertake a semester of study at UTS in Sydney as part of their degree course.

Scholarships in the third category will assist UTS postgraduate students undertake one semester of study in a university in China.

Scholarships in the fourth category will provide full fee scholarships and living stipends to Chinese students enrolled at UTS’s Key Technology Partner universities in China to undertake a Masters course work degree at UTS in Sydney.

A scholarship will also be available to Dr Chau’s own Kingold Group Companies Ltd employees to undertake a master degree by course work at UTS in Sydney.

Detailed information about the new scholarships and eligibility for application is available here.