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Australian education foundation expands generous student scholarships to NSW

An Australian education foundation has increased its commitment to its ACU scholarship program in Victoria by extending it to New South Wales-based students.

The George Alexander Foundation aims to create higher education opportunities for disadvantaged young people from remote and regional areas of Australia.

The Foundation will continue its ACU Ballarat Campus scholarship program in Victoria and will now replicate it in NSW over the next three years. With this latest agreement, the value of each scholarship will increase from $15,000 to $22,500. This takes the George Alexander Foundation’s lifetime donation to ACU to $1.56 million.

ACU celebrated its ongoing partnership with the Foundation at the ACU Melbourne Campus this week at an event hosted by ACU Chancellor The Hon John Fahey AC, ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven AO GCSG, and ACU Pro Chancellor Mr Julien O'Connell AM.

Guests at the celebration included Chairman of the George Alexander Foundation Charles B. Goode AC, staff from the Foundation, current recipients of the scholarship and alumni who have benefited from the scholarships.

Mr Fahey said he was delighted to acknowledge and thank the George Alexander Foundation for its generous commitment to the students of our University.

“Each year we have around 3,400 students who have experienced financial hardship, at least 3,100 students from regional or remote areas of Australia, and some 1,800 students with a disability.

“We are very fortunate to have the philanthropic support of organisations like the George Alexander Foundation, who share our aim to provide students who may not have thought university was possible with an opportunity to pursue a degree.”

Professor Craven said the University was delighted to continue its relationship with the Foundation, and “to seeing the recipients of the scholarship take their place in the world, spreading the impact of this wonderful gift”.

“These scholarships mean the world to our students, and to their families. They open doors and create opportunities for students to make the most of their time at our University.”

ACU Bachelor of Education graduate Jenna Wittick received a George Alexander Foundation scholarship in 2011. Since graduating from the ACU Ballarat Campus in 2015, she has been working as a primary school teacher at Bacchus Marsh Primary School: the school she attended as a child.

“This will be my fifth year of teaching and each year I have taught Grade 3. It remains a job that I am passionate about and which keeps me busy all the time – the ‘to do’ lists are never-ending,” said Ms Wittick.

“My time at ACU was very enjoyable and was certainly supported by the generous scholarship I received from the George Alexander Foundation.

“This enabled me to commute to and from university, as I lived almost an hour from campus. It also assisted in the purchase of course textbooks and resources. I will always be grateful for the support this gave me during my studies at university.”

George Alexander AM set up the independent philanthropic foundation in 1972 as a way of sharing his wealth and making a meaningful contribution to the education of young people and giving back to the community.

Since 2007, 63 ACU students have received a George Alexander Foundation scholarship, which is the greatest number of ACU scholarships supported by a single Victorian scholarship program.

Applications close on Monday 25 March for first-year ACU students in Ballarat and NSW.

PHOTO: from left - ACU Chancellor The Hon John Fahey AC, ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven AO, GCSG, ACU Pro-Chancellor Julien O'Connell AM, and The George Alexander Foundation’s chairman Charles B. Goode AC