Joyce and George Vaughan Bequest Scholarship

If all the below statements describe you and your current situation, you can apply for this scholarship:

• I am an Australian citizen, New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent visa holder;
• I am enrolled in a Masters or Doctorate level research course; and
• I am conducting research in the area of marine biology.

If you are a successful applicant of this scholarship, you will receive $8,000 per year paid in two equal instalments. The first payment will be made after acceptance of the award and the second after census date of study period 2. Payments can take up to 6 weeks after census date. The maximum period of tenure of a scholarship is 2 years.

Prior to completing an application, you should carefully read the Scholarship Rules below. Applicants wanting to apply for this scholarship must attach the following documents:

• a copy of your birth certificate, passport or visa;
• a copy of your academic record from any other academic institution, only if your previous study was not at JCU;
• no more than three written references attesting to your character; and
• a curriculum vitae.

When applying for a scholarship it is very important that you answer all the questions and include all relevant documents.  Your application and relevant documents must be submitted before the closing date. If an application is incomplete, it will not be considered.

Your application is checked for completeness and eligibility, and you will receive an email confirmation it has been received. After the closing date it will be individually assessed and put forward to a selection committee who will rank your application against others who have applied. Applicants may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.

This scholarship was established in 2006 with monies bequeathed from the estate of Verna Joyce Vaughan. The purpose of the scholarship is to assist Marine Biology research students, in particular Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders from Thursday Island or the Torres Strait Islands of Queensland. This scholarship is subject to the provisions of the James Cook University Coursework Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants Policy.

Value of the Scholarship

If you are a successful applicant of this scholarship, you will receive $8,000 per year paid in two equal instalments. The first payment will be made after acceptance of the award and the second after census date of study period 2. Payments can take up to 6 weeks after census date. The maximum period of tenure of a scholarship is 2 years.

Eligibility Criteria

The Joyce and George Vaughan Bequest Scholarship shall be open to competition among candidates who:

• are domestic students, ie Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens and holders of a permanent visa;
• are currently enrolled in a MSc (Research) or a PhD in the area of Marine Biology; and
• priority to be given to Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders from Thursday Island or the Torres Strait Islands.
  (A certified copy of your birth certificate, passport or permanent visa must be attached)

Selection Criteria

The Selection Committee will, in the exercise of their absolute discretion, afford consideration to the following criteria:

• academic merit or potential;
• the character of the candidate for the award; and
• any other criteria that the Selection Committee deems appropriate, eg artisanal fishing and involvement in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities, including whether the candidate has, or will receive any other scholarship assistance during their studies.

Application Procedures

Applications must be submitted on the official form no later than the date set by the Selection Committee for the year in which the award is to be made.

Applicants must attach to the official form:

• A certified copy of their academic record from any other academic institution;
• no more than three references attesting to the applicant's good character and/or suitability to receive the scholarship;
• their curriculum vitae; and
  any other supporting documentation that would assist the Selection Committee in developing an opinion as to the merit of the application, ie a Aboriginality form signed by a recognized organisation under it's common seal.

Applications submitted without the relevant documentation will not be considered.

The applicant authorises the Selection Committee to make such enquiries as to the applicant's good character and suitability to receive the scholarship, which includes authorisation for the Selection Committee to examine the applicant's academic record and seek opinions from relevant members of the academic staff of this University or any other academic institution.

Selection Process

The award of the scholarship shall be made in the absolute discretion of the Selection Committee, which shall comprise:

• Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academy (CHAIR), or nominee,
• Dean, College of Sciences and Engineering, or nominee,
• Other members as suggested by Chair.
• **OR a pool of appropriate JCU representatives

The Selection Committee reserves the right:

• not to award a scholarship in any year if, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, there is no candidate of sufficient merit to warrant an award;
• to award a scholarship for a period of one or more years; and
• to extend a scholarship for the existing recipient.

The Selection Committee may require applicants to undertake an interview as part of their application.

The Selection Committee will determine all matters relating to the scholarship.

Conditions of the Scholarship

If the holder of an award fails to comply with any of these provisions or any provision relating to a particular award or with any conditions imposed under these provisions or the provisions relating to a particular award, the Council may terminate the award or withhold any further emoluments or take such action as it may deem necessary to enforce compliance with the provision or performance of the condition by the holder.

The recipient of the scholarship shall continue to receive the award on condition that in the opinion of the Selection Committee and on advice from the head of the school in which the recipient is undertaking a course of study, that the recipient maintains a satisfactory level of performance. Where it is determined that the level of academic performance is unsatisfactory the Selection Committee may in its absolute discretion cancel the award or suspend the award for such time as it may determine and/or until academic performance is considered satisfactory. Where an award is cancelled pursuant to the provisions to this clause it may, for the remainder of the term for which the original holder would have been entitled to it, be awarded to another suitable candidate.

In the event the Selection Committee cancels or suspends the student's scholarship, a student may lodge a request for review of decision in accordance with the provisions of the Student Appeals Policy.

The scholarship shall not be awarded to another suitable candidate before the Appeal Panel makes a final decision on the review. The Appeal Panel shall comprise the Deputy Vice-Chancellor or nominee (Chair); two staff members of the appropriate Faculty appointed by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor; and either the Student Association Academic Support Services Coordinator or the Student Association Welfare Coordinator. The staff members appointed by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor shall have no association with the teaching of the subject(s) in which the unsatisfactory academic performance is alleged. Unless the circumstances are exceptional, the Appeal Panel shall consider only: the student's grounds for requesting the review; any documents relevant to the finding of unsatisfactory academic performance; and the reasons for the decision by the Selection Committee.

The requirements of the scholarship shall not make the awarding of the scholarship conditional upon the recipient providing unremunerated services or products to the donor.

In the event that the recipient suspends their study, the scholarship shall be suspended.

Administration of the Scholarship

The scholarship shall be administered by the Scholarships Officer, on behalf of the Selection Committee.

The funds of the scholarship shall be held in an account in the name of the university and shall be administered by the officer of the University charged with administering the scholarship.

Where there is a fund maintaining the award, the annual value of the award shall be approximately equal to the annual income from the fund.

Income from a fund not expended on the award which it maintains, shall be added to and become part of the fund.

Moneys payable in any year to the holder of an award shall be paid at such times and in such amounts as the Registrar deems appropriate to the circumstance of each case.

Where a special provision relating to an award provides for the award to be paid in cash, the Vice-Chancellor may direct that in lieu of cash the award to be made in whole or in part in the form of books, instruments or equipment necessary to the awardee's course to a value approximately equal to the stated amount of the award, unless the terms of any trust or the conditions laid down by the donor of the award expressly provide otherwise.

Where an award provides some benefit to the recipient from a body external to the University, or an obligation upon a body external to the University, the University, its servants and agents, shall not be liable for that benefit or obligation.

Please refer to Glossary of Terms