Flinders University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling joined an online meeting that spanned five countries and several time zones to meet the inaugural recipients of the Vice-Chancellor International Scholarships.
The virtual meeting was set up on Friday 18 June by the Flinders International team so that recipients of Vice-Chancellor International Scholarships for Semester 1, 2021, could discuss their online study experience so far, and to learn of their ambitions, dreams, challenges, and successes.
“As the first recipients of the new scholarship scheme, I’d like to congratulate you all,” said Professor Stirling. “We hope these scholarships will make a significant contribution and difference to your studies.”
The Flinders Vice-Chancellor International Scholarship program recognises exceptional international students who have excelled in their previous studies and supports future fearless leaders to go beyond the ordinary and achieve the extraordinary. The scholarship offers a 50% reduction in tuition fees for the duration of their program.
With the launch of the scholarship program in late 2020, the first cohort of Vice-Chancellor Scholarship recipients began in Semester 1, 2021. Due to COVID-19, all are currently residing offshore and studying online from China, Macau (SAR), Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India – and will be joining on-campus when international borders re-open. This diverse group includes students in the disciplines of Social Work, Nutrition and Dietetics, Psychology, Education, Creative Arts and Computer Science.
The virtual scholarship catch-up was the first opportunity for all the scholarship recipients to meet with both Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling and Sebastian Raneskold, Vice-President and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) – as well as the Flinders International team which has been supporting the students through their online studies.
For Bachelor of Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) student Janageeth Logeswaran, who is studying online from Sri Lanka, it was an opportunity to express his enthusiasm and gratitude directly.
“I’m really grateful that I received this scholarship,” he said. “The staff are so dedicated, particularly the International Students Services (ISS), they have kept me engaged from day one.”
Having experienced online study previously, Janageeth is thrilled with the teaching quality and support quality at Flinders. “I have studied online at another institution and I have to say, comparatively, Flinders does an amazing job,” he said. “I think Flinders is the best for the online learning experience. I am grateful I chose to study here.”
Janageeth’s sentiments of online study were echoed by fellow scholarship recipient, Emily Tou, who is studying a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics online from Macau (SAR).
“I also completed an online degree at another institution, and comparatively I’ve had a lot of support from Flinders University,” said Emily. “The professors arrange activities online and offer one-to-one meetings. I really appreciate the level of support.”
Other recipients of Vice-Chancellor International Scholarship recipients are Avik Raaj Ray, studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Interactive Media and Entertainment Design) online from India; Adithya Abeywickrama, studying a Bachelor of Psychology online from Sri Lanka, and Tianyang Zhang, studying a Master of Teaching (Early Education) online from China.
Flinders International is delighted to welcome these students into the scholarship scheme, which aims to help them achieve their career and life goals, and to be active participants in the Flinders community.
“It’s been inspiring to hear these student stories, and to get critical feedback on their experiences studying online,” says Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) Sebastian Raneskold of the online event.
“It’s this commitment to education, excellence, and perseverance that has marked these very special students for future greatness – and why we are so proud to award these inaugural Flinders scholarships.”
Meet and find out the stories of all the Semester 1 2021 Vice-Chancellor International Scholarship recipients here and discover how students can apply for 2022.