New to the 2018–19 school year, USMC now offers funding for educational travel
Taylor Medeiros CONTRIBUTOR
Interested in educational travel? New to the 2018–19 school year, and offered through the Office of the Principal, the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) is offering travel grants to students wishing to travel abroad for educational purposes. Both full-time undergraduate students enrolled at USMC and Minor, Major, or Specialists at a USMC program (Book and Media Studies, Celtic Studies, Christianity and Culture, Mediaeval Studies) are eligible to apply.
These grants are meant to support student’s international endeavours related to their education. The grants range from $500-$1000, depending on need and merit of the application. Applicants will be awarded based on academic merit and feasibility, however preference is given to projects related to the student’s academic program. The Office of the Principle may also look to members and fellows at USMC and in other related departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
There are three deadlines in the academic year. Applications will be assessed after each deadline. For Fall travel, students must apply by November 1, 2018. For Winter and Spring/Summer travel, students must apply by January 15, 2019 and May 15, 2019 respectively.
According to Mike Czobit, the Director of the Office of the Principal, there is $15,000 available in awards over the three deadlines. This year, the Office of the Principal generously re-allocated funds from their operating budget and donations in order to offer these travel awards.
Principal Randy Boyagoda believes that there will be a variety of applications, some being for studying abroad, some for faculty-promoted experiential learning opportunities, and others for internships abroad. His goal is to help students have the same type of experiences as the first-year students from the Gilson Seminar 2017-2018 (SMC188H1/SMC189H1) had, a seminar course Boyagoda developed where SMC189H1 is taught in Rome.
In order to apply, students must access the application form on the USMC website, under ‘Student Travel Grants.’ Applicants will need a faculty reference, give a brief overview of the project and travel plans, describe their role in the project and how they will actively participate, explain how the project fits into their past and future academic program, and list the estimated cost of their travel expenses and other sources of writing. Once completed, the forms must be submitted to Odette Hall 128 or to [email protected].
Awarded recipients will be expected to submit a written account describing their travel upon return.
