Applications for the 2012 Scholarship is open.

The Western CMA Russel Harland Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a student from NSW who displays strong personal, community and educational commitment to rural or regional areas, with particular reference to the Western Catchment of NSW.

The scholarship is awarded to assist the student to advance their educational qualifications and personal skills so that they can contribute to future natural resource management (NRM) outcomes and build upon the expertise within the community of the NSW Western Catchment.

Scholarship Terms

1. The scholarship is for $5,000 per year for up to three years.

2. Continuation of the scholarship is dependant on demonstrated successful progress towards completion of studies.

3. Scholarship recipients will be expected to complete at least four weeks paid work with the Western CMA for each year of their scholarship.

4. Following the successful completion of their studies, scholarship recipients will be contracted to work with the Western CMA for at least half the period of the scholarship. ie: a three year scholarship will result in a requirement to work for 18 months with the Western CMA.

5. The Western CMA reserves the right to vary these terms without notice or consider applications outside these guidelines.

6. Successful applicants will be required to sign a written agreement with the Western CMA consistent with these terms.

7. Records of successful scholarship winners will be maintained and may be used for promotional purposes for the Western CMA and the scholarship.

8. Special note for 2012: The Western CMA relies on funds from the NSW and Commonwealth Governments to fund the Russel Harland Memorial Scholarship. Current funding arrangements cease in June 2013 and ongoing funding past this date is not guaranteed. The Western CMA has every intention of continuing the scholarship program past this date, however in the event that the program is unfunded, the scholarship recipient, at that time, may be terminated under a negotiated settlement.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

1. Australian citizens or permanent residents as defined by the Commonwealth.
2. Full-time, internal students entering their second year of an undergraduate course in an area of study relevant to the skills required within the WCMA such as, but not limited to:

• Agriculture (Bachelor of Applied Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Bachelor of Rural Science, etc).
• Natural Resources / Rangeland Management / Plant Ecology / Aquatic Ecology / Hydrology (Bachelor of Natural Resources, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Environmental Science, etc).
• Communication / Administration (Bachelor of Communication, Bachelor of Business Studies, etc).
• Aboriginal / Cultural Heritage Studies.

Applicants will be competitively assessed on the following criteria:

1. Demonstrated consistent academic achievement.
2. Commitment to natural resource related issues with an interest in and/or knowledge of the NSW Western Catchment.
3. A strong understanding of and/or interest in rural communities.
4. All round ability including communication skills, leadership and practical skills and sound work ethic.
5. Other aspects of community involvement would be well regarded, eg sport, arts, education, volunteer work, service clubs, etc.

Selection process

• Applications close Monday 2 April 2012.
• Applications should consist of a completed application form and a statement addressing the selection criteria.
• Applications are assessed by a selection committee that comprises at least the Chair of the Western CMA, the General Manager of the Western CMA (or their delegates) and an independent member with knowledge of Western NSW.
• The committee may contact your nominated referees for further information.
• If there are no suitable candidates the scholarship may not be awarded.
• Completed applications should be sent by the closing date to:

Western CMA Scholarship
PO Box 307
Cobar NSW 2835

or fax to 02 6836 2988

or e-mail to western@cma.nsw.gov.au. Applications that are e-mailed should either be in PDF, Word or Word compatible format.

More Information

Click here to see a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you have a further query you can contact the Western CMA General Manager on (02) 6841 2747 or click here to email the WCMA.

Scholarship Application Form

You are advised to take care when using the word version as you may delete important information. It is recommended that you print off a copy BEFORE filling it out, so you have a copy of the original version.

Scholarship application form - Word version

Scholarship application form - PDF Printable version. To open this form you need Adobe Reader. If you do not have this software you can download it FREE of charge. Click here http://get.adobe.com/reader to download Adobe Reader.

The forms are also available at any Western CMA office or by ringing 1800 032 101.