The Governor Phillip Scholarship Limited has enabled two more Australian students to study at the University of Oxford, thanks to a renewed commitment to its scholarship provision.
The Governor Phillip Scholarship Programme was launched in partnership with Oxford in 2017. It covers course fees and provides a grant for living expenses for MPhil International Relations students at the University. The recipients of the two latest scholarships began their studies at the start of the 2019–2020 academic year. A total of five scholars have now benefited from the scheme.
The scholarship programme was established in celebration of Governor Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet and first governor of modern Australia. The scholarship eligibility criteria states that applicants must be ordinarily resident in Australia.
David Slessar, OBE, Chairman of the Governor Phillip Scholarship Limited, says: ‘We are committed to building the Governor Phillip Scholarship into one of the most significant postgraduate scholarships between Australia and the United Kingdom. We see this as a valuable contribution to intellectual excellence and in fostering relationships by leading scholars from the two countries.’
Professor Louise Fawcett, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) at Oxford, says: ‘We are very grateful to David Slessar and the Governor Phillip Scholarship Limited for continuing to support us in this way. We see the Governor Phillip Scholarship Programme as a very important contribution to our scholarship offering in the DPIR. It provides an excellent opportunity for us to attract top quality Australian students from a variety of backgrounds, including those who might not otherwise be able to afford the fees.
‘Oxford, and our department, have a long and good tradition of teaching and collaborating with Australians. That includes our distinguished former colleague Professor Hedley Bull, who was Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at Oxford from 1977 to 1985.’
The department’s links with Australia will be further strengthened from March 2020, when there will be the opportunity for an Oxford graduate to study for an MPhil in Politics and International Relations at the University of Sydney with a fully-funded Governor Phillip Scholarship.