Wool and Pastoral Sciences Alumni (WAPSA) Fund
The establishment of this fund has the intent to support First Nations students towards completion of their degree and ensure their graduation, resulting in positive career outcomes.
Your Invitation to Participate
As a Graduate/Friend/Associate of the Wool School, you are invited to contribute to a corpus fund (WAPSA Scholarship Fund) within the CSU Foundation.
Our goal is to raise a $1 million corpus over 5 years to provide annually 7-8 scholarships. each of $8,000.
We estimate that over 400 students and staff benefited from study at the Wool School. If a large percentage of graduates contributes to this initiative for 5 years, achieving the $1 million will be relatively simple and painless.
Many graduates have made an important impact on Australian agriculture. This Fund builds on that legacy we have all helped create. Several graduates have already established the Fund.
The scholarships will be for Final year, First Nations students, including honours, in the following courses at the Charles Sturt Wagga Wagga campus or Online:
- Bachelor of Agriculture
- Bachelor of Agricultural Science
- Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management
- Bachelor of Horticulture
- Bachelor of Animal Science
- All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Background
Graduates of the UNSW Wool School* have a special place in the history of the wool and pastoral industries of Australia. The Wool School was unique in bringing together the technology of wool and the emphasis on pastures and husbandry of grazing animals. Graduates have had a huge and lasting impact on the scientific development of wool marketing and animal breeding in Australia and throughout the world1. Graduates have also made significant contributions to agriculture, science, education and many other fields in Australia and overseas. The small school developed in a growing University and created long lasting bonds among many students.
A group of graduates from the late 1960s has established an indigenous scholarship fund (WAPSA FUND), through the Charles Sturt University Foundation, to:
- recognise in perpetuity the lasting legacy of the Wool School;
- recognise the emphasis on pastures and land management for grazing animals;
- encourage and support indigenous students undertaking agriculture
and land management studies
Why Charles Sturt University?
Charles Sturt University had a long association with the Wool School:
- John Kennedy served on the CSU Council in the early days of CSU;
- Emeritus Professor Jim Pratley was Dean of Agriculture for 16 years;
- Professor Michael Friend is currently Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation); and
- CSU provided support for some of our final students through to graduation.
CSU and its predecessor institutions have had a long commitment to agricultural education. CSU provides one in four of the national agriculture graduate cohort each year and has a focus on mixed farming and pastoral systems, carrying on the work of WAPS.
More importantly, the recent establishment through the Foundation of the Charles Sturt University Indigenous Agriculture Initiative provides an enhanced vehicle for the WAPSA Scholarship Fund. The CSU Indigenous Agriculture Initiative:
- addresses the critical threat to agriculture posed by the loss of
First Nations knowledge of land management; - encourages greater Indigenous participation in undergraduate,
- postgraduate and research programs in agriculture; and
creates synergistic outcomes for both cultures.
Why an Indigenous Scholarship Fund?
There is increasing recognition that improved management practices are required in all aspects of agriculture to maintain food and fibre production and combat effects of climate change on the environment. Indigenous Peoples of Australia have a long history of land management, and pride themselves on their ‘connection to country’. However Indigenous students are vastly under-represented in agriculture and land management courses at Australian Universities. A great opportunity exists to encourage indigenous students to integrate their knowledge of land with modern scientific studies in agriculture and land management to create better outcomes for all.