From One Generation To Next: UQ Alumni Establish New Scholarship

6 Sep 2014

Congratulations to The University of Queensland (UQ) students Christopher Heard and Wayne Chan who were selected as recipients of the newly established The Matthew McLennan and Richard Howes Outstanding Honours Collaboration Scholarship.

After graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), Matthew McLennan and Richard Howes, who graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and again in 1993 with a Bachelor of Economics, formed a life-long bond whilst studying in the honours program.

Their relationship was forged during their honours program and the impact this educational experience has had on their lives provided the impetus for Matthew and Richard to again collaborate and establish the scholarship program.

Mr McLennan said one of the most important investments anyone could make in their lifetime was to provide opportunity for the next generation to learn and succeed.

“I have made this gift in the hope that it will inspire others to give. We all have a duty to take institutions that have shaped us to an even higher capability for tomorrow’s reality,” Mr McLennan said.

Mr Howes believes his experience in the honours program was “one of the most formative experiences” of his life and wants future generations to share the same opportunity.

“The collaboration with faculty and colleagues helped nurture a passion and framework for intellectual enquiry which has been an important part of my career since that time.  I am therefore delighted to have the opportunity to invest in future generations attending the Schools within BEL in the hope that they will get as much out of the honours program as I did,” Mr Howes said.

The scholarship allows benefactors Christopher Heard, who is studying a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), and Wayne Chan, who is studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons), the opportunity to undertake a research project that seeks to deliver applied outcomes that advances the fields of business and economics.

This real-world experience will also give Heard and Chan the chance to work with researchers from UQ’s Australian Institute for Business and Economics as well as the possibility for an industry internship.

Scholarship awardee, Heard, believes this honour is particularly exciting because it is funded by two of UQ’s most successful alumni and is personally inspired by their experiences as university students.

“The scholarship is unique in that it combines generous financial support with an opportunity inspired by the donors’ own honours experiences. The chance to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries will enrich my honours year and facilitate the development of skills which will prove useful in my current studies and beyond,” Heard said.

Second awardee, Chan, added that he was “grateful and humbled” to receive the prestigious scholarship because it enables him to work with talented researchers to produce a collaborative on bank regulations and the GFC.

“This scholarship will allow me to build on my research skills through the collaboration with academics in the fields of Business and Economics. The generous funding provided by the scholarship will go towards meeting my research costs at the university,” Chan said.

Heard further asserts that he wanted to enrol at UQ because they offered the opportunity to pursue a world-class scholarship in one of the best Schools of Economics and one of the best Faculties of Science in Australia.

“I have pursued a dual program in science (biochemistry) and economics, and UQ has been able to offer me access to world-leading scientists alongside some of Australia’s most influential economists,” Heard said.

“The opportunity to work closely with some of the latter is the greatest advantage offered by my honours program in economics.”

Chan also agrees that UQ was his first choice when it came to enrolling at university as it offered the best course that will help him further his education and set him up for his future career.

“UQ is a great institution that offers high quality university courses that equips students with relevant skills for a successful career after the completion of their degree,” Chan said.

“The UQ Advantage really differentiates UQ from many other universities as students are offered a wide range of co-curricular activities in addition to their academic course.”

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