July 15, 2020

Gulgong student awarded Mudgee Region Community Scholarship

Scholarship recognises academic excellence of an indigenous local student

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has awarded Bachelor of Nursing student and Gulgong local, Meg Kelly, the 2020 Mudgee Region Community Scholarship.

The scholarship, supported by Mid-Western Regional Council, Wilpinjong Coal, Moolarben Coal Operations and Club Mudgee, provides a student with $2,500 per year for the duration of their degree from within the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health (SMAH) or Social Sciences (SOC). 

Meg, a proud Gulgong resident, intends to use the scholarship to fulfil her educational and career goals while supporting her community. She plans to specialise in radiology after completing her degree in nursing.

“I am thrilled to have received this scholarship, and I thank UOW and Mid-Western Regional Council for supporting me in this journey. It will help me achieve my future career goals in the health sector and giving back to the community through the skills and expertise I will gain in the next four years,” Ms Kelly said.

Pic: (L-R) Kieren Bennetts, Wilpinjong Coal, Maureen Hutchinson, Club Mudgee, Meg Kelly, scholarship recipient, and Des Kennedy, Mayor of Mid-Western Regional Council.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings CBE, said he was proud of the work that UOW and the Council continue to do to support local communities in the Mudgee region.

“UOW has been committed to rural and regional health for many years and supports local students by encouraging them to pursue a career in healthcare,” Professor Wellings said.

“UOW has an excellent reputation both academically and clinically for providing aspiring students the highest standards of clinical training and exposure to leading-edge research in the nursing profession.”

Mid-Western Regional Council Mayor Des Kennedy said Council is proud to join the University of Wollongong in providing this opportunity for a local student.  

“Council has been a proud supporter of the Mudgee Region Community Scholarship since its inception in 2017,” Cr Kennedy said.

“Since then, the scholarship has allowed three students to further their studies in their area of health with the hope that they will one day return to their community and provide much needed high quality, accessible health care. 

“Dedicated health care workers are essential to regional communities and I’d further like to thank Moolarben Coal Operations, Wilpinjong Coal and Club Mudgee for their continued support of the scholarship.”

In mid-June, UOW secured a spot in the world’s top 200 institutions in the 2021 QS World University Rankings, jumping 16 places on last year’s results to achieve an overall rank of 196th globally and 10th in Australia.   

UOW competed with over 1600 institutions globally, including 36 Australian institutions, and has jumped 87 places in six years due to its globally recognised research activities.   

UOW is consistently rated in the top 200 universities in the world for the quality of its research and graduate outcomes.