With an enhanced focus on internationalization, The University of Western Ontario welcomes the Ontario government’s new Trillium Scholarships for International PhD students program.
Premier Dalton McGuinty announced yesterday in Hong Kong that 75 PhD students will receive full four-year scholarships, each worth $40,000 annually, starting in the 2011-12 academic year.
Western has been awarded seven of these initial 75 scholarships created through this innovative new program.
Ted Hewitt, Western’s Vice-President (Research & International Relations), calls the Trillium Scholarships for International PhD students “a visionary initiative” and one that fits seamlessly into what the McGuinty government has already committed over the last eight years towards expanding graduate student enrollment by 16,000 spaces for Ontario residents and Canadian students.
The McGuinty government has spent $225 million since 2003 to expand the capacity of universities to provide graduate studies but this expansion, to date, has been purely restricted to domestic students.
“The Ontario government has now served notice that it intends to assist universities in recruiting top scholars from around the world, as well, to enrich the educational opportunities we provide,” says Hewitt. “To bring 75 top rate graduate students is an excellent start. This is a tremendous opportunity.”
“Hewitt adds a highly-skilled and culturally-diverse workforce will drive Ontario’s economy moving forward and this program gives Western and other Ontario universities the means necessary to bring an influx of international talent to the province.
“At Western we have doubled the number of PhD students here over the last decade, largely from domestic students,” says Hewitt. “We are ready to shine internationally – sending our students around the world to broaden their experience, and bringing some of the best here to study with us. This will help diversify the educational experience and the cultural experience of Ontario residents.”
For more information, please visit https://www.news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2010/11/ontario-to-attract-more-international-students.html
