General Staff Travelling Scholarships

Applications are now closed. Recipients of the 2012 scholarships will be announced shortly.

The General Staff Travelling Scholarships provide general staff with an opportunity to visit other institutions, either in Australia or overseas, for learning and professional development opportunities. The individual staff member gains knowledge and expertise in their area of responsibility and applies that experience for the benefit of the University of Sydney.

• Purpose
• Eligibility
• About the scholarship
• Expectations
• Application process
• Selection criteria
• Assessment committee
• Timeline

Purpose

The scholarship allows general staff to:

• collaborate with colleagues and strengthen links between the University of Sydney and other universities/institutions
• undertake practical experience and/or specialised project work which expands on activities available within the University
• benchmark current services and practices
• investigate best practice (eg policies, systems, procedures)
• contribute towards the achievement of their work unit's strategic objectives, as well as key University-wide strategic objectives.

Eligibility

The scholarship is open to all continuing general staff who meet the following criteria:

• up to and including HEO 10
• currently employed at 0.6 full-time equivalent (or higher), and
• have been at the University for a minimum of two years.

If you have been awarded this scholarship in the previous three- year period, you are ineligible to re-apply.

About the scholarship

• What costs does the scholarship cover?
  If you are successful, the scholarship will cover travel (economy fare only), agreed and validated expenses, and accommodation. Please include a cost estimate in your application.
• When can the travelling scholarship take place and for how long?
  Recipients are required to travel on their scholarship during 2013 The length of time will depend upon the project being undertaken. The proposed timeframe must be included in the project proposal and application.

Expectations

1. You will have read The University of Sydney Strategic Plan 2011 – 2015 and aligned your application to one or more of the strategic priorities.
2. You have consulted with any other areas in the University which may be impacted by your project proposal and outcomes. Their endorsement will assist your application.
3. You will be an excellent ambassador for the University of Sydney. Interaction with colleagues at other universities/institutions should foster and promote ongoing collaboration with established exchange partnerships and develop new collaborations from which future scholars and exchange students will benefit.
4. You will be required to have confirmation from each of the host institutions you will be visiting that they agree to your proposal. For the purposes of your application, copies of initial correspondence with the host institution/s will be sufficient. If you are awarded the scholarship, confirmation (by email or letter) will be required prior to the scholarship being finalised.
5. Within one month of the completion of your University of Sydney General Staff Travelling Scholarship you will be expected to submit to the Assessment Committee a full written report on how you met your scholarship objectives, as well as organise and deliver a presentation to interested staff.
6. You will be expected to provide a full budget that details the estimated costs of travel as part of your application. Scholarship recipients will be required to manage their scholarship funds during their trip. Any unspent funding will be used to fund future scholarships.
7. You are required to include participation in the travelling scholarship in your PM&D review.

Application process

Step 1 - Put together a proposal: make sure you address all the selection criteria listed in the table below. You can use this template as a guide.

Step 2 - Approval process: applications must be supported and signed by:

• your immediate supervisor
• your head of school/administrative unit
• your dean or equivalent.

Step 3 - Email your application to the Program Coordinator, . Your application must be in a single pdf document and submitted by email.

Selection criteria

Assessment Committee

All applications will be assessed by the following members of the Senior Executive Group Human Resources and Equity Committee:

• the Provost (or nominee)
• Director, Human Resources (or nominee)
• DVC, Strategic Planning (or nominee)
• faculty representative (as nominated by the Provost’s Office).