Fifty-four incoming Fleming College students will receive a combined $120,000 in entrance scholarships as they begin their studies this fall, including the first recipients of a program announced by the college in April.
In a media release issued Wednesday (September 9), Fleming announced that 50 students will each receive $2,000 through its new Entrance Scholarships program. An additional four students entering environmental science programs at the college’s Frost Campus in Lindsay will each receive a $5,000 scholarship from The Pick Family Foundation.
The foundation’s $20,000 contribution, which honours the late business leader and philanthropist Tom Pick, is in addition to the $100,000 entrance scholarship initiative announced earlier this year.
“At the beginning of a new academic year, we are reminded of the ambition, talent and potential our students bring to Fleming,” says Fleming College interim president Dr. Theresa Knott in the release. “We also know that financial pressures can create real barriers for students pursuing a postsecondary education.”
“This new scholarship program is one part of our broader commitment to expanding student access and support through scholarships and bursaries. We want more students to have the financial support they need to pursue their education, build successful careers and contribute to their communities.”
As kawarthaNOW reported in April, Fleming College introduced its first-ever entrance scholarship program for full-time domestic students to help reduce financial barriers while supporting recruitment and enrolment in priority areas, including applied health and the skilled trades.
Ten scholarships have been awarded in each of five categories: mature learners, skilled trades students, applied health students, students entering the college’s new diagnostic cardiac sonography program, and Fleming graduates returning to college.
Among the recipients is Zahid Hasan, who is beginning his first year in diagnostic cardiac sonography.
“Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me and will provide valuable support as I begin my studies,” Hasan says. “I appreciate Fleming College’s commitment to supporting students and investing in those pursuing important and in-demand fields. I am excited to join the Fleming community and look forward to starting this academic journey.”
According to the college, scholarship recipients are entering programs across its schools of health and community services, trades and technology, and environmental and natural resource sciences. Recipients were selected based on academic achievement and the eligibility requirements for each award.
The four students receiving The Pick Family Foundation scholarships were selected for academic excellence and are beginning environmental science programs that prepare graduates to protect, understand, and responsibly manage the natural environment.
“Our father, Tom, believed deeply in giving back to his community and in the importance of protecting the natural environment,” says Stephanie Pick of The Pick Family Foundation. “Supporting students who share that commitment is a meaningful way for our family to honour his legacy.”
“We hope these scholarships give students the opportunity and encouragement to pursue their education and go on to make a difference in their communities and in the environments they will help steward.”
Fleming says its 50 entrance scholarships were made possible through the Fleming Forward Fund.
Together with donor-funded awards and needs-based bursaries, the scholarships are intended to expand support for students at different stages of their education and careers, including mature learners and graduates returning to develop new skills or change careers.
“Financial support can make an immediate and lasting difference in a student’s ability to pursue and succeed in their education,” says Katie Pezoulas, Fleming’s executive director of advancement and external relations.
“Through the generosity of our donors and the support of our partners, we are working to expand the scholarships and bursaries available to students and help remove financial barriers to a Fleming education.”
The college’s announcement comes as post-secondary institutions across the province respond to gaps in student financial support as a result of recent changes to the provincial funding portion of the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
For programs that started on or after August 1, OSAP students will receive more of their provincial funding as loans rather than grants. While students previously could receive up to 85 per cent of provincial funding under OSAP as grants, depending on their financial situation, that will change to a maximum of 25 per cent, with the remainder being repayable loans.
For more information about Fleming College’s entrance scholarships, visit flemingcollege.ca/entrance-scholarships.
