The College of Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies at the University of Saskatchewan has unveiled a new scholarship for Indigenous masters and PhD students.

The award for leadership in the community is being coined as the Indigenous Graduate Leadership Award.

Tuition costs will be awarded to scholarship winners as well as cash prizes of $16,000 for masters students and $20,000 for PhD students.

The interim dean of the college, Trevor Crowe, laid out some of the criteria students would have to fulfill to be eligible for the award.

“(Winners) can be current students at the U of S or news students coming to the U of S (and) they have to be Canadian citizens,” remarks the dean. “(leadership roles) can be volunteer work but it can also be work within a band governance model for example. It could be for profit or not for profit, it really doesn’t matter.”

A total of $150,000 has been allocated for annual winners of the award.

“Funding of this calibre will allow scholars to complete their studies and reach their research goals with minimal financial burden,” says Crowe. “It’s really intended to try and support our Indigenous scholars at the Master and PhD level.”

A total of 242 Indigenous students are enrolled in Master’s programs at the U of S with an additional 44 academics in PhD programs.

Students looking for more info on the scholarships are encouraged to visit the CGPS website.

In addition to the Indigenous scholarship, the university is providing funding for international post-doctoral scholars to the tune of $110,000.

(PHOTO: University of Saskatchewan logo. Photo courtesy of University of Saskatchewan.)