Don and Lee Stammer Scholarship

Background

UNE alumnus Dr Don Stammer and wife, alumna Lee Stammer, have endowed a scholarship to express “appreciation to UNE for the long and happy associations we’ve had with the University.” They have stated that the funds are to be used by UNE to provide financial support to students of promise but who, for any reason, are disadvantaged, including Indigenous students.

Donald Stammer grew up in the Hunter Valley, familiar with adversity. His family environment was shaped by two world wars and the Great Depression and the early death of his mother. Recognising his aptitude, friends of Maitland High School’s headmaster paid to secure a place for him in the school’s hostel. He rewarded his patrons’ faith by becoming dux of the school and winning a scholarship to the University of New England, where he lived in Wright College and graduated with Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees majoring in Economics. Dr Stammer accepted an invitation to stay on at UNE as an Economics tutor where he met his future wife, Lee. Lee Stammer (née Smith) graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Economics and a Diploma in Education after living in Mary White College. Lee Stammer’s first appointment as a teacher was at Narrabri West Public School.

Details

Value per annum:

$5,000

Payment method:Bank account
Number awarded in 2024:1
Duration:Remainder of degree
Study Mode:On campus / Online 
Study Load:Full-time (48 credit points per academic year)
Course Type:Bachelor degree including Honours
New/Continuing Students:New and Continuing
Application Closing Date:1 January 2024

Who can apply?
  1. Australian Citizen/Permanent Resident: The applicant must be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident as defined by the Commonwealth
  2. Student and Course Requirement: Open to new and continuing students enrolled/enrolling in their any year of their undergraduate degree including students entering Honours study.
  3. Academic Requirement: For new students, an ATAR/UAC Ranking or equivalent mark of at least 70 is required. For continuing students, a minimum GPA of 5.0 in their course to date is required
  4. Criteria for Disadvantage: The applicant must meet at least one of the following equity criteria:
    1. Financial disadvantage
    2. Be living with a disability, including mental health conditions and students who are neurodiverse
    3. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander: The applicant must identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and provide documentation according to the University’s Confirmation of Aboriginality and Torres Strait Islander Identity Procedures
    4. The applicant can demonstrate a hardship or life circumstance which they have overcome/are overcoming in order to pursue tertiary studies, such as being a single parent, coming from an abusive background, etc.
Selection criteria (in order of importance)

The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of (in order):

Financial need and circumstances

And

Academic merit

Then

Statement of case.

Notes

  • Preference may be given to applicants not in receipt of another scholarship.
  • The scholarship shall be awarded on the recommendation of the Executive Principal Student Experience and administered by the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team.
  • By applying for this scholarship you, the applicant, permit the University to give some personal details contained in your application to the Donor/Trustee/Committee/School, who may not be UNE staff. All information gathered will be treated with discretion.
  • The Selection Committee’s decision is final.
Supporting documents/Required information

The listed documents are acceptable forms of evidence in each of the following criteria:

  1. Applicants must demonstrate one of the following equity criteria (as per Who Can Apply) and provide documentation and/or a statement to demonstrate one or more of the below hardships or life circumstances which they have overcome/are overcoming in order to pursue tertiary studies.
    1. Financial disadvantage
      1. Complete the Financial Need Details section of the UNE Scholarship Application Form
      2. The applicant should attach evidence to support financial need, which may be one or more of the following (as determined in Financial Need Details section of application form):
          • Evidence of your income/expected income
          • Evidence of most recent and regular Centrelink/payments
          • Evidence of partners income
          • Evidence of parents’/guardians’ income/s

          Evidence of income can include:

          • Income Tax Returns*
          • Regular payslips
          • Centrelink Statement/s
          • A letter from an authorised person (e.g. community leader, school principal, minister of religion, accountant) that comments on your financial circumstances 
            *Note: if the most recent financial year income information is not available, previous financial year income information may be used and must be accompanied with a letter from an accountant that comments on the estimated similarity/differences.
    2. Be living with a disability, including mental health conditions and students who are neurodiverse: Applicant must be registered with UNE Student Accessibility & Wellbeing Office
    3. Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander: The applicant must identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and provide documentation according to the University’s UNE Confirmation of Aboriginality and Torres Strait Islander Identity Rule
    4. The applicant can demonstrate a hardship or life circumstance which they have overcome/are overcoming in order to pursue tertiary studies, such as being a single parent, coming from an abusive background, etc.
  2. Statement of Case:
    1. Why are you studying your chosen course and what are your career aspirations?
    2. Tell us about your personal strengths, leadership, and community activities you are involved in. How you have used them to make a difference in the lives of others?
    3. What impact will NOT receiving the scholarship have on your studies?
    4. What special conditions or obstacles have you overcome in your path to study? e.g. financial, geographic, cultural, or other disadvantage. Tell us what you have done to address your situation, in light of the challenges you outlined.
Conditions
  1. Undergraduate/Postgraduate (coursework) scholarship recipients may not hold more than one UNE scholarship (excluding the UNE Residential Financial Assistance Scholarship and/or the Betty J Fyffe Scholarship) if the combined value is greater than six thousand dollars ($6,000) per annum.
  2. The scholarship is intended for the nominated course and may not be deferred or transferred.
  3. The scholarship is payable into the recipient’s bank account in two instalments within 30 days following the Trimester 1, 2 or 3 census dates.
  4. Continuation of the scholarship, if applicable, is subject to:
    1. Achieving a Trimester GPA of at least 5.0. For continuing students, results for Trimester 2 and 3 will be combined for the purpose of calculating eligibility for continuation of the scholarship in Trimester 1 in the second and subsequent years.
    2. The student continuing to maintain eligibility in relation to their enrolment status as stipulated by the Scholarship Terms.
    3. Full-time students are expected to complete their course in the minimum period of candidature.
    4. Submission of brief Donor Report upon request each year reporting on progress with their studies and involvement in sporting, cultural and community activities as well as participation in university life, where applicable. In submitting this report, the recipient understands that some of the information and/or personal details contained in each report will be sent to the Donor/Trustee/Committee/School, who may not be UNE staff. All information gathered will be treated with discretion.
  5. If you wish to make any significant changes to your enrolment (e.g. change of degree, study mode and/or load) you must notify the Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team prior to doing so. If you no longer satisfy the criteria and conditions of the scholarship, you may not retain it.
  6. Any request to vary the conditions of the scholarship must be made in writing and will be determined at the discretion of the Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships Committee (in consultation with relevant Donor/Trustee/Committee/School/Head of College).
  7. If at any time during the scholarship term the student is found to have committed behavioural misconduct in accordance with the University’s Student Behavioural Misconduct Rules, the scholarship will be terminated and any outstanding payments to be made under the scholarship will not be paid.  You may also be required to repay any instalment already received. Students who are residential college residents are also subject to the Residential College Code of Conduct.
  8. The student may be required to attend the annual scholarships donor event if they are invited to do so, and may be asked to participate in activities to promote this scholarship and other scholarships in general, including public speaking, donor liaison, media interviews and photographs.
  9. Some scholarships may affect other government payments (e.g. Centrelink). It is the recipient’s responsibility to seek advice from the relevant government agency.
  10. From time to time minor changes may be required to the administrative conditions of this scholarship. If this occurs recipients will be given advance notice in writing. Donors will also be consulted where appropriate.
  11. Failure to meet the requirements of these Terms and Conditions may lead to the termination of the scholarship and/or your being required to repay any instalment already received.

Enrolment Notes and Definitions

  • Full-time is defined at UNE as an enrolment of 48 credit points in the academic year.
  • Enrolment is required for Trimester 1 and 2 study periods (with Trimester 3 optional), where if there is no active enrolment in these periods and a request for a leave of absence from their scholarship is not made and approved to the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team, the scholarship may be suspended.
  • For full-time scholarships, payments will be made in Trimester 1 and 2 each year provided there is a minimum enrolment of 18 credit points in each period. If fewer than 18 credit points are undertaken in Trimester 1 and/or 2, payments will be deferred to the following Trimester.
  • For 1 year duration scholarships or for continuing scholarship recipients in the final year of their scholarship, the second payment will only be made when the 48 credit points (or the last remaining units for that course) requirement for that academic year has been satisfied.
  • For on campus required scholarships, students must be enrolled in all on campus units, subject to availability, not just registered in ON mode. Students unsure about this should contact the UNE Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team to discuss their situation.
  • If a problem presents in meeting the above requirements, the recipient must liaise with the Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team to discuss their specific situation.
How to apply

Applications for the Don and Lee Stammer Scholarship should be made through the Application for University of New England Scholarship/s Form.

Only complete applications will be processed, so please ensure that you have submitted all required documentation with your application. The Alumni Relations and Student Scholarships team will notify you via email when your application has been processed.

Acceptance

In accepting the Don and Lee Stammer Scholarship, the recipient acknowledges that they have read, understand and accept the Terms and Conditions specified above.