Aboriginal studies scholarship
The Australian National University is to give up to $100,000 to help fund unique Aboriginal Studies Scholarships honouring the late Dr H. C. "Nugget" Coombs. The funds, to come from ANU's Endowment for Excellence (created to support academic initiatives), will be used to match contributions from a public appeal. The Nugget Coombs Scholarships will combine the best of traditional academic and traditional indigenous knowledge through the Nugget Coombs Forum for Indigenous Studies located in the ANU's North Australia Research Unit in Darwin. Postgraduate and undergraduate students will use the well-established networks and expertise of NARU to pursue rigorous academic studies combined with deep insights into the issues in remote Australia. The scholarships will fund travel and residence in Darwin. Initially, the ANU hopes to offer two scholarships a year. Dr Coombs, who died last year, was Chancellor of ANU from 1968 until 1976. Launching the appeal to support the scholarships, the ANU's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deane Terrell, said that Aboriginal affairs was a lifelong passion and commitment of Nugget Coombs. "He worked tirelessly to promote awareness of Aboriginal issues and to devise solutions to their needs," Prof Terrell said. "In his later years, he would spend up to half the year based at the North Australia Research Unit. "These Scholarships offer a new generation of scholars the opportunity to realise one of Nugget Coombs' dreams of combining traditional academic knowledge with the resources of traditional indigenous people to develop more relevant solutions." Undergraduate students holding scholarships will be supported by the ANU's Jabal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Centre. This initiative follows earlier announcements that four ANU Honours Scholarships and its Creative Arts Fellowships are to be named in Dr Coombs' honour. The ANU's North Australia Research Unit (NARU) was established in Darwin in 1973 and has become a primary research facility in North Australia.