Australian Bank Donates $92-Million for IT Scholarships
April 3, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
The head of Australian bank Westpac announced a $92.4-million donation Wednesday to fund annual scholarships and awards aimed at boosting women’s participation in the information technology industry, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Starting next year, the gift from the Westpac Bicentennial Foundation will provide aid to undergraduate and graduate students ranging from $9,200 to more than $100,000 a year and send many recipients to study in Asia. Bank CEO Gail Kelly said the program would help redress men’s dominance in a field where women are “woefully unrepresented.”
Westpac, Australia’s oldest company, will award 200 scholarships in 2017, its bicentennial year, and 100 annually thereafter, operating the program in partnership with the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Wollongong.
