Linda Michaluk Scholarship Fund
A new scholarship fund was recently established at the Victoria Foundation to support students in post-graduate programs of study focusing on administrative policy and procedures in a biological or natural resource discipline. Founded by the College of Applied Biology, this article, which appeared in the May 2014 issues of College Matters, talks about the woman who inspired its creation and how to apply for a scholarship. To see the revised requirements for the Linda Michaluk Scholarip please visit the College of Applied Biology’s scholarship page.
Linda Michaluk Scholarship Fund
In 2002 the Province of British Columbia read into Legislation the College of Applied Biology Act. The Act, the first of its kind in North America, realized the vision of the early founders of the Association of Professional Biologists of British Columbia to have biologists recognized as professionals, on par with other groups such as foresters and engineers. Biologists also had the opportunity to continue their membership with the Association, which continued as a member advocacy organization. In 2012 the founding Executive Director of the College, Linda Michaluk, RPBio, retired. She was instrumental in the process that created the College. In recognition of her exemplary service to the profession, the College of Applied Biology Council made a decision to honour Linda’s work and commitment to this outstanding achievement through the creation of the Linda Michaluk Scholarship Fund (LMSF) held at the Victoria Foundation.
Linda’s efforts in the design and enactment of the College of Applied Biology Act is being honoured through the establishment of this fund which will award scholarships for individuals undertaking a postgraduate program of study focusing on administrative policy and procedures at the provincial, national and international levels in Biological and Natural Resources disciplines.
Students enrolled in postgraduate programs (MBA, MPA, Masters Certificates, Law) may be eligible for the scholarship. The annual scholarship will be awarded on the recommendation of a committee acting under the auspices of the College. The annual grant from the LMSF will be made to the postgraduate institution (or other registered charity) for the selected recipient who is undertaking the course of study.
The fund, while recognizing Linda’s work, is also important to the College as a commitment to further the development and implementation of laws and regulations that affect the practices of natural resource development. Natural resource development can be affected by domestic laws and international agreemnts, hence, the scholarship is available for study in administrative policy research at the provincial, national and international levels.
In 2013 the College of Biology seeded the LMSF with $10,000 and placed an additional $2,500 in the fund to support the first scholarship disbursement to take place in the fall of 2014. The long-term goal of the fund is to be self-sustaining – by building the capital of the fund to generate a sufficient return for the award.
It is with great pride that the College Council has created and works to build and sustain the Linda Michaluk Scholarship Fund and trusts our members and non-members will assist us in making the fund a success.