Susan Elliott receives funding for Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships

Susan Elliott, from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, has recently received funding for Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships.

The scholarship funding, awarded by Rideau Hall Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, allows Canadian students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to participate in internships or academic study for periods of three months to one year in another Commonwealth country.

Scholarships will also be available to students from Commonwealth countries to attend a Canadian university for masters or doctoral studies. The Scholarships form part of university-designed projects that address pressing local, national and global issues.

Susan Elliott hopes to bring at least four fully funded graduate students to the University of Waterloo to develop a global wellbeing index (nicknamed GLOWING) similar to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing – a project developed at Waterloo. The GLOWING will focus first on countries in east Africa to develop appropriate indicators that can realistically measure wellbeing in low to middle income countries. Elliot has already selected one PhD student who will be arriving at the University of Waterloo in September to begin work on the index. “This is an amazing opportunity for students from LMICs,” Elliott said of the funding. “These students will be fully funded. They’ll have their tuition paid, travel paid, books, and a computer. It’s a great opportunity for them.”

Jointly announced in June 2014, by Governor General David Johnston, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships will help develop the next generation of innovative leaders and community builders, both locally and globally.