The 2024 Scholarship Application Portal
The application period is now closed for 2024. The recipient will be announced on July 5, 2024!
Who can apply?
The Morrison Scholarship is open to any student from Newfoundland and Labrador entering their first year of studies from a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution in the field of Political Science, Public Policy, Social Sciences or a related field. If you intend to pursue another field of study (medicine, engineering, sciences etc.) but feel your commitment to politics, community, public policy or leadership is strong enough outside of school to merit consideration, please feel free to apply and indicate your rationale in your application.
Applicants must:
Be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Have graduated or be graduating this year from a Newfoundland and Labrador High School.
Be applying to study at a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution in political science, public policy, governance or a related field.
Conditions
At the time of application you must specify your intended school and program of study. The winner will be required to provide proof of graduation from their High School, as well as acceptance and enrolment at a recognized Canadian post-secondary institution in order to receive the funds.
The winner agrees to have their name published and associated with the scholarship, and must also agree to write a short testimonial in support of the scholarship. Finally, the winner will be asked to assist in promoting the scholarship on social media during the following year’s application period.
By applying to the Morrison Scholarship, applicants agree to the complete Morrison Scholarship Award Terms and Conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I apply if I'm going back to post-secondary as a mature student?
If you graduated from a Newfoundland and Labrador High School and are planning to go back to university or college after a year or more out of High School, you can still apply. Mature students are accepted, just please be sure to note it on your application or in your CV.
Do I need to be studying political science in order to apply?
No. If you are planning to study in any field related to politics, public policy, communication, law, the environment, administration or another that you feel is relevant to the scholarship, please go ahead and apply. The most important part is that you intend to use your education for some type of public benefit or community leadership role. If you are unsure, send us an email at info@morrisonscholarship.ca and we would be happy to clarify.
Is there a minimum grade average required to receive the scholarship?
No. There is no grade required to receive the scholarship, however you will be to have been accepted and attend a post-secondary institution in order to receive the scholarship.
When will the winner be announced - and when will the money be paid out?
The scholarship recipient will be announced on July 5, 2024. The scholarship is paid out in two equal installments of $1,500.00, with the first payment being made on September 1, 2024 and the second on January 1, 2025.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Send us an email at info@morrisonscholarship.ca and note that asking questions will not affect your application!
The Assignment
To apply for the scholarship, you will need to upload a copy of your CV/Resume, and complete a written assignment. The written assignment has two parts.
The first is a personal statement of 200 words or less, where you should tell us about yourself and your interests in politics, public policy, law, community leadership, and why you are interested in the scholarship. You should also outline why you would benefit from receiving the scholarship, and what studies you hope to pursue. This section is to be completed as plain text (unformatted), and will be submitted in the application form itself.
The second part of the written assignment consists of a written briefing note which responds to the scenario outlined below. Detailed writing and formatting instructions can be found below.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at info@morrisonscholarship.ca - your application will not be prejudiced if you ask clarifying questions in advance.
Briefing Note Background and Assignment
Civic education plays a crucial role in preparing students to become informed and engaged citizens. With democracy increasingly under threat around the world, and key indicators such as voter turnout and trust in our institutions at record lows, we believe that enhancing civic education has never been more important. This is true in Newfoundland and Labrador, where civic education has often taken a back-seat to other subjects in our education system. As a result, there is an urgent need to improve civic education and engagement to ensure that young people understand their rights and responsibilities, the workings of government, and the importance of active participation in democracy.
The Assignment
You are an advisor to the Minister of Education, Ms. Patricia Doyle. She has asked you to come up with a comprehensive proposal to improve the civic education curriculum in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In a neatly formatted briefing note of no more than two pages, please provide concrete proposals that you believe the government should pursue in order to improve civic education in the province's education system.
Your proposal should briefly address the current gaps you perceive in our civic education, and then provide innovative and practical recommendations for implementation across the province.
The ideas you propose should be realistic based on the real-world political climate, financial situation etc. For instance, do not propose giving everyone a million dollars to show up and vote, that is unrealistic! Similarly, a proposal for mandatory military service to teach young people about civic responsibility would not be within the constitutional jurisdiction of a provincial government to implement.
Regardless of your proposals, you should also try to outline the perceived reaction from the relevant political parties, the media and the public, as well as other key groups such as teachers and parents. If you propose something that would be effective but wildly unpopular with teachers for instance, you should outline how you think the Minister should combat or pre-empt such criticism.
Notes
You should use your own knowledge and common sense in this assignment.
You are not required to do any external research (such as costs or expenses), however if you choose to refer to any outside articles, reports or data, they should be properly cited in footnotes or endnotes.
You should not be afraid to provide your opinion based on what you believe. At the end of the day the Minister will decide, but she is relying on you for your advice.
You do not need to be an educational expert, and there are no right or wrong answers. You will be evaluated on your creativity and the clarity of your written communication.
You should also give a clear and well reasoned argument in favour of the proposals you submit (i.e. "I recommend we implement the following", as opposed to"these could be nice ideas.")
Formatting
A briefing note, maximum two single spaced pages. The Minister’s time is limited and she doesn’t have the time to review a 10 page novella.
Neatly formatted, well organized and easy to follow. There is no template, but it should look professional.
Normal fonts only, Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial etc., and normal sized 11 or 12.
Assignments must be submitted in word or PDF format only.