Professor Sean Brawley, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Programs and Pathways) officially launched the 2018 LEAP – Partnership Engagement Grant Scheme (PEGS) initiative at the University’s Widening Participation Harmony Day Morning Tea, on Wednesday 21 March.

The 2018 LEAP –PEGS initiative aims to inspire collaborative partnerships across the University, as well as with external partners, to actively encourage the inclusiveness of disadvantaged equity students, who have traditionally been underrepresented among the student cohort.

Expressions of Interest are now welcome from stakeholders to competitively secure between $10,000 and $50,000 for the development and delivery of initiatives that support the access and participation of disadvantaged students. All funds available through the 2018 LEAP – PEGS have been provided to Macquarie University by the Commonwealth Government through the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP).

National Harmony Day celebrates our rich cultural diversity through the affirmation ‘Everyone Belongs’. The University’s commitment to equitable inclusiveness is front of mind in its strategic priority to build an innovative, sustainable community, based on a ‘culture of caring for the wellbeing of all members of the community’ (Our University: A Framing of Futures; Priority Policy 3: Aligning the nature and size of the University for the future).

Open dialogue and diversity spark innovative and collaborative ideas. It is therefore important to support opportunities for the inclusive participation of all students, so as to enable harmonious and respectful diversity.

Full application details for the 2018 LEAP – PEGS initiative can be found here, with all Expressions of Interest to be received by Wednesday 4 April 2018.

Following the Harmony Day Morning Tea, the Widening Participation Unit continued to celebrate the day with the student community by joining Mulga the Artist in MUSE, level 3. Students were invited to share themed cupcakes and information on the meaning of the day, while also discovering further about the LEAP! Programs and opportunities for participation.