School education paid for children of slain soldiers

[ENGINEERS WIFE]

What great news to celebrate Canada Day  :yellow: :yellow:
They deserve it after losing a parent.  One less thing for them to worry about.  And that is a good thing!!

 

[BKells]

http://www.media.uottawa.ca/mediaroom/news-details_1709.html

The University of Ottawa offers free tuition for children of Canadian military parents killed in action

OTTAWA, June 30, 2009 — The University of Ottawa will waive all undergraduate tuition fees for dependants of Canadian Forces personnel killed while serving in an active military mission; as part of the Project Hero, which helps children of Canadian Forces staff who are killed as a result of an operational mission.

The new policy is being adopted in recognition of the bravery and personnel sacrifice exemplified by Canadian military personnel while serving their country.

“Canadians owe a huge debt of gratitude to the men and women who put their lives at risk for our country,” said Allan Rock, President of the University of Ottawa. "As Canada’s university, we think the best way of honouring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice is to ensure that their children have free access to education on our campus.”

“The Canadian Forces are made up of Canada’s best and brightest citizens who dare to test their training, bravery, and courage in perilous situations,” said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway. “This program at the University of Ottawa recognizes the sacrifices of the Canadian Forces and is an excellent example of how institutions can play a vital role in commemorating the lives of our fallen soldiers.”

The University will waive full tuition for each of four years at the undergraduate level at the University of Ottawa for the children of fallen service personnel. It will also waive on-campus residence fees for the first year of undergraduate studies.

“I am very proud that my alma mater has stepped up to support Project Hero. It is my goal to get broad-based, national support from all Canadian universities, and having the University of Ottawa be the first to adopt this policy is very significant,” stated Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed.

This tuition waiver is effective starting September 1, 2009. Criteria for eligible recipients:

· under the age of twenty-six;
· citizens or permanent residents of Canada;
· dependants of a member of the Canadian Forces who died while serving in an active mission; and
· registered as a full-time undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa in a program of study eligible for funding by the province of Ontario.

 

[BKells]

http://www.media.uottawa.ca/mediaroom/news-details_1709.html
It will also waive on-campus residence fees for the first year of undergraduate studies.

Didn't even see that the first time I read it. First year res fees is another 5,000 on top of the 5,000 tuition they are waiving. Good on uOttawa.. very well done.

When I took a two-year break from studies to serve overseas, uOttawa gave me no problems. I'm now back registered full-time and they didn't hassle me at all.

 

[Aerobicrunner]

Ref:  http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/july2-09/projecthero

The University of Calgary is doing likewise, and according to the news release below, so are Memorial University and the University of Windsor under Project Hero. 


July 2, 2009
New scholarship honours fallen soldiers
Dependents of Canadian Forces personnel killed while serving in active military missions will have the support of the University of Calgary to complete undergraduate degrees, as the U of C joins a new program to recognize the sacrifice of military families while serving their country.

“The University of Calgary is among the first Canadian universities to create this scholarship. It is an expression of support for Canadian Forces soldiers and their families, and a way of honouring those who pay the ultimate price for serving their country,” said Vice-Provost (Students) Ann Tierney. “We hope this scholarship will help the sons and daughters of these military personnel realize their dreams and plans by making a university education possible after suffering such a loss.”

While exact terms are still being finalized, the scholarship program will begin Sept. 1, 2009, and cover the cost of undergraduate tuition for four academic years (eight semesters) for students who have lost a parent while serving in active military missions with the Canadian Forces. On-campus residence fees for the first academic year will also be covered.

The scholarship is part of Project Hero, an effort involving the Canadian Forces and launched by former Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed. Hillier is now chancellor of Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The U of C joins Memorial University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Windsor in creating a Project Hero scholarship.

“It is my goal to get broad-based, national support from all Canadian universities, and having the University of Calgary on board is a great step forward,” said Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Reed.

 

[MARS]

This article isn't news per se, rather an editorial piece.

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Ottawa Sun

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Many students need help
By KERRY THOMPSON, Sun Media

Last Updated: 2nd July 2009, 6:41pm

A new scholarship program for children of fallen Canadian soldiers might recognize the sacrifice these military members made, but it makes one wonder if the children of soldiers killed in the line of duty should be any more entitled to free university tuition than students who lose parents in other ways?

Project Hero will soon launch at a number of Canadian universities, including the University of Ottawa, offering free tuition for four years and free residence for one year to children of military members killed in active duty.

Financial assistance for children of fallen soldiers, however, would be better administered by the Canadian Forces — many businesses offer scholarships to children of employees — and not by universities, where any number of students can face the same financial and emotional hardships Project Hero aims to recognize. The Department of National Defence already offers some financial assistance for post-secondary education for the children of military members.

Students who have lost a military parent undoubtedly go through a tough time and might face financial issues. But so do many other students who lose a parent.

University of Calgary Vice-Provost Ann Tierney told one media outlet this week the scholarships would hopefully allow students to fulfil their dreams “by making a university education possible after suffering such a loss.”

Of course military members make a great contribution. And while this will affect a very small number of students — something for which we should be grateful; the less students affected the less military members who have died — universities need to make sure that all students who suffer losses, and perhaps even greater financial hardships than students from military families, are treated in the same compassionate manner.

Of course there is national sadness when we hear a Canadian soldier has been lost. And you can argue the students impacted by this new program are the children of people who lost their lives serving our country. But no student should be made to feel the parent they lost made any less of a contribution, nor that they’re less deserving of help from their university, because of what that parent did for a living.

— Kerry Thompson

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That is the full article and it is available at:

http://www.ottawasun.com/comment/editorial/2009/07/02/10006821.html

if you wish to cut and paste it into your browser to link to it.

It mildly annoyed me, but that is because I don't get the point.  Aren't scholarships by their very nature somewhat exclusionary, be it academically, financially or otherwise?  Is it a problem that the universities themselves are offering the scholarship?