Donors of scholarships, bursaries help blunt stress of education costs

St. Thomas More College celebrated one of the most joyful days of the year recently.

It was the day faculty and staff had the pleasure of handing out scholarship and bursary awards to dozens of grateful STM students.

“I congratulate all of you who are receiving awards today,” said Dr. Carl Still, President of STM College. “Your God-given gifts and hard work have brought you to this point, and it’s a privilege for us to recognize you outstanding talents and to play a role in helping you achieve your potential. In a nutshell, that’s really why our College exists.”

Each year, STM College offers more than $225,000 in scholarships and bursaries to our declared STM students. This year, that number actually grew to $245,000 thanks to several new awards.

Scholarships are student awards granted fully or partially based on academic achievement, while Bursary awards are granted fully or partially based on financial need.

These annual awards are over and above the regular USask awards, for which our students are also still eligible.

Dr. Still told the students it’s not too soon to think about what comes after graduation.

He said the College was founded to help produce leaders - dedicated people who would improve society for themselves and for others. He challenged attendees to take on those leadership roles.

Dr. Still also thanked the donors of scholarships and bursaries who made the awards possible.

“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of them,” he said. “Every scholarship and award has a story behind it, and a person without whose vision and generosity it wouldn’t exist.”

He told the students to look to the donors for a real-life example of leadership in society.

Anyone interested in finding out how they can make a donation toward scholarships and bursaries is invited to contact Kari Sinkewicz, Manager of Development and Alumni Relations, at ksinkewicz@stmcollege.ca.

Students are encouraged to explore the Awards page on the STM College website to find out about awards for which they may apply. There are several bursaries and scholarships that were not even given out this year because there were no applicants, so don’t miss out on some financial help. The annual deadline to apply for awards is Oct. 2.

After STM’s October Corporation meeting, it was announced that the College will make available in 2023-2024 an additional $100,000 in funding to students in financial need.

Recognizing the current high cost of living and its impact on students and families nationwide, the additional funding will be distributed as both a top up to our regular STM bursaries along with financial support for emergency fund requirements, and grocery card availability.

The regular STM bursary requirements will still apply, with additional emergency funds made available to any USask student who has registered in at least one course with STM during the 2022-2023 or present academic year, or was a self-identified STM student during that period.  In addition to this basic eligibility criteria, the student must demonstrate a documented financial need. 

Students who feel they need support and meet criteria should contact Richard Medernach at STM Student Services (306-966-8946) or rmedernach@stmcollege.ca for more information on the application process.