That’s all changing now, as an increasing number of year 12 students and adult learners from across Tasmania look to the University as the portal to the future.
Associate Professor Ashley Townsend, a leader at the University’s Central Science Laboratory (CSL), and a specialist in the field of elemental analysis, earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University in 1990 and, four years later, a PhD. He had an unorthodox start to his academic career, as the beneficiary of a pilot program in science, engineering and arts offered by the University on the North-West Coast in 1986.
Ashley gives regularly to student scholarships, out of what he calls “deep-rooted matters of person and heart.”
“At the core is gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunities I have received through a world-class education from ‘my’ University of Tasmania.
“I would never have imagined that it would be possible to forge my career journey from such simple country town beginnings.” Burnie-born and raised, Ashley set off for university in the 1980s before scholarships really existed.
“It cost a lot back then to pack up and shift to Hobart to study,” he recalls.
“Work all summer, save up, and then make those dollars last the year. I was lucky to get vacation work to make ends meet. Similarly, students today typically work part-time jobs to support their learning journey. Others are supported by partners or families. But not everyone is so lucky – many come from challenging family, financial, or geographical situations. They just need a hand, and I feel that my giving towards student scholarship can help.”
Leanne Arnott, acting Director of Engagement in the Division of Future Students, went to Scottsdale High School, in northeast Tasmania, and recalls the challenges of leaving home at the age of 16 to move to Launceston for years 11 and 12. “I’m very grateful to my parents for their support, particularly as neither went beyond high school. When I enrolled at the University in a Bachelor of Commerce in marketing and human resources, I was the first in my family to go to university,” she said.
She sees her university education as the “catalyst that set me on the path of an amazing life, from the lifelong friendships I made during this time, to the professional opportunities over the course of my career”.
Much like Ashley, she is acutely aware of the gift of higher education, and passionate about giving in return. Her salary contributions help students from disadvantaged areas of the State.
“I have personally become connected with scholarship recipients and watched them thrive in a university environment, and then to see their brothers and sisters and the occasional parent also pursue higher education and do the same, it is such a privilege to be part of that story,” she said.
Main image: Alumni and staff members Leanne Arnott and Ashley Townsend
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