Regalia hire helping to break down barriers

The gowns and mortarboards are provided by GWC Regalia Hire, part of Graduate Women Canterbury (GWC).

Each year, funding is made available from regalia hire profits to give back to the community through tertiary initiatives, scholarships, awards and equity grants.

At Lincoln, students can apply for the GWC Research / Study Support Scholarship, which supports women who are encountering financial barriers to their research or study. It was initially set up to counter the impacts of COVID-19.

The organisation sees women as encountering social and domestic barriers to tertiary education, since they are mostly the primary caregivers of children and/or relatives and must juggle domestic demands and expectations with their desire to succeed academically and financially.

Lincoln students undertaking fulltime postgraduate study below PhD level can also apply for the $12,500 Sadie Balkind Scholarship, which is also open to students at the University of Canterbury.

The 2022 Lincoln recipient, Erika Hansen, said the scholarship provided support while she completed her Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

As part of a tertiary initiative, GWC also provided funding to Lincoln, which the university chose to spend on professional development for women in professional or general staff roles through a series of practical and applied workshops.

It held that administrative staff at Lincoln University had valuable institutional knowledge and organisation experience and were an important resource who contributed to the success of the university.

GWC Trust Board Chair Dr Megan Clayton, Director, Pathways and Quality at Lincoln University, said it was a privilege for the organisation to support women during their academic study and to contribute to the development of professional staff through the tertiary initiative partnership.

"As an organisation, Graduate Women Canterbury has a history of empowering women through education for the benefit not only of individuals, but also whānau and communities. Graduation is a wonderful time to see the fruits of that investment and we want graduates and their families to know that when they hire their regalia, they are supporting future women students and staff to succeed."