The Sprott School of Business and the Alterna Financial Group have launched a new scholarship program for socially-minded business students.
Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, two business students will be awarded $2,000 each for their involvement in the local community through social development work.
Linda Schweitzer, Sprott’s interim dean, said the scholarship aims to recognize “the best” business students who demonstrate social leadership and values.
“Anything that helps students with their education and to relieve the financial burden of their education is always helpful,” she said.
“Our new recruiting campaign talks about ‘good business’ and producing graduates that have a solid foundation in business but who also care about the world,” she added. “It’s entrepreneurship mixed with social impact mixed with a competition.”
Recipients of the scholarship will be chosen without a formal application process, Schweitzer said, but preference will be given to students who participate in the Enactus program.
Enactus is a global community of student, academic, and business leaders, and the program at Carleton allows business students to start business projects aimed at helping communities.
“Alterna Bank was particularly interested in supporting a student that does Enactus,” Schweitzer said. “That is their way of contributing to help a student who is doing business but also wants to do good in the world.”
“We get a list of students who are eligible, and then we will find the best ones,” she added.
Kathleen Collins, a third-year communications student and co-president of Enactus Carleton, said she is encouraged by the scholarship’s moral implications.
“I think it’s great the school is choosing to reward people with social values,” she said.
Rachel Viau, a first-year international business student, said she has not previously heard of the Enactus program, but likes the idea of the scholarship.
“A scholarship like that for people that have made the effort to go into the community and help with business ventures is pretty cool,” she said.
According to Viau, however, time commitment to the Enactus program could limit students like her from being considered for the scholarship.
“Moving to Ottawa alone was a big change for me,” she said. “I didn’t get the opportunity to join any clubs this year.”
“I’m already overwhelmed a lot with school, so whether or not I would participate is a lot based on time,” Viau added.
According to Kirsten Josling, a first-year international business student, the scholarship will change the way business students are perceived.
“I think business students and people that are in business as a whole get a bad rap for only caring about the bottom line and about dollars, but not enough about people,” she said.
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