on campus

The Bishop’s Exceptional Student Talent Project Fund (B.E.S.T Project Fund) was created in 2010 after an anonymous donor and Bishop’s graduate contacted the school to establish the fund. It is intended to provide students with the opportunity to attend conferences, take on internships, and further their careers, providing them with mentorships in the school and monetary support for travel, program, and living expenses. It is a scholarship unique to Bishop’s, relying on the already-established rapport between students and professors to help students make connections in their chosen field while still completing their undergraduate degree.

Several emails about the B.E.S.T. Project Fund have recently been sent to the student body, providing information about the total amounts that students are eligible for, encouraging interested students to reach out to past recipients of the Fund, as well as what is required of applicants. Individual applicants are eligible for up to $7,000, with $42,000 being allocated annually to successful proposals.

Interested students are encouraged to apply, and their proposals are reviewed by a selection committee composed of administrative and academic staff. The initial application requires that students have at least a 70 per cent cumulative average and full-time student status at Bishop’s. Student proposals are required to include a proposed timeline for their project, an approximate amount of money needed, the usage for the funds — suggested to be either travel, room and board, insurance, or supplies needed for work – the goal of the project, and an explanation of how the project will assist the student in achieving overarching career connections.

The application deadline recently passed on Jan. 23,. However, as with proposals for Arts Fest, submissions for the Mitre, and hiring positions for Residence Assistants, the deadline is being extended, suggesting that the number of applications was lower than expected. A dearth of applications for the Fund is indicative of a wider lack of engagement on campus with opportunities offered to students. The opportunities that are supposed to make the Bishop’s experience beneficial to students have been struggling in popularity since covid-19 hit the campus in 2020. While enrollment has increased, this is not reflected in the student body’s academic engagement.

Students are encouraged to apply for the B.E.S.T Project Fund, since the deadline has been extended to provide another opportunity for those who were unaware of the Fund. In order for the

Eva Rachert - News Editor

campus to heal from the disruption of the pandemic, students will need to reconnect with the academic opportunities that Bishop’s offers.