Patrick O'Brien Political Science Graduate Internship Award [F534]

Colleagues, friends and admirers of the late Associate Professor Patrick (Paddy) O'Brien having donated a sum of money to The University of Western Australia to establish the Patrick O'Brien Foundation, one object of which was to fund a Patrick O'Brien Political Science Graduate Internship Award, the award is established and is administered in accordance with the following regulations.

1. The object of the award is to assist political science graduates of the University to build on their study by spending several weeks working in or with, visiting, observing and/or experiencing political institutions, governments, research centres and other organisations involved in the political process in any state or country outside Western Australia.

2. Those eligible for the awards are students or graduates who—

(a) will complete, by the end of the year of application, undergraduate degrees with majors in Political Science; or

(b) have completed, within the previous three years, undergraduate degrees with majors in Political Science.

3.(1) The Board of Trustees of the Patrick O'Brien Foundation will make available each year, from the funds held by the Foundation, funding to provide one or more awards.

(2) The number of awards in any year, and the value of, and conditions applying to, each award are determined by the board.

4.(1) Application forms will be available from the School of Social and Cultural Studies between 1 August and 1 September each year.

(2) Applicants must submit the following to the Chair of the Political Science and International Relations discipline group by 1 November:

(a) the approved application form;

(b) a curriculum vitae;

(c) an academic record; and

(d) a statement providing details of:

(i) the proposed purpose to which the award will be put including details of the organisation, institution, government or other body at which the proposed internship will be taken and the proposed duration of the internship;

(ii) the perceived relevance of the proposed internship to the applicant's future work or research, and any other likely benefits of the internship;

(iii) the proposed budget for the internship including costs of travel and accommodation, and living expenses;

(iv) details of any other possible or confirmed sources of funding or other provision in support of the proposed internship.

5.(1) Applications will be considered by a Patrick O'Brien Political Science Graduate Internship Committee comprising:

(a) the Chair of the Political Science and International Relations discipline group or nominee;

(b) two benefactors of the Patrick O'Brien Foundation selected by the Board of the Foundation;

(c) the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences or nominee.

(2) In making the award/s, the committee will take into account:

(a) the applicants' academic standing as evidenced by their academic records;

(b) the applicants' interest in the political process, as evidenced in their curriculum vitae or other application documentation; and

(c) the proposed duration of the internship, the schedule of the proposed activities during the internship and the likely benefits to the applicants as set out in their application documentation.

(3) The committee may make conditional offers to those applying under 2(a).

(4) The committee shall report its selection to the Board of the Patrick O'Brien Foundation.

(5) The committee may determine in any year that no award will be made.

6.(1) An awardee must take up the award within 12 months of receiving the written offer, or the award will lapse.

(2) Awardees must submit a written report on their internship to the Chair of the Political Science and International Relations discipline group through the office of the School of Social and Cultural Studies within six months of completing the internship, and the Head will forward the report to the Board of the Patrick O'Brien Foundation for information.

(3) An awardee may apply to the Foundation for assistance with the costs of any publication arising from research assisted by the award.

(4) Any thesis or publication arising from research assisted by the award must acknowledge the assistance of the Patrick O'Brien Political Science Graduate Internship Award of The University of Western Australia and of the Patrick O'Brien Foundation.

7. The administration of the awards, following decisions on their allocation, is the responsibility of the School of Social and Cultural Studies.