Crawford School of Public Policy

Anna Dunkley and Ella Weisbrot, Master of Public Policy students at Crawford School of Public Policy have been awarded the inaugural Dr Claire Clark Scholarship, a scholarship nurturing Australia’s best and brightest future policymakers.

Established by ANU alumnus Mr Russell Clark, the Dr Claire Clark Scholarship honours his mother, Claire Clark and her achievements and interests in international relations and public policy.

“We greatly appreciate this generous donation. The Dr Claire Clark Scholarship will be a flagship award for the College, encouraging high-calibre students to pursue further study in the important disciplines of international relations and public policy,” said Professor Veronica Taylor, Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific.

While the scholarship provides full tuition support, the benefits impact the students in different ways.

“The scholarship is a generous gift that will help me to balance study with work. In my current workplace at the Parliamentary Library, I see how parliamentarians and policymakers can be inspired and informed by academic research. This scholarship will help me to bridge the gap between academic research and the development of public policy in Australia,” said Ms Dunkley.

For Ella Weisbrot, the scholarship has mentoring benefits too.

“Dr Clark is such an inspiration. It means a lot to meet with female leaders who have played a strong role in public policy development”.

“To know that incredible women like Dr Claire Clark have gone before and paved the way for younger women like myself is really inspirational,” said Ms Weisbrot.

A common driving factor that inspired Ms Weisbrot and Ms Dunkley to pursue the Master of Public Policy at ANU and apply for this scholarship was their determination to make real and positive change.

“I am motivated by people who are passionate about their work and the world around them. Having met with Dr Clark, it seems she is one of those people who exude enthusiasm about the world – and are changing it for the better,” said Ms Dunkley.

Find out more about the scholarship.