New Dean of Arts appointed

November 11, 2009 – 3:52 pm

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Professor Mark Considine has been appointed Dean of Arts for the next five years.

This appointment follows on from the previous five year term commenced by Professor Belinda Probert that Professor Considine completed.

The selection committee judged that Professor Considine, as a scholar of international standing, and a forceful advocate for the humanities and social sciences, will be a strong voice for the Faculty of Arts within the University and beyond.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said that in congratulating Professor Considine, it was important also to acknowledge the strong presentations from the two other internal and one external candidate.

“Each offered a distinctive vision of the Faculty, and impressed with the thoughtfulness and clarity of their answers.

“We look forward to a strong and successful future for the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne,” he said.

The position of Dean was advertised internationally in July this year, and a selection committee appointed by Council, with the committee chaired by Chancellor Alex Chernov.

On the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts executive, the Faculty was represented on the selection committee by Professor Barbara Creed and Professor Gillian Wigglesworth. The committee interviewed four talented applicants at length, and received detailed feedback from Faculty consultation.

It did so in the knowledge that a clear majority of Faculty of Arts staff who expressed a view in the consultation process, by interview or in writing, supported the appointment of Professor Considine.

Professor Considine has indicated his enthusiasm to accept a further term as Dean, and says he hopes to make further improvements to the Faculty leadership structure, including the appointment of a Deputy Dean to assist with key aspects of strategy development.

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International internships for University economics, commerce, and engineering students

November 11, 2009 – 3:51 pm

High-achieving University of Melbourne students will have the opportunity to undertake year-long internships with French companies both in Australia and in France.

“It’s about establishing links with key international partners, and enhancing cultural and academic understanding,” says Associate Dean of Business Professor Nasser Spear.

“Many of these French businesses are operating in Australia, so it really creates an ideal setting for everybody.”

The chosen students will work six months of the internship with the Australian arm of their chosen company and six months in France, learning first hand about international business and cultural sensitivities, and the differences in international business practice.

“Opportunities such as this, which provide workplace learning and experience in high quality international companies, ensure that Melbourne Graduates are ‘work ready’ at graduation and well prepared for the complexities of a global working community,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Relations) Professor Sue Elliott.

Already there is great excitement about the internship opportunity in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, as it has become apparent that there are many students with French language skills eager to take up the challenge.

These eager students will face stiff competition and demanding entry criteria although it is not just about outstanding academic results or speaking French, that is important. “We’re looking for openness and willingness to engage: we want active learners,” Professor Spear explains.

“Internships are a great way to get to know how an industry works. These internships offer in addition an international experience and French language thinking. It will further enhance any student’s skill set and their employability in the global job market.”

Professor Mareels, Dean of the School of Engineering says that  though the program is starting small, the number of French companies operating in Australia tops 120 and they operate in key industries such as Transport and Defense, which will be of great benefit to the participating students.

“For us it’s a key ingredient of the Melbourne Model – students must be able to have an international experience,” Professor Spear says.

“We’re facilitating access and engagement with international businesses, and through these relationships, research collaboration will be possible and research grants may be obtained for projects that are of interest to both countries. It opens a lot of doors.”

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University Alumnus in Architecture exhibition

November 11, 2009 – 3:51 pm

Peter Elliott exhibition image-word

The University’s Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning is holding the inaugural APB Alumni Retrospective Series by the Melbourne School of Design.

This first exhibition is be followed by many more exhibitions that celebrate the work of our outstanding alumni in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, property and construction.

The idea for the “public works” exhibition featuring the work of alumnus Peter Elliott  derives from his long-standing interest and investigation into the changing nature of cities, public space and public architecture.

The practice has worked almost exclusively on public commissions for over 30 years within inner Melbourne.

“We see architecture, landscape and urban design as sharing a common endeavour,” the company notes.

“We like cities and the constant change they undergo. We also like the idea that cities are constructed by many generations and that our contribution has to negotiate its place among many others.”

PUBLIC WORKS: An exhibition of Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design will be held in the Wunderlich Gallery, Ground Floor of the Architecture Building, The University of Melbourne, 26 October to 13 November, 9:00am-5:00pm Monday to Friday. Free entry.

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Chamber music finals at Melba Hall

November 11, 2009 – 3:50 pm

The Finals of the Faculty of the VCA and Music’s Chamber Music competition highlighted the depth and breadth of musical talent that exists within the Parkville School of Music.

The finals included three chamber groups, including the winning Nolan String Quartet featuring Brigid Coleridge and Peter Clark on Violin, Fiona Doig on Viola and cellist Rebecca Proietto.

The Nolan quartet played the first and second movements of Bartók’s String Quartet No 2, Op 17 (1915 – 17).

“I was delighted to hear the ensembles from the Parkville campus and I was impressed by the overall standard of the work and the choices of the pieces themselves,”  adjudicator Marco Von Paggi explained.

“I’m not really a fan of competitions – it is really for me a means to an end, to encourage young music making and to stimulate the whole chamber music scene.”

The three featured finalist ensembles were certainly stimulated by the competition, with the three chamber groups comprising of different instrumentation.

The Tee-Tree Oh trio included pianist Thomas Williams, Soprano Ashlyn Tymms and clarinet player Edward Ferris, who performed Margaret Sutherland’s The Orange Tree and Christine McCombe’s Accompanied by a Thousand Clouds.

Runners up, the Chiasma trio included Jacquie Fordham on clarinet, Mathew Laing on viola and pianist Gladys Chua who played a competition favourite, György Kurtág’s Hommage à Robert Schumann, Op. 15.

All three groups performed to the high standard for which the Faculty is known, and though the Nolan String Quartet were named the winners, Von Paggi praised each performance and was keen to stress the subjective nature of any music competition –

“It’s a very, very subjective thing – if I’m fond of cabbage, and you are not, how am I going to persuade you to eat more cabbage ?” he quipped.

The Finals of the Faculty of the VCA and Music’s Chamber Music competition highlighted the depth and breadth of musical talent that exists within the Parkville School of Music.

The finals included three chamber groups, including the winning Nolan String Quartet featuring Brigid Coleridge and Peter Clark on Violin, Fiona Doig on Viola and cellist Rebecca Proietto.

The Nolan quartet played the first and second movements of Bartók’s String Quartet No 2, Op 17 (1915 – 17).

“I was delighted to hear the ensembles from the Parkville campus and I was impressed by the overall standard of he work and the choices of the pieces themselves”  Adjudicator Marco Von Paggi explained.

“I’m not really a fan of competitions – it is really for me a means to an end, to encourage young music making and to stimulate the whole chamber music scene”.

The three featured finalist ensembles were certainly stimulated by the competition, with the three chamber groups comprising of different instrumentation.

The Tee-Tree Oh trio included pianist Thomas Williams, Soprano Ashlyn Tymms and clarinet player Edward Ferris, who performed Margaret Sutherland’s The Orange Tree and Christine McCombe’s Accompanied by a Thousand Clouds.

Runners up, the Chiasma trio included Jacquie Fordham on clarinet, Mathew Laing on viola and pianist Gladys Chua who played a competition favourite, György Kurtág’s Hommage à Robert Schumann, Op. 15

All three groups performed to the high standard for which the Faculty is known, and though the Nolan String Quartet were named the winners, Von Paggi praised each performance and was keen to stress the subjective nature of any music competition.

“It’s a very, very subjective thing – if I’m fond of cabbage, and you are not, how am I going to persuade you to eat more cabbage?” he quipped.

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University Academic’s new book launched by Prime Minister

November 11, 2009 – 3:49 pm

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University academic, respected economist and author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review Ross Garnaut’s new book The Great Crash of 2008 was launched in Canberra by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 22 October.

“I’m delighted to launch Professor Garnaut’s book today,” the Prime Minister said, “not just because it’s an important early assessment of the causes of the global financial crisis, but also because Ross has been spilling red ink on my own work for a quarter century.”

Professor Garnaut and the Prime Minister worked together at the Australian  Embassy in Beijing, when Garnaut  was the Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and the Prime Minister was First Secretary.

Prime Minister Rudd went on to call the work “an authoritative and accessible account of what history might ultimately judge as the single most significant economic event of our lifetimes.”

“It’s also a great read,” he concluded.

Professor Garnaut is a Professorial Fellow in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce and a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne.

The Great Crash of 2008 traces the recent boom and the global imbalances that led to the bust. Professor Garnaut presents a whole-world view of reasons for the downturn, from good, old-fashioned greed and rampant speculation, to the imbalances in global capital flows.

The Great Crash of 2008 is available from the Melbourne University Bookshop, RRP $ 24. 99

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Law Dean and world renowned refugee law expert to return to full time academia

November 11, 2009 – 3:49 pm

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Professor James Hathaway will resign as Dean of the Melbourne Law School from 1 February 2010 to return to full-time academic life.

Professor Hathaway, an internationally respected expert on refugee law, says that having devoted a quarter century to the progressive development of refugee law norms, he now wishes to re-engage all of his energies to find answers to what is clearly a moment of crisis in the international protection regime.

“Refugee law is the single most effective international human rights system in the world today; I feel a deep ethical responsibility to do what I can to avoid its collapse,” he says.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said that with James Hathaway’s departure from the position of law dean, the University loses one of its most creative academic leaders.

“James Hathaway has served as an exemplary dean,” Professor Davis said.

“Despite challenging economic times and the costs of curricular transition, Melbourne Law School’s always-strong financial position has actually improved over the course of his deanship.”

Two critical achievements of Professor Hathaway’s deanship are particularly noteworthy.

He has been unreservedly proactive in advancing the Law School’s scholarly mission, in particular by driving the creation of this country’s first Legal Research Service – an innovative system generating tailored research that has made Melbourne Law School academics the best supported legal scholars in Australia.

He has made Melbourne a global law school.  During his tenure, Melbourne LLB and JD students commenced study at the innovative Centre for Transnational Legal Studies in London – a collaboration of 12 leading law faculties, including Melbourne.  Exciting new exchange partnerships were established with top law schools around the world.  And most exciting of all, he master-minded degree-granting partnerships with the prestigious New York University School of Law and with the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s groundbreaking Program in Chinese Business Law – with at least two more leading global law schools expected to affiliate with Melbourne for degree-granting purposes by the end of this year.

Professor Davis said the University of Melbourne is very much in Professor Hathaway’s debt.

“We thank him for his superb leadership and wish him well in his return to full-time academic life.”

We are particularly delighted that he will remain a Professorial Fellow at the Law School, and look forward to his continued participation in the intellectual life of the University.”

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Popularity of Melbourne Model courses continues to grow

November 11, 2009 – 3:48 pm

Early 2010 VTAC preference data -   affectionately known as  October ‘Pop Polls’  -   clearly show  the increasing popularity of Melbourne Model courses with  year 12 students for 2010 undergraduate study - despite puzzling claims to the contrary.

With the transition to the Melbourne Model, the overall number of VTAC applicants to the University has reduced  as the number of undergraduate courses reduced – from 65 in 2007 to 17 in 2010.

On the other hand,  demand for the New Generation courses has spiked, with the University capturing 13 per cent of all first preferences for Commonwealth-supported places (CSPs)  in 2010  in the VTAC system.

Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Environments, Music and Science have attracted 6299 first preferences for 2010, which is up by 2.9 per cent on the 2009 figures. Four of these courses (Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce and Science) are all in the top 10 most popular courses based on first preferences.

Arts with 2096 first preferences continues to dominate and is the most popular Arts course in Victoria – and probably the country  – and  sciences at Melbourne are stronger than ever with first preferences for CSPs in Biomedicine (818)  and Science (1334)  up around 43 percent.

In fact, one in eight students in Victoria applying for a Commonwealth-supported place (CSP)  through VTAC  - have put one of the University of Melbourne’s 17 undergraduate courses as a first preference. VTAC lists 3500 courses.

International Year 12 students studying in Australia are also increasingly attracted to the Melbourne Model with first preferences from these students rising by 2.7 per cent.

University Provost, Professor John Dewar, says this continuing growth in first preferences for New Generation courses show that increasingly  students are seeing the value of being able to undertake depth in their discipline plus breadth of study, and they like the flexibility of career pathways that this.

Many of our graduate courses now replace the high-demand professional programs previously offered at undergraduate level.

In graduate courses however VTAC  reveals little about the demand for  graduate places,  where  demand is rising healthily for 2010. This strong graduate demand is seen in a 94 per cent rise in applicants for graduate programs in the new graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, including the new Executive Master of Arts and the new Master of International Relations, and In the Melbourne Graduate School of Education where first preferences for the primary stream of the Master of Teaching are up 30 per cent and the secondary stream up 57 per cent.

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Intensive EB negotiations begin

November 11, 2009 – 3:48 pm

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Representatives of the University of Melbourne and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) will be locked in a series of intensive negotiation meetings over the next two weeks as they work towards a new Enterprise Agreement for staff in the University.

Executive Director Human Resources Mr Nigel Waugh says that recent negotiations have been productive and the parties are steadily working towards agreement. These negotiations have seen the University and the union reach compromises on a number of minor claims and identify where they differ significantly.

“Although the NTEU’s position has remained unchanged for the most part, the University has offered a number of concessions in an effort to reach agreement,” he said. “The University is keen to complete bargaining and provide certainty for staff but it will not agree to claims that threaten job security or significantly increase costs.”

To agree to the high cost claims the NTEU is currently seeking at the same time as we are having to reduce staff numbers seems illogical to say the least,” Mr Waugh said.

Mr Waugh admits the University was disappointed when the NTEU rejected a comprehensive proposal for a new enterprise agreement in September.  The offer, he says, was fair, reasonable and appropriate to the particular circumstances of this University.

The University’s proposal contained a number of improvements to staff conditions, including an expanded set of leave entitlements and flexible working arrangements for staff and a means of regulating academic workloads. It also included a reasonable salary offer of 15 per cent over three years and some significant concessions on some of the NTEU’s key claims.

“Where there were points of difference between the parties, the University has proposed alternatives or compromises that sought to bridge the gap,” he said.

Mr Waugh says the draft agreement also included a commitment to overhaul key aspects of the University’s HR Framework to better recognise and reward performance, free up movement in the classification structures and modernise the University’s relationship with its staff. Mr Waugh says that such initiatives will be important tools to assist the University implement its Refining Our Strategy initiatives.

The University is proposing three reviews over the life of the Agreement – a review of the Performance Development Framework and reviews of both the academic and the professional staff classification structures.

“These reviews will facilitate the implementation of the proposals outlined in the Refining Our Strategy document  which was subject to extensive staff  consultation,” he explained.  “These reviews will move the University towards a high performance culture – where staff are provided with the tools to perform to their best ability and are recognised for it. By seeking to lock the University into the current arrangements, the NTEU is not only frustrating the University’s efforts to modernise its HR Framework but is also limiting the opportunity for staff to benefit through the proposed reforms.”

Mr Waugh is also disappointed that the NTEU has signalled an intention to take further industrial action over the current exam period.   Their proposed industrial action is likely to include imposing bans on the recording and transmission of student results.

While the University respects the right of the union to engage in industrial action, it is concerned about the adverse affect such action may have on the University’s students. In the meantime, the University intends to keep meeting with the NTEU. “We want to finalise a new enterprise agreement.”

Details of the University’s EBA proposal are available on the Working Together website on http://www.hr.unimelb.edu.au/advicesupport/eb.

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Murrup Barak – Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development and the inaugural Narrm Oration launched

November 11, 2009 – 3:47 pm

 

 

Chancellor Alex Chernov, Professor Mason Durie, Professor Arohia Durie, Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, Professor Ian Anderson, Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis, Professor Susan Elliot

Chancellor Alex Chernov, Professor Mason Durie, Professor Arohia Durie, Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, Professor Ian Anderson, Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis, Professor Susan Elliot

The historic and moving launch of the Murrup Barak- Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development and the inaugural Narrm Oration last Thursday attracted a large audience from across the University.

For the first time in the University of Melbourne’s history Indigenous staff gathered and processed in academic dress along with senior members of the University to the sound of a didgeridoo.

The launch used symbols from both traditions to signal the partnership, with academic gowns and possum coats, and Indigenous music, both traditional and jazz, and  a Maori traditional welcome.

Murrup Barak will strive to ensure University of  Melbourne graduates have capabilities, skills and familiarity with Indigenous peoples and issues and will provide a focal point for the work occurring across the University in Indigenous studies.

“Melbourne Model graduates need to have the know-how to ensure resources and interventions will make a difference to Indigenous communities,” Director of Murrup Barak, Professor Ian Anderson says.

Professor Ian Anderson launches Murrup Barak

“Universities have to move to a more active approach that builds effective pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into university.”

The Institute will provide a focal point for work in Indigenous Studies across the University and strengthen partnerships with Indigenous Australian communities.

The name “Murrup Barak” was  chosen to honour the Wurundjeri (Woiwurung) leader William Barak -  “Murrup Barak” in the Woiwurung language means the Spirit of Barak and Wurundjeri elders feel this name lends the appropriate gravitas and meaning to the new Institute.

The use of the term ‘Indigenous Development’ signals the intended focus of resources on Indigenous economic, social and cultural development.

The  Narrm Oration, ( Narrm is a Woiwurung word that refers to the area around Port Philip Bay) to be held every year, will attract speakers of global renown who can speak about  the contribution of Indigenous culture to our global community and the Institute welcomed Vice-Chancellor of Massey University, New Zealand, Professor Mason Durie to deliver the inaugural Narrm oration.

Professor Durie is a leading spokesperson on Maori health and academic development, whose oration was titled Indigenous Partnerships: The Academy as a Site for Enduring Relationships and the Transmission of Old and New Knowledge.

“The new Institute presents an opportunity to accelerate Indigenous development within a spirit of partnership and future-focused opportunities,” he says.

Professor Anderson agreed with him: “Development of knowledge is a plank towards Indigenous development and in light of this I am proud to lead the Murrup Barak – Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development,” he said.

 

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Highlighting a common humanity

November 11, 2009 – 3:46 pm

 

Catherine Wheller, Cathy Weiss, Rushith Dissanayake, Derek Sarshad, Julian Burnside, Zoe Dauth, Debra Plueckhahn.

Catherine Wheller, Cathy Weiss, Rushith Dissanayake, Derek Sarshad, Julian Burnside, Zoe Dauth, Debra Plueckhahn.

Students of Janet Clarke Hall and the Leadership, Involvement and Volunteer Experience (LIVE) unit have partnered with the Asylum Seekers Welcome Centre  in Brunswick to foster links between University students and newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees.

During the project, students joined clients of the centre for dinner every Tuesday to build friendships and to work towards a photographic art exhibition, where students and asylum seekers created art the demonstrated what was most important to them, the results of which formed the New Imaginings : Photographic Journeys of Asylum Seekers and Refugees exhibition, launched on 27 October at Janet Clarke Hall.

What resulted was a variety of images that capture the diverse experiences of both the students and the asylum seekers, and highlights their common values: Family, friends, freedom.

Renowned refugee and asylum seeker advocate Julian Burnside AO QC spoke at the opening of the exhibition, and remarked that we as a nation need more projects like this one.

“Here, tonight, is what I understand of the Australian spirit of welcome, and generosity and hospitality. This is what greeting refugees ought to be about,” he said.

“Welcoming refugees isn’t only the decent thing to do – it’s the right thing to do”

Principal of Janet Clarke Hall Dr Damian Powell was also enthused about the project because it drew students further into the wider Melbourne community, and made them think about the world beyond the college walls.

The students involved in the project were as diverse as the asylum seekers and refugees they met – local students as well as a student from Sri Lanka, one self -professed ‘global nomad’ and a New Jersey native on exchange all took part.

‘I figured this was a great opportunity to get a different experience from my trip,” says American exchange student Derek Sarshard.

“I can only imagine what these people have been through to be here today- their optimism is astounding and it’s really humbling.”

Project instigator at the LIVE unit Zoe Dauth says that offering students the opportunity to take part in this community project complements their academic experience at the University, and teaches them “to be leaders in communities, and active global citizens.”

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