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Graduands urged to 'keep asking questions'

October 07, 2005

GoldsHarris.thumb.jpg“Education is about questions, not answers,” Professor Ashley Goldsworthy, Executive Director of the Business / Higher Education Round Table, reminded graduands at The University of New England today.

Professor Goldsworthy was delivering the Occasional Address at the first of the University’s two Spring Graduation ceremonies. “Never stop learning,” was his advice to the 244 graduands present at today’s ceremony. He emphasised the importance of both “a passion for learning” and “the curiosity to keep asking questions”.

In wishing the graduands success in their careers, “and more importantly, success in life”, he said: “Success is not fame and fortune, not the achievement of material goals; success is making a difference – leaving the world a better place than you found it.”

Professor Goldsworthy is a Director of Monash International and a member of the Australian Government’s Business / Industry / Higher Education Collaboration Council. The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Ingrid Moses, in introducing Professor Goldsworthy, said: “He is Chairman of several companies (some of which he founded) in fields as diverse as information technology, financial services, wellness, education and training, and nurturing inventors.” Professor Moses listed some of the highlights of his career, which include being Director of Economic Statistics for the Australian Government, Chairman of the Queensland Theatre Company, Director of the Australian Ballet, and Federal President of the Liberal Party. He is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1982) and of the Order of Australia (1991), and received a Centenary Medal in 2003. (Professor Goldsworthy is pictured here, at left, with UNE's Deputy Chancellor, Mr James Harris.)

Today’s graduation ceremony was for graduands in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. The Deputy Chancellor of UNE, Mr James Harris, presented graduands with their testamurs. Tomorrow’s ceremony will be for graduands in the Faculty of Education, Health and Professional Studies and the Faculty of The Sciences.

During today’s ceremony, too, Professor Moses presented UNE’s Young Distinguished Alumni Award for 2005 to Ms Sima-Michelle Cresswell Williamson, who graduated in 2001 with First Class Honours in both Bachelor of Natural Resources and Bachelor of Laws degrees. She now works as an environmental lawyer in Sydney for the pre-eminent international law group Blake Dawson Waldron.

Ms Cresswell Williamson pointed out that her double degree in Natural Resources and Law was unavailable at any other university. “I had the opportunity to work with Professor David Brunckhorst (Institute for Rural Futures, UNE), and Gerry Kelly (School of Law, UNE) on a fantastic Natural Resources / Law Honours project,” she said. “This work ultimately became the basis of our book Reinventing the Common.” She said it had been “the whole UNE experience, not just getting good marks”, that had helped her in her career so far.

“In addition to her significant workload,” Professor Moses said, “Sima has written and presented various papers on environmental law, the most notable being one she has co-written on water reform implications for the mining industry presented at a recent conference.”

“As part of Blake Dawson Waldron’s pro bono program,” Professor Moses added, “Sima is involved in pro bono work for an underprivileged group in the community. Sima has exemplified excellence not only in her academic studies, but well beyond in her writing, community interests and career success.”


Media contact: Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at October 7, 2005 02:39 PM