Public Relations and Corporate Communications Manager
John Kauter
(02) 6773 2779
Public Relations Specialist/Journalist
Jim Scanlan
(02) 6773 3049
Corporate Communications Officer
Leon Braun
(02) 6773 3771
Photographer
David Elkins
(02) 6773 3770
Events Coordinators
Kerry De Jong
(02) 6773 3955
and
Tracey James
(02) 6773 2768
Administrative Assistant
Kathleen Harper
(02) 6773 2736
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January 2006
November 2005Year of high achievement for UNE
December 23, 2005
The University of New England has continued its strong performance in teaching and learning, and in research, throughout 2005. “News and Events”, in wishing its readers a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, is taking the opportunity to remind them of some of the year’s news highlights.
Research news from The University of New England included the continuing excavation and study of the remains of the extinct human species Homo floresiensis, discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores by an international team led by UNE’s Professor Mike Morwood, and analysed by UNE’s Professor Peter Brown. This work has continued to win international interest and acclaim.
In agricultural research, for which UNE has a worldwide reputation, agronomists broke the elusive “10 tonnes per hectare” barrier for the yield of a wheat-related grain crop. UNE’s research program on triticale (a hybrid cross between wheat and rye), led by Associate Professor Robin Jessop, had been working towards this goal for many years.
A research team led by Associate Professor Steve Walkden-Brown announced its development of a simple test for Marek’s disease (a disease of major concern to the international poultry industry). The test paves the way for “tactical” rather than “blanket” vaccination for the disease, which would save Australian poultry producers millions of dollars a year.
The results of an independent study published during the year showed that, among Australia’s 37 universities, UNE ranked 11th in “research per academic”. This ranking was based on PhD completions, publications, and government grants, with the size of each university’s academic staff being a factor in the calculation.
Many UNE academics won honours and awards during the year. Just one example was the award of the Ernest Scott Prize for 2005 to Professor Alan Atkinson from the School of Classics, History and Religion. The Ernest Scott Prize, awarded by the University of Melbourne, is the most important prize in Australia and New Zealand for a newly published work of history. Professor Atkinson won it for the second volume of his three-volume history “The Europeans in Australia”.
One of the stories that achieved national and international media coverage concerned the results of experiments in UNE’s Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour showing that domestic chickens use the Earth’s magnetic field to help them find their way around. Another was the development by researchers in UNE’s Institute for Rural Futures (in collaboration with Telstra) of a remote-controlled system that would allow farmers to control and monitor aspects of livestock movement and maintenance on their properties from virtually anywhere in the world.
In September the President of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, the Honourable Justice Keith Mason A.C., officially opened the Sir Frank Kitto Moot Court in the Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. The well-equipped, modern courtroom for the training of student lawyers could be used, if required, for actual court proceedings and arbitration cases.
In late November the University learnt that it had been granted $2.2 million from the Federal Government’s new Learning and Teaching Performance Fund in recognition of its achievements in teaching and learning. UNE was one of only two regional universities in Australia to be honoured in this way. At around the same time the University received a separate Federal Government grant (from the Strategic Information Infrastructure Fund) of $2.5 million to develop a wireless network infrastructure. The grant will allow continued development of UNE’s information and communications technology infrastructure, and support innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
UNE joined the Armidale community in its involvement in annual events such as the Autumn Festival and Wool Expo, and extended its expertise into the community with the presentation of numerous public lectures. One highlight of UNE’s community involvement in 2005 was its key role (with Armidale Dumaresq Council) in staging the inaugural Armidale German Festival in March.
Finally, in mid-December, the Armidale and UNE communities combined, at a cocktail party held on the lawns of Booloominbah, in wishing Professor Ingrid Moses a fond farewell at the end of her eight-and-a-half years as Vice-Chancellor of UNE. The Deputy Chancellor, Mr James Harris, said Professor Moses’ “passion for education” had enabled UNE to become one of Australia’s “premier places of teaching and learning”. Professor Moses retires early in January, and will become Chancellor of the University of Canberra.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 01:09 PM
Water policy researcher appointed Fellow of international body
December 22, 2005
The University of New England’s Professor John Pigram, recently appointed to the rank of Fellow of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), is the only current IWRA Fellow from Australia.
Dr Pigram (pictured here), who was President of IWRA from 2001 to 2003, is an Adjunct Professor in UNE’s Centre for Ecological Economics and Water Policy Research, and a member of the Board of Governors of the World Water Council.
IWRA is a non-political, non-profit, educational association, established in 1972 and drawing its members from 110 countries, which aims to build and strengthen partnerships and mechanisms for the sustainable use of water resources worldwide. To become a Fellow, the highest rank of membership in the Association, a candidate must have been a member of IWRA for at least 10 years, and have held a position of high responsibility (or attained a high level of academic qualification) in water resources management.
Professor Pigram, who specialises in policy research in water resources planning and management, was Director of UNE’s Centre for Water Policy Research from 1987 to 2001. With more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian water industry, he chaired the organising committee for the Tenth World Water Congress in Melbourne in 2000.
The President of IWRA, Professor Aly Shady, said Professor Pigram’s appointment “capped a long career of contribution, integrity, honesty and public service par excellence at home and around the world”.
Professor Pigram is preparing his newly-written book, "Australia’s Water Resources: From Use to Management", for publication in 2006.
Media contact: Professor John Pigram on (02) 6772 3144 or Jim Scanlan (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3049.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:55 PM
Review aims to build on distance education strengths
December 21, 2005
The University of New England, the only major provider of distance education to be financially rewarded by the Federal Government through its new Learning and Teaching Performance Fund, will devote much of that reward to enhancing the quality, flexibility and accessibility of its distance education programs.
The $2.2 million grant in recognition of UNE’s achievements in teaching and learning was announced late last month.
Recognised for its leading role in the development of distance education in Australia, and currently the nation’s third-largest provider of university education in this mode, UNE has just completed a major review of its distance education practice.
The wide-ranging review has identified ways in which UNE’s acknowledged excellence in teaching and learning could be adapted most effectively to the changing environment of distance education. Professor David Rich, UNE’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), said the major aim of the review’s recommendations was to ensure that not only the educational content, but also the level of support from (and contact with) UNE staff, met students’ needs. “Distance education is about students’ interaction with each other, the staff, and the University, as well as course content,” he explained.
“We recognise the need to use the ever-expanding variety of media to build closer contact and a sense of community,” Professor Rich continued. One aspect of that “learning community”, he said, was the availability of academic support, particularly for students returning to education after an interval of some years. “We know there is a need to enhance learning support, and while some very successful programs exist already, we will be adding to their number.”
The review process began in June 2005 and ended earlier this month. It involved student surveys and interviews with key stakeholders as well as the collection and analysis of a wide range of data. Professor Rich will chair the steering group responsible for implementing its recommendations. “The review, while revealing many strengths, has identified areas for improvement,” he said. “We have a lot to be proud of but, in a changing world, there is a need for continual upgrading of programs involving communication technology.” Implementation of the recommendations will begin in 2006.
The review recognises the potential of the UNE Access Centres established over the past few years in country towns throughout New England and North-west NSW. “Effective use of these centres could contribute to the sense of community we are aiming for,” Professor Rich said. “They can provide not only direct contact among local students, but virtual involvement in classes and discussions through our video-conferencing capability.”
UNE has a history of leadership in distance education, and the “New England Model” of education in this mode was ground-breaking and internationally influential. The University’s strength in distance education has been based largely on the depth and breadth of its academic traditions, and the Review Committee’s report identifies those traditions as a foundation for future strength and successful development. “In addition, we want to ensure that UNE will continue to be a leader in distance education by being responsive to social and technological change and to our students’ needs,” Professor Rich said.
He said that one priority was to achieve the best possible combination of communication technology and other means of delivery. “In this way we won’t become a totally online, ‘virtual’ university, although we will use technology where appropriate.”
Media contact: Professor David Rich, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), UNE (02) 6773 3367 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:29 PM
UNE to extend collaborations with Thai agricultural university
December 20, 2005
An academic from Thailand's top agricultural university has visited The University of New England to discuss opportunities to extend an already fruitful collaboration between the two institutions.
During his three-day visit Dr Sornthep Thumwasorn (pictured, left), Director of the Tropical Animal Genetic Unit at Kasetsart University, also looked in on the progress of several Thai PhD candidates studying animal science at UNE.
Dr Thumwasorn met with Dr Hans Graser (pictured, right), Director of UNE's Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), to develop plans for collaborations in bio-informatics and molecular genetics, and to seek AGBU's help to attract private sector investment in the Thai cattle industry.
Dr Thumwasorn said he was keen to take advantage of the Australia-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (signed last year) to attract Australian investment in Thailand, and to allay fear among Thai dairy farmers that the agreement would destroy their livelihoods.
“The FTA is a big issue for Thailand,” Dr Thumwasorn said. “Thai farmers are afraid that they cannot compete with the Australian cattle industry. We are looking for opportunities to leverage the FTA by seeking collaborations with Australian companies to support Thai farmers.”
Cooperative efforts between Kasetsart and UNE have received a further boost from Thailand's Royal Golden Jubilee Research Fund, which is paying for scholarships for a further two Thai academics to study at UNE next year, and a special government grant to develop collaborative research projects in bio-informatics and genetics.
Dr Thumwasorn said the grant, which is one of only two of its type to be offered by the Thai government, emphasised research projects with obvious industry applications.
“It is vital that we use our knowledge to benefit the industry,” Dr Thumwasorn said. “No longer can this knowledge stay on campus. It has to go out and help the Thai industry as a whole.”
For more information contact Dr Hans Graser on (02) 6773 3332 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on 6773 3771. A photo is available to accompany this story.
Posted by Leon Braun at 09:44 AM
$2.57 million grant for UNE wireless network
December 19, 2005
Students at The University of New England (UNE), Armidale, will benefit from a $2.57 million grant from the Australian Government's Strategic Information Infrastructure Fund to develop a wireless network infrastructure. The announcement came directly from the Federal Minister for Education, Dr Brendan Nelson.
The initiative will place the University at the forefront of student service provision and has significant flow-on benefits that will improve the cost-effectiveness and quality of educational delivery. The grant will allow continued development of the University's information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and support innovative approaches to teaching and research.
"As more students request on-line access to the full range of the University's administrative and support services, the provision of a reliable, responsive and secure ICT network has become critical to the effective operation of the University," said UNE's Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Professor David Rich (pictured here).
The grant will fund an upgrade of UNE's internal data network and a wireless network accessible to students and staff throughout the Armidale campuses of UNE, including the eight residences and the Newling and Heritage Centre locations. There are also plans to implement a standards-based identity and access management system to ensure the security of the University's corporate systems and data in a wireless environment.
Professor Rich said the grant would provide students and staff with contemporary best-practice access to the University's systems using the full range of electronic devices - including laptop computers, PDAs and other mobile devices - in a secure environment. He said wireless access would enable students to work both collaboratively and individually in many parts of UNE.
Benefits would also be enjoyed by students who provide their own personal devices for study at residential schools, summer schools and short courses, he said. "Network access will improve the quality of information available to these students and the cost-effectiveness of their attendance at the residential schools."
Professor Rich said an additional significant benefit would be improved capacity of researchers to participate in e-research on a national and international basis.
Media contact: John Kauter, Public Relations Manager, UNE (02) 6773 2779.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:39 PM
Hands-on approach to business earns national teaching award
December 19, 2005
A Senior Lecturer in the New England Business School has been presented with a special award for teaching at the 2005 Australian and New Zealand Association of Management (ANZAM) conference dinner in Canberra on 9 December.
Dr Bernice Kotey was selected as a finalist for the 2005 Pearson Education’s ANZAM Management Educator of the Year Award. Despite missing out on the main prize, the judges were so impressed with Dr Kotey’s nomination that they decided to present a finalist award for the first time.
Although honoured to be named amongst the finalists for the award, Dr Kotey was in no way surprised.
“I have been doing innovative things with my teaching for a number of years,” Dr Kotey said.
“My students describe my units as the most enjoyable they have participated in and feel they can talk to me on a personal level – I sometimes get asked to lunch.”
This ability to communicate confidently with students is just one small aspect of the criteria Dr Kotey had to meet to be eligible for the Educator of the Year Award.
After being nominated for the award by her head of school, Associate Professor Ian Eddie, Dr Kotey then had to write an application, meeting selection criteria such as: a passion for teaching, teaching methods, methods of assessment, and professional development in teaching.
Having met all the criteria with distinction, Dr Kotey was chosen as a finalist. However, she prefers not to dwell on her achievement and instead chooses to “focus on the teaching”.
“My teaching is focused on practical situations that occur on a daily basis in the world of business,” Dr Kotey revealed.
Rather than merely teach her students the theory of business, Dr Kotey prefers the school of hard knocks approach with each student running a simulated business and learning from their mistakes.
“My students really enjoy running their own simulated businesses,” Dr Kotey said.
“It gets so competitive. Students could be best friends outside my class but when it comes to running their business, no one wants to give away their secrets so they can maintain a competitive advantage.”
Dr Kotey has found that her "throw them in the deep end and watch them swim" approach encourages students to learn real world business practices very quickly and gives them the best opportunity to prepare for the world of business upon completion of their course.
“At first all the students want to do is sell, sell, sell!,” Dr Kotey said.
“Before too long however, they find that the more they sell, the bigger the loss they make – there is much more to a business than a sell at all costs attitude.”
Dr Kotey awards a prize to her top students at the end of each unit, with the winner based on the business with the ability to sustain profit the best.
As well as this simulated business project, Dr Kotey also runs business plan competitions and encourages her students to enter national business plan competitions, to further add to the practical skills her students have to draw from when they are set to work.
“It’s easy to start a business but you need skill and knowledge to build a business,” Dr Kotey said.
“My mission as a teacher is to cultivate these skills and knowledge.”
For further information contact Bernice Kotey on (02) 6773 2830 or Leon Braun on (02) 6773 3771. A photo is available to accompany this story.
Posted by Ben Glover at 09:29 AM
Vice-Chancellor's farewell celebrates her achievements
December 16, 2005
A farewell function yesterday for Professor Ingrid Moses, who is retiring after eight-and-a-half years as Vice-Chancellor of The University of New England, celebrated her achievements in strengthening the University, and ended with a toast to her “in fondness and admiration”.
In welcoming members of the University and Armidale communities to the cocktail party on the lawns of Booloominbah, the Deputy Chancellor, Mr James Harris, said Professor Moses’ “passion for education” had enabled UNE to become one of Australia’s “premier places of teaching and learning”. Mr Harris said her establishment of UNE Access Centres in country towns throughout northern NSW was one result of that passion.
Professor Peter Flood, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), speaking on behalf of the University staff, also praised Professor Moses’ commitment to teaching and learning, mentioning among other things her founding of the UNE Country Scholarship Scheme to assist students from rural communities. In addition, Professor Flood said, she had built on UNE’s strengths in research, “ensuring that this university is known as a teaching and research institution”.
Both Mr Harris and Professor Flood recognised the contribution of Professor Moses’ husband, Dr John Moses, to the University and Armidale communities. That contribution, Professor Flood said, had been not only to UNE’s School of Classics, History and Religion (where Dr Moses is an Adjunct Professor), but also to research and academic excellence more generally, and to the wider community.
“The University of New England is a very special place,” Professor Moses said in her response. “It is unique among Australian universities.” She said she had “great faith” in the future of UNE, and believed that it was “prepared to go ahead and meet the challenges”.
Professor Moses said the University had seen “a lot of organisational change” during her years as Vice-Chancellor, and praised the staff for “coming along with those changes”. She thanked staff in all sections of the University, beginning with those in the Vice-Chancellor’s Unit and senior management.
More than 200 people attended the cocktail party, and saw Professor Moses presented with farewell gifts including a gold brooch in the form of the University’s “flame” symbol, an album of photographs illustrating her eight-and-a-half years as Vice-Chancellor, and a bronze cast of the skull of Homo floresiensis, the extinct human species whose recent discovery brought international renown to UNE.
Professor Moses will retire from UNE early in January, and then take up the position of Chancellor of the University of Canberra.
The photograph displayed here, taken at the farewell event, shows Professor Moses (right) with the General Manager of The Armidale Express, Lorraine Coffey.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:00 PM
Scholarship for UNE study of treatment for blood clotting
December 15, 2005
A PhD student at The University of New England has won a national medical research scholarship to continue her assessment of the quality of care for patients being treated with the anti-blood-clotting agent warfarin.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has awarded a Public Health Postgraduate Scholarship, worth $26,800 for 2006, to Kerrie Westaway, a registered nurse who lives in Adelaide.
Warfarin, an anticoagulant, is used in the treatment of conditions – including heart problems and deep vein thrombosis – that involve blood clotting. Ms Westaway’s research, which began in 2004, is the first to follow the progress of patients taking warfarin after they leave hospital.
“Although warfarin has been in clinical use for 40 or 50 years,” she explained, “there are still no data on the management of warfarin-treated patients after they leave hospital. We need such data because there is such a small difference between the correct dose of warfarin and a harmful dose. A quarter of the 59 patients I’ve followed so far have had at least one episode of an excessive level of warfarin, exposing them to an increased risk of bleeding.”
She added that the oldest of those 59 patients was 89, while the youngest was 18.
Ms Westaway, who graduated from UNE in 2003 with a Master of Health Science (First Class Honours) degree, aims to follow 357 patients in Adelaide for the first five months of warfarin treatment. Her assessment will include the patient’s understanding of – and compliance with – the treatment, the maintenance of the desired anticoagulant level, and the doctor’s monitoring of the patient’s progress.
“This is a purely observational study,” she said. “It will let doctors know what’s happening and, if necessary, where improvements can be made. Doctors are very supportive of my work, which aims, ultimately, to minimise the risk of bleeding for their patients.”
Her supervisor at UNE, Dr Mary Cruickshank, said she was delighted by the award not only because it had gone to a UNE student but also because the recipient was, unusually, a graduate of nursing rather than medicine. Dr Cruickshank said she thought there was a good chance that Ms Westaway could win another NHMRC scholarship for 2007 to help her complete her PhD thesis.
Kerrie Westaway is pictured here, at the left of the photograph, with Dr Cruickshank.
Media contact: Kerrie Westaway on 0419 851 856 or Dr Mary Cruickshank, School of Health, UNE (02) 6773 3640.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:06 PM
Honours project demonstrates value of tree planting for biodiversity
December 14, 2005
A study by an Honours student at The University of New England has given scientific status to the popular understanding that planting trees and shrubs on cotton farms increases the local diversity of animals and plants.
Rhiannon Smith’s three-month study in the Namoi Valley revealed that the planting of trees on cleared agricultural land had the potential to double the number of fauna species living and feeding there. “The number of bird species increased by an average of four,” she said, “but some planted areas had twice as many bird species as adjacent cleared agricultural land.”
Ms Smith, who comes from a Narrabri family, won a Summer Scholarship from the Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre (Cotton CRC) to carry out her research at the beginning of 2005 – the final year of her Bachelor of Natural Resources (Honours) degree program at UNE. (She is pictured here, at centre, with the Chief Executive Officer of the Cotton CRC, Guy Roth, and the Community Support Officer from the Narrabri office of the Namoi Catchment Management Authority, Stacey Spanswick.)
“Declining biodiversity is a key environmental concern worldwide,” she explained. “In Australia, it is attributed to an inability to integrate the preservation of biodiversity into agricultural practice. The planting of trees and shrubs on cotton farms in the Namoi Valley is an attempt to address this problem. The success of such plantings in conserving biodiversity, however, is anecdotal and not well documented.”
“This project quantified the potential for tree plantings on cotton farms to contribute to biodiversity conservation and provided recommendations for maximising that potential,” she continued.
Her survey of flora and fauna in plantings of trees and shrubs on five Namoi Valley cotton farms included birds, invertebrates (such as insects), and herbaceous plants. She found, among other things, that the number of herbaceous plant species increased by an average of three under tree cover, and that planting trees – particularly Acacia species – significantly increased the abundance of invertebrates.
“The study showed that revegetation activities on cotton farms have the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation in the Namoi Valley,” Ms Smith concluded.
Media contact: Associate Professor Nick Reid, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, UNE (02) 6773 2759 or Guy Roth, Chief Executive Officer, Cotton CRC, Narrabri (02) 6799 1500.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:34 PM
Teachers gather for assessment summit
December 13, 2005
The National Centre of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMMER) hosted 36 NSW public school teachers at a two-day summit at UNE on December 5 and 6.
The summit brought together teachers from six schools from the North Coast, Central Coast and Hunter Valley areas of NSW participating in a three-year longitudinal study investigating the impact of developmentally based quality assessment practices on english, mathematics and science teaching.
Project Officer Ms Terry Wright said that the summit was the culmination of the first year of the project.
“The study is a three-year project and this summit gave us the opportunity to take stock and look back on the first year,” Ms Wright said.
“It was also an opportunity for teachers to demonstrate their achievements, air concerns or problems, and take part in professional discourse with other teachers participating in the same project.”
Leading up to the summit, the research team of Professor John Pegg, Dr David Baxter, Dr Rosemary Callingham, Dr Debra Panizzon and Project Officer Terry Wright had visited all six schools on a number of occasions. These visits were for the purpose of collecting baseline data for the project and offering on-going support for the participants. There were also three professional development days where the teachers came together, two schools at a time, to widen their knowledge of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) assessment model, and its implications for students in english, mathematics and science classes.
The summit was broken up into subject teams (english, science, and mathematics) with presentations made by teachers from each school to help to identify problems that might have been common.
The summit also contained sessions on exploring ways to develop better assessment tasks, designing teaching strategies to guide students to higher levels in the SOLO assessment model, and exploring working memory and information processing models.
Also in attendance at the summit were officers of the NSW Department of Education and Training. Chief Educational Officer (CEO) for School Based Assessment K-12 Peter Lorking and CEO for Science K-12 Glen Sawle, were there for observational purposes and spoke informally on topics of their expertise.
“Peter Lorking was able to bring teachers up to date with developments in the new school reports,” Ms Wright said.
“And Glen Sawle spoke to the science team, providing background to the National Statements of Learning for Science.”
The final session of the summit was used to plan the next stage of the project, in 2006.
While in Armidale, the project participants were accommodated in Mary White College, and had an official dinner at Booloominbah Restaurant.
For more information contact Terry Wright on (02) 6773 4289 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photo is available to accompany this story.
Posted by Ben Glover at 02:27 PM
UNE takes strong stance against homophobia and bullying
December 12, 2005
The University of New England has renewed its commitment to tackling bullying and homophobia through the launch of two initiatives at Booloominbah on Tuesday afternoon.
The Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter aimed at combating bullying and the establishment of an Ally Network to create awareness and equity for the university’s homosexual community were the two initiatives introduced to the 60-plus people in attendance.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Ingrid Moses, who put the Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter into motion by being the first to sign the document, also attended the launch, which included speeches by Catherine McConaghy and Don Hine.
The Ally Network initiative relates to both students and staff of the university, with the basic concept being that a student or staff who is informed about and sensitive toward issues affecting gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) staff and students identify themself as an Ally and use this role to affirm the experience and rights of GLBTI people.
UNE’s Senior Equity Officer Lyn Tucker believes that the Ally Network is a positive step for the workplace relations of the university.
“We know that there’s a high suicide rate for young gays and lesbians,” Ms Tucker said.
“UNE, particularly in its role as a regional university where minorities can feel isolated, needs to be inclusive and welcoming. I believe that the Ally network, which has already been successfully implemented in the United States as well as Australian universities including UWA, UQ, and ANU, is a step in the right direction.”
Ms Tucker is also pleased about the launch of the Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter, which seeks to stamp out bullying through education and legislation.
The charter starts by defining bullying and then clarifies the definition by defining a number of key terms within it. “Repeated”, “unreasonable behaviour”, “behaviour”, and “risk to health and safety” are among the terms expanded upon sending out a clear message that bullying has a definable line and if it is crossed the offender will be dealt with.
The Charter also outlines types of bullying behaviour and managerial actions to be taken when bullying occurs.
This clear and definable literature is a step that Ms Tucker believes will have an impact on people who may be ‘workplace bullies’ without even knowing it.
“People are very busy at work and communication can suffer,” Ms Tucker said.
“This can very easily lead to people not treating each other courteously.”
“The important thing that this document does is outline what constitutes bullying and provides a legislative base for managers to draw on.”
Posters that contain the literature for the charter are set to be distributed around the university via OH&S work groups.
“I would encourage all managers and staff to sign and display the charter,” Ms Tucker said.
For more information contact Lyn Tucker on (02) 6773 3242 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771.
Pictured: HR Director Kristin Adair, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ingrid Moses and NTEU Branch President Dr Rhonda Forrest sign the Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter.
Posted by Ben Glover at 02:34 PM
UNE supports elite athletes
December 09, 2005
The University of New England (UNE) has a proud history of nurturing and supporting student-athletes, many of whom represent state and country in their chosen sport.
UNE joined the Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) Network a year ago strengthening its ability to facilitate student-athletes and the EAFU has been a tremendous success by providing flexibility for balancing sporting pursuits with academic requirements.
The EAFU requires universities within its network to make a number of commitments to ensure the relationship between elite athletes and their university has a formal framework to work from. Some of these commitments include the need for a nominated staff contact, the possibility for flexible study options, and a course entry system that considers a student’s sporting achievement/commitment.
Sport UNE Executive Director Steve Griffith has taken on the role of UNE’s nominated staff contact for the program and believes that the EAFU is a sensible approach to the relationship between universities and athletes.
“Our distance education program provides the ultimate flexibility for student-athletes who can modify their study program to suit their competition and training program,” Griffith said.
“For instance, Australia’s number one cross country skier, Katie Calder, is a great advocate of the system,” he added.
“Katie has been undertaking her Bachelor of Commerce degree while training and competing on the European Cross Country Ski circuit. She has been able to submit assignments electronically and sit exams overseas.”
While some universities are winding back sporting services to students UNE is fielding inquiries from several leading sporting bodies wanting to learn more of the flexible study options enjoyed by UNE’s external students.
For more information contact Steve Griffith on (02) 6773 3053 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771.
Posted by Ben Glover at 10:51 AM
Giant vegetables invade UNE
December 08, 2005
The University of New England’s department of Agronomy has thrown down the gauntlet to other departments at the university and Armidale’s general population to show them up in their own field of expertise by competing in the Annual Agronomy Vege Growing Competition.
The competition, which involves pumpkin, sunflower and zucchini growing, is set to breathe new life into vegetable patches around Armidale, ending with the weigh-in of pumpkins and zucchinis and the measuring of the sunflowers at the end of February.
The competition, which began as an in-house agronomy project in 2003, has opened up to the university and the wider Armidale community for the first time this year, and is expected to create some fierce competition and some suitably impressive vegetables by the competition’s end.
John Stanley is the co-ordinator of this year’s competition and expects it to attract a record number of entrants.
“For the past couple of years the competition has basically been an all-agronomy affair and has had 15-20 entrants,” Mr Stanley said.
“This year we’ve opened the competition up [to the public] so we expect it to be the biggest yet.”
The idea to open the competition to the public has already created some interest with the Steiner school expressing their interest and requesting some pumpkin seeds to get started.
This interest is expected to grow, with the only rules of the competition being that all vegetables must be grown in gardens within 50 kilometres of Armidale’s centre.
An extra dimension to add to the excitement of the vegetable growing competition is its timing. The competition’s completion is at a similar time to the Armidale show, so growers will have the extra incentive of entering their vegetables in the show on top of bragging rights around town for the competition’s winner.
“Ideally, to get the biggest pumpkins possible by the end of February, you need to plant at the end of October and hope that you get no frosts,” said Mr Stanley.
“In that respect, we’ve been about a month late to start the competition so that will restrict the size of the winning entrant somewhat.”
In the past the weight of the winning pumpkin has been as much as 118 kilograms, however, Mr Stanley warns that the “pumpkin detective” must always be on the lookout for “pumpkin cheats”.
“It’s always amazing to see the kind of pumpkins that turn up for the weigh-off,” said Mr Stanley.
“Last year someone turned up with a wool bale covered with hessian bags on a ute and attempted to play it off as a pumpkin.”
Former competition co-ordinator Mark Trotter has also seen some tricks used as an attempt to lighten up the competition.
“As well as your serious entrants you also get your jokers and there’s been some very funny situations in the past couple of years,” Mr Trotter said.
“A popular prank is for people to enter a pumpkin under someone else’s name and fill it up with concrete to get them disqualified.”
The competition costs five dollars to enter with pumpkin and sunflower seeds provided. Those wishing to grow zucchinis will need their own seeds.
For more information contact John Stanley on 0428 223 332 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.
Posted by Ben Glover at 11:16 AM
Lecture on Bonhoeffer at Uniting Church
December 05, 2005
Dr John Moses, Adjunct Professor in The University of New England’s School of Classics, History and Religion, will return to the subject of the German resistance theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a public lecture in Armidale on Friday 9 December.
Professor Moses, an Anglican priest and a specialist in modern German history, presented a popular series of lectures on Bonhoeffer in Armidale three years ago. Friday’s lecture, titled “The evolution of Bonhoeffer’s ‘Israel’ or Holocaust theology”, will be at the Uniting Church at 7.30 pm.
At UNE last month, Professor Moses spoke about the global dimension of Bonhoeffer’s thought in a lecture titled “The rise of pacifism in modern German thinking”. This lecture, he said, touched on the final chapter of a book on Bonhoeffer that he is writing.
He is also working on a book about the origins of the Anzac tradition – another subject on which he is an authority – and plans to finish both books after his wife, Professor Ingrid Moses, retires as Vice-Chancellor of UNE in January and they move to Canberra. In Canberra, where he is Honorary Assistant Curate at St Paul’s, Manuka, he expects to be associated with St Mark’s National Theological Centre in a research capacity.
In giving the background to next Friday’s lecture, Professor Moses said: “Bonhoeffer began to develop what became known as his ‘Israel theology’ in about 1940 when he became aware of the transportation of Jews from Germany and France. His new ‘Theologia Crucis’ insisted that God had NOT withdrawn His ancient Covenant with the Jews. He therefore called for solidarity with the Jews. Synagogue and Ecclesia must work together as God’s Covenant was with both, and the Church had to confess its guilt for fostering, allowing and condoning so much discrimination and so many criminal acts against God’s chosen people both throughout history and during the Third Reich.”
The lecture will trace the evolution of Bonheoffer’s ‘Israel theology’ and account for its gradual acceptance by German Protestant Synods in the period 1945-1980.
Media contact: Jim Scanlan or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3049 or 6773 3771 respectively.
Posted by Leon Braun at 09:22 AM
Book draws on UNE expertise in research management
December 02, 2005
A book published by The University of New England’s Asia Centre is testimony to the University’s role as an international leader in agricultural research.
The book, "Research Management in Agriculture", grew out of a series of training programs for research managers from developing countries undertaken jointly by the UNE Asia Centre and the ATSE Crawford Fund.
Subtitled “A Manual for the Twenty First Century”, the book is the first to provide a comprehensive introduction to all facets of research management in agriculture for research directors, managers, scientists and students.
In launching the book at the UNE Asia Centre, the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Ingrid Moses, pointed out that it addresses problems of research management in agriculture in a way that is applicable to other fields of research.
Professor Bruce Holloway, who instigated the Crawford Fund’s training program (or “Master Classes”) that laid the groundwork for the book, travelled from Melbourne for the launch. Professor Holloway, in outlining the history of UNE’s involvement in the Master Classes held in Sydney (and subsequent training courses in the developing countries themselves), explained that “UNE has had an enormous role, internationally, in agricultural research and training”.
The UNE Asia Centre has conducted three Master Classes in the series, and has followed these up by sending two UNE agricultural scientists – Associate Professors Geoff Hinch and Brian Sindel – to run “in-country” training courses in Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. The Asia Centre has also organised a training course at the University’s Armidale campus for a group of African research managers (and followed this up with "in-country" training).
Dr Ian Metcalfe, Adjunct Professor in the UNE Asia Centre, is the coordinator of UNE’s involvement in the training program and senior editor of the new book (with Bruce Holloway, Jim McWilliam and Neil Inall). “This volume is one of very few in the field and represents an attempt to provide a practical set of principles and guidelines to assist managers of agricultural research to adapt to the changes in the way research is being organised, conducted and financed,” Professor Metcalfe said. “It is also responding to the increasing demand from organisations that support this research for greater accountability in terms of the adoption and the impact of research outputs.” (Professor Metcalfe is pictured here, at the right of the photograph, with Professor Bruce Holloway and the new book.)
UNE researchers who have contributed to the book are Professor Amarjit Kaur (whose chapter is titled “The significance of environmental and socio-economic issues in research management planning”), Professor Bernie Bindon (“Research collaboration”), Professor Ian Metcalfe and Brendan Doyle (whose joint contribution is “Electronic knowledge resources”), Associate Professor Robin Jessop (co-author of “Managing the system of agricultural research”), and Professor James Rowe (co-author of “Research priorities and planning”).
Research Management in Agriculture is available from the Asia Centre, The University of New England, NSW 2351, and costs $30 (including GST). For an order form and flyer, go to: www.une.edu.au/asiacenter/.
Media contact: Professor Ian Metcalfe (UNE Asia Centre) on (02) 6773 3499 or 0409 726 297, or Jim Scanlan (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3049.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:23 PM
Funding to rise for rural disability business services
December 01, 2005
A national conference at The University of New England has seen the announcement of Federal Government funding increases for business services in rural and remote areas provided by workers with a disability.
The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, who flew to Armidale yesterday to speak at the National Best Practice in Disability Conference, announced the extra funding during her address. “Business services have a special dual role in providing both employment opportunities and support for people with disabilities,” she said.
The package includes a rise in the supplementary funding for disability business services in rural and remote areas from $700,000 in the past 18 months to a projected $2.4 million in the coming year.
Senator Patterson said the additional funding was part of a support package aimed at helping to maintain the future viability of services located in rural and remote Australia. “An estimated 120 services located in rural and remote areas will benefit from the funding,” she said, “ which will see services receiving between $15,000 and $60,000 more per year in recognition that businesses in remote locations face higher operating costs. Disability business services can decide what will best serve their business needs. As long as the funds are used to benefit the business service employees, they can use their funding for a range of purposes – for instance, providing a bus service for workers in areas with poor public transport or a marketing campaign targeting local businesses.”
Among several other aspects of the package are grants of up to $75,000 to help disability business services build new alliances across the sector.
Kevin Mead, the General Manager of Challenge Armidale (the organisation that has convened the conference to celebrate its 50th anniversary), welcomed the announcement. He pointed out that Challenge Armidale, which provides services (including employment) for people with an intellectual disability in and around Armidale, coordinates a seven-member New England North West Disability Services Group. “Our group is a pioneer in the forming of business service alliances,” Mr Mead said. “As such, we will probably be among the first to receive one of the new government grants.”
Mr Mead said he believed that the New England North West region was "a centre of innovation for disability work", and that Armidale, as a centre of educational excellence, was an ideal location for a best-practice conference. Challenge Armidale and UNE signed a Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year as a basis for broadening the relationship between the two organisations. (This relationship includes the employment of some Challenge clients on the UNE campus, and UNE's use of Challenge services such as paper recycling and mail packaging.)
About 160 delegates from around Australia and from New Zealand are participating in the National Best Practice in Disability Conference, which concludes today.
Media contact: Kevin Mead, General Manager, Challenge Armidale, on (02) 6772 1799 or 0418 221 167, or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here is available at:
http://photodatabase.une.edu.au/albums/userpics/10002/MINICHIELLO%20PATTERSON%20MEAD.jpg
It shows Senator Patterson at the conference with (at left) Professor Victor Minichiello, Dean of UNE’s Faculty of Education, Health and Professional Studies, and Kevin Mead, General Manager of Challenge Armidale.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at 01:35 PM