Green theme for launch of 'Celebration'

October 31, 2007

The University of New England will be launching its annual Celebration of Sharing fundraising activities for 2007 with a community event on Friday 2 November.

The event, to run from 11 am till 2 pm in UNE's Northern Courtyard, will have an environmental theme.

The University – in partnership with the Armidale Tree Group – will be supplying native trees and shrubs to be bought or sponsored for a tree-planting project in the New England area. The computer retailer Mac1 Armidale will make available the "elementree" online carbon calculator to give people a guide as to how many trees they should sponsor. Sun Jars (containing an LED light that charges in the sunlight during the day and glows at night) will be on sale, and there will be a "silent auction" in which the highest bidder will win a special hamper from the Grassroots Eco Store.

Registration for UNE's Carbon Challenge – another Celebration of Sharing activity – will be possible at this event, as well as online. To register, a group of four people must pay a total of $8. The prize will go to the group that creates the smallest amount of carbon emissions in a week.

There will be a barbecue lunch and entertainment featuring the well-known DJ Chocho.

The organisers of Friday's event - staff of UNE's Marketing and Public Affairs Directorate (MPA) - hope the University and wider communities will pitch in to help eclipse last year’s record-breaking Celebration of Sharing total of $9,381. As in past years, the NSW Premier’s Department will be providing a generous contribution to the fund-raising effort.

All proceeds this year will go to Street Beat and the Armidale Tree Group. Street Beat assists homeless youth by providing valuable support services. The Armidale Tree Group is a non-profit community nursery committed to reversing tree decline in the New England area. The cheques will be presented to the two organisations during Armidale's "Christmas Celebration in the Mall" on Friday 30 November.

The Celebration of Sharing, which embraces fundraising activities around the campus, is an initiative of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and coordinated through MPA. Staff should inform MPA's Tanya Henley about their own fundraising activities by the end of Friday 9 November.

For more information on UNE's Celebration of Sharing, its launch on Friday, or registration for the Carbon Challenge, contact Tanya on 6773 3909, or e-mail events@une.edu.au.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:33 AM

Scholars honoured for giving life to our past

October 30, 2007

The University of New England has demonstrated its expertise in exploring Australia's past with two highly-regarded history awards recognising the work of its scholars. The History Council of New South Wales has awarded its Max Kelly Medal for 2007 to Timothy Castle for an essay on capital punishment in colonial New South Wales, and its John Ferry Medal to Lorina Barker for her outstanding work in local history.

UNE presented Mr Castle with a University Medal when he graduated in March this year with First Class Honours in History. His Honours thesis was on capital punishment in NSW between 1826 and 1836, and his prize-winning essay is based on a chapter of the thesis highlighting "the importance of public reportage of the 362 men and one woman hanged during this 'bloody period'".

A Sydney barrister, Mr Castle benefited from UNE's expert delivery of distance education in following his passion for legal history. He said his legal history education through UNE had truly broadened his horizons and provided invaluable background insight into the law, justice, and power at various levels.

The annual Max Kelly Medal (for university history students) was established in 1997 to honour the first elected President of the History Council of NSW, Associate Professor Maxwell Kelly (1935-1996). Winners of the medal also receive $500 cash and encouragement as an historian at the highest levels of the field.

Winning the medal placed Mr Castle ahead of 21 other candidates from other universities who are all promising historians. He said the award of the medal demonstrated the high standard of History at UNE. "There's a strong tradition of Australian colonial history at UNE, inspired by the iconic historian Russel Ward, author of The Australian Legend," he said. "Most recently, UNE's expertise in the field of Australian history was recognised through its hosting of the Australian Historical Association's regional conference in September. Special mention was made at that conference of the pioneering work of two other Australian historians from UNE: Miriam Dixson for her classic work The Real Matilda (about women and identity in Australia since 1788) and Alan Atkinson, a Professorial Fellow in UNE's School of Humanities, for his landmark series The Europeans in Australia."

Lorina Barker, an Associate Lecturer and PhD researcher at UNE, was presented with the John Ferry Medal during that recent conference. Ms Barker's work was based on the history of her local Aboriginal community at Bourke. The runner-up for the medal was also a UNE History graduate: Margaret Rodwell, who received a citation for her essay describing the managed immigration in the mid-nineteenth century of a community of English labouring families to New England, and their settlement by the Everett brothers on "Ollera" station near Guyra.

The John Ferry Medal is named in honour of the UNE-based historian Dr John Ferry (1949-2004), whose prize-winning book Colonial Armidale is regarded by many historians as the best and most innovative local history written in Australia.

"I would like to pay credit to the entire History team at UNE for bringing Australian history to life and for imparting the key elements of the discipline, in spite of the challenges of external studies," Mr Castle said. "In particular, I would like to acknowledge the support of Dr David Roberts who has played a valuable role in building the profile of our colonial history through the Journal of Australian Colonial History, which he edits at UNE."

Dr Roberts, a Senior Lecturer in History, has enabled research by students such as Mr Castle to reach a wider audience in the history community through publication in the Journal of Australian Colonial History, which is nationally recognised as the flagship of UNE research in Australian history.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows UNE's Lorina Barker (left), winner of the John Ferry Medal, with the President of the History Council of NSW, Jill Roe. It expands to include Professor Alan Atkinson (far left), Dr David Roberts (second from right), and Tim Castle, winner of the Max Kelly Medal.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:29 AM

New degree aims to redress shortage of engineers

October 29, 2007

The University of New England is addressing the current nation-wide shortage of engineers by setting up an undergraduate engineering program that will begin next year.

The new Bachelor of Engineering Technology program will quickly feed trainee engineers into the workforce by allowing them to train on the job after just one year's full-time study.

Alternatively, students will have the option of completing the program after three years of full-time study on campus.

One of the conveners of the new degree program, Rex Glencross-Grant from UNE's School of Environmental and Rural Science, said the shortage of engineers – which was particularly acute in regional areas – applied to both local government councils and consultancy firms. "Regional councils are currently understaffed in their engineering departments by 20-25 per cent," he said.

He explained that the North-West Group of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (representing local government engineers) had initially approached UNE and, together with Engineers Australia (representing consultancies in the region), had negotiated with the University on the content and structure of the course.

"It's a para-professional degree," Mr Glencross-Grant said. "It's not meant to supplant a normal four-year professional engineering degree, but rather to supplement such existing programs. It will allow for articulation into a four-year degree program at our partner institution, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)."

Students in the new program will be able to major in either civil or environmental engineering: UNE will provide the environmental engineering units, while civil engineering units will be delivered from USQ. "At least 75 per cent of the program will be delivered by UNE," Mr Glencross-Grant said.

"The program will be geared towards engineering practice in regional Australia," he continued, "and will benefit from UNE's recognised expertise in environmental management – including an environmentally sensitive approach to engineering.

"The part-time option enables employers to offer traineeships. Fourteen have already been offered by consultancies and local councils – mainly from the New England and North West regions. The traineeships will provide students with $10,000 to help them with their full-time first year, and allow for study time during the subsequent four years of part-time study. Employers are keen to recruit students from their own areas so that they will be more likely to stay on after graduation."

He explained that the first year would be science-based, allowing students the option – if they completed it successfully – of changing direction at that point from another scientific discipline to engineering, or vice versa. "The whole program – including this aspect of flexibility – is, in fact, unique," he said.

While initially targeting local government councils and engineering consultants in northern NSW, the program's conveners are hoping that, after a few years, it will have students Australia-wide.

For more information on the new degree program, contact Rex Glencross-Grant on (02) 6773 2668.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:36 PM

Follies made plain by compassionate pen

October 26, 2007

In his 14th book of poems, The Sweeping Plain, Michael Sharkey sweeps our "plain" land with a satirical but compassionate eye.

The Sweeping Plain, he said, "looks – a little sceptically – at the myths we have about ourselves as a nation". "Many of the poems are about illusion," he explained. "We do a lot of foolish things thinking they're important."

From the mirage-haunted "sweeping plains" of Australia Michael Sharkey's gaze extends to other lands (unnamed, but identifiable through their own myths and illusions), and then to purely imaginary countries such as "Dipsomania", "Colorbondia", and "the Isle of Eftpos". These "States of mind" (as he calls them) are manifestations of particular human follies.

Dr Sharkey (pictured here) is an Associate Professor of English in the University of New England's School of Arts and co-founder and Chairman of the New England Writers' Centre. Well known both in Australia and abroad for his readings of his own work, he transported the audience at the Armidale launch of The Sweeping Plain last month to several of his satirical "States".

Speaking at the launch, Lesley Sly, the Director of the New England Writers' Centre, pointed out some of the apparent contradictions that contribute to the depth and complexity of Michael Sharkey's poetry. She referred to the man and his work as, on the one hand, "highly literary, erudite, and tough-minded" and, on the other, "close to the street, compassionate, and generous of spirit".

"I've always been acutely aware of the comedy of existence," Dr Sharkey said. And it's this comic vision that unifies the disparate elements of his poetry. As critics have said, his work is as much a "celebration of folly" as it is a satirical exposure of that folly.

Michael Sharkey writes poetry that is witty and accessible, that avoids sentimentality, and that celebrates colloquial speech. "Elegance in plain clothes" is one critic's summing-up of his style.

The Sweeping Plain is published in Melbourne by Five Islands Press. The poems will be available on CD and DVD within the next few months.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:46 PM

Students to share research interests

October 26, 2007

A Postgraduate Research Day in UNE's School of Arts on Monday (29 October) will highlight some of the fascinating and ground-breaking research being undertaken by students in the School.

Ten students will give short presentations on their research topics, which range from the "gentlemanly game" of early twentieth-century Antarctic exploration to the creative world of the quilter. Other topics will include "The Baudin expedition in Australia", "Transgender and transphobia in cinema", and creative explorations of home care and youth work.

One of the organisers of the day, Dr Elizabeth Hale, said it would be an opportunity for postgraduate students to discuss their projects – and the research process – with their peers, and to receive valuable feedback from fellow students and supervisors alike.

Public film screening and lecture

Monday's activities in the School of Arts will conclude with a public lecture and film screening in Lecture Theatre A2 in the Arts Building. The screening of the film – Drole de Felix ("The Adventures of Felix"), directed and written by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, 2000 – will be at 4.15 pm, and the following talk will be presented by Dr Joe Hardwick from the School of Languages and Comparative Cultures at the University of Queensland.

Dr Hardwick, a specialist in French literature and cinema, will discuss the film (which recounts the story of a gay, HIV-positive man who decides to hitchhike from Dieppe to Marseilles in search of his North African father) in relation to the "road movie" genre and its significance in gay cinema.

Everyone is welcome to the film and lecture, which are being presented in conjunction with the UNE Sexualities Research Group (UNESEX) and the UNE Ally Network program. For more information contact Dr Hale on 6773 2356 (e-mail: ehale@une.edu.au).

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:25 PM

UNE student receives award for music composition

October 25, 2007

Jenny Bakon, a UNE Music student, has received a national award from the Fellowship of Australian Composers (FAC) for excellence in music composition.

She received the award – for "Most Promising Composition, 2007" – earlier this month at UNE Music's second Campus Composers Concert for the year. The concert included one of Ms Bakon's compositions.

This is the first year that the University of New England has been involved in the annual awards program, which is administered by the FAC in association with selected Australian educational institutions and with the assistance of the Australasian Performing Rights Association. Potential recipients were chosen from current Bachelor of Music students, with the award-winning candidate being selected by UNE Music staff.

The Armidale composer Ann Ghandar (who recently retired from UNE Music, where she was an Associate Professor) secured UNE's involvement in the program and – on behalf of the FAC – presented Ms Bakon with her award. (THE PHOTOGRAPH of Jenny Bakon displayed here expands to include Ann Ghandar. It was taken at the presentation ceremony.)

"This award is representative of the unique focus that UNE has towards composition as an integral part of the research and study of music," said Steve Thorneycroft, lecturer in composition at UNE.

"Composition is a creative activity," Mr Thorneycroft explained, "through which can be gained a depth of musical understanding that can’t always be attained by just looking from the outside in. All our students have the opportunity to look from the inside out as well! Jenny’s efforts across all subject areas have been exemplary, and she well deserves the recognition given by this award."

The award carries a prize of $500 as well as a year's free membership of the FAC.

The Campus Composers Concert series has been a twice-yearly event at UNE ever since its introduction by Associate Professor Ann Ghandar in the early 1970s.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:10 PM

Improving market systems: expert to share insight

October 25, 2007

A researcher who has helped to improve agricultural marketing systems in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea will discuss a key factor in the success of such ventures when he gives a public lecture at the University of New England tomorrow (Friday 26 October).

John Spriggs, Professor of Regional Socio-Economic Development at the University of Canberra's Australian Institute for Sustainable Communities, will present UNE's John L. Dillon Memorial Lecture for 2007. The free lecture, titled "Improving Agricultural Marketing Systems in the Developing World", will be at 1 pm in the Lewis Seminar Room (EBL Building, UNE).

"If you are concerned to improve an agricultural marketing system in the developing world, then it is necessary to see the marketing system as fundamentally a social system that exists within a particular cultural context," Professor Spriggs said. "This is not to say we should ignore the economic or technical aspects of the marketing system, as these are clearly important. To 'make a difference', however, we must go beyond the writing of a report and think about implementation. And implementation requires social decision making – seeing the marketing system as fundamentally a social system."

"How do we do this?" he added. "That is the topic of my presentation."

Professor Spriggs has worked on projects (funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) to improve marketing systems for maize and soybeans in rural areas of Cambodia and for fresh produce in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

His interest in improving the socio-economic conditions of societies includes rural and regional Australia, and he has carried out research in the Coleambally Irrigation Area of NSW. As an Adjunct Professor at UNE, he is involved in research projects with members of UNE's School of Business, Economics and Public Policy.

The New England Branch of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society will be providing refreshments in the EBL Café after the lecture.

The Aztec underworld of Mexican cinema

Another lecture by a visiting academic at UNE tomorrow will form part of the series of lectures organised by UNESEX (the UNE Sexualities Research Group).

Dr Terrie Waddell from La Trobe University in Melbourne will discuss resonances of the Aztec underworld (Mictlan) and its canine deity Xolotl in the film Amores Perros ("Love's a Bitch") by the Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu.

The lecture, titled "Dog Day Afternoons: the trickster archetype in Amores Perros", will be in Room 122, UNE Arts Building, at 12 noon.

Dr Waddell is a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University. Her book Mis/takes: Archetype, Myth and Identity in Screen Fiction was published by Routledge in 2006. Her current research project, Wild/lives (which includes the study of Amores Perros), will result in her second book on television, film, and analytical psychology.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 08:29 AM

Staff opinion survey to help UNE's development

October 24, 2007

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, has launched an organisation-wide survey of UNE employees by the Sydney-based company Voice Project, giving it his "strong personal support".

The University of New England Staff Opinion Survey seeks the opinions of staff members on a range of issues that affect their feelings of engagement with the University, its objectives, and its operations.

Many organisations have found this Voice Project "climate survey" to be an effective tool in their development. In launching the UNE survey last Thursday (18 October), Professor Pettigrew emphasised how important it was for all staff members to become involved. "The results are based on aggregate scores," he explained, "so the more people who participate in it the more accurate the results will be – and the more meaningful for our institution."

"The data will highlight areas of the University that require additional support and attention," he said, "as well as those areas where internal and external service or work satisfaction is high. A further survey will be run in 18 months' time, enabling us to revisit our data and search for other areas of improvement or additional support. We are committed to ensuring that this mechanism for assessing and improving our work environment provides abundant and robust data – meaningful to all staff – and a significant tool to measure and move to improve all aspects of work at UNE."

Kay Hempsall (pictured here), Organisational Development Manager at UNE, pointed out that the survey had already been conducted at 16 universities. "At one university which has already run the survey twice," Ms Hempsall said, "its value to staff was reflected in a significant increase in participation from the first survey (62 per cent of staff) to the second (76 per cent)." She added that the same university had reported corresponding improvements in staff attitudes to some aspects of the work environment.

Responses to the survey are anonymous, and the results will be reported back to UNE from Voice Project in a way that will prevent any individual person's responses from being identified. The survey takes about 20-30 minutes to complete, and is available online.

Voice Project, based at Macquarie University, operates through that university's commercial arm, Access Macquarie Limited. Since its inception in 2002, Voice Project has worked with more than 1,000 organisations across a broad range of business sectors and industries, in Australia and overseas.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:26 AM

UNE celebrates 'Italian and the Sea'

October 23, 2007

The University of New England is participating in a world-wide celebration of the Italian language and Italian culture this week.

The theme of this year's celebration – the seventh annual Settimana della lingua italiana nel mondo ("Week of Italian Language in the World") – is "Italian and the Sea".

The Italian Section in UNE's School of Arts has organised a half-day program of short illustrated talks, Italian music, poetry, food and wine, and finally an Italian feature film, on Thursday 25 October in Arts Lecture Theatre A2, beginning at 1 pm. Everyone is welcome to this free public event.

Benjamin Thorn and Cecile Michels will perform the music on authentic instruments (ocarinas, recorders and harp), and illustrated talks by Eric Acheson and Anna Cavallaro will evoke the maritime history and architectural splendour of Sicily.

Brennan Wales (Convener of Italian at UNE) will give some short poetry recitations, two students will read brief, sea-inspired Italian compositions of their own, and another student will sing an early 17th century love song with a sea-related theme.

Refreshments, served at 2 pm, will be followed by the screening of the film Mediterraneo (directed by G. Salvatores) – a romantic drama set on a Mediterranean island during World War II.

Short addresses by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Professor Margaret Sedgley, and the Head of the School of Arts, Associate Professor Kerry Dunne, will begin the program at 1 pm
.
Brennan Wales said that UNE's participation in this year's "Week of Italian Language in the World" was made possible – as in previous years – by the generous support of the Italian Consulate General in Sydney. "Our relationship with the Consulate continues to be a very productive one," he said, "and is of great benefit to us and our students."

For more information on Thursday's event, contact Brennan Wales on (02) 6773 2515 (e-mail: bwales@une.edu.au).

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 01:09 PM

Film evening to highlight work of UNICEF

October 22, 2007

A program of short films at the University of New England next week will highlight several of the world's current disasters of famine, war and disease that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is addressing.

The film evening, on Tuesday 30 October, is the first public event to be organised by UNE's newly-appointed University Liaison Officers (ULOs) for UNICEF.

The ULOs – Quassy Adjapawn and Rebecca Platt (pictured here) – said their mission was to raise awareness within the University and Armidale communities about the vital work of UNICEF around the world. They will talk about this work, the need for broad-based community involvement, and their role as ULOs during the film evening.

Beginning at 6.30 pm in Room 133 of UNE's Education Building, the evening will include a film celebrating the 60th anniversary of UNICEF, as well as documentaries examining problems of HIV and Aids in South Asia, hunger in Liberia, refugees in Sierra Leone, and the scourge of the screw worm parasite in Libya.

"This event will give us – the University's first ULOs – a chance to meet members of the community and begin our job of raising awareness of UNICEF's work in more than 150 countries," said Ms Platt, who is a third-year Bachelor of Education (Primary) student at UNE.

"I have a passion for teaching," she continued, "and gained experience this year teaching in disadvantaged areas of the United States. That experience will help me towards my ambition of teaching disadvantaged children both in Australia and overseas."

Mr Adjapawn, who has come from Ghana to conduct postgraduate research in UNE's Centre for Peace Studies, said he had always dreamed of working for a United Nations organisation. "That's what brought me to Peace Studies," he said, "and this is another stepping stone towards that goal."

While UNE is one of the first Australian universities to appoint UNICEF ULOs, many other universities are in the process of entering the program. The Web site for the program is at: http://www.unicefulo.org.au/. Ms Platt and Mr Adjapawn are planning at least six events next year to continue their community awareness campaign, and are hoping to form a group of local people interested in promoting UNICEF's work of achieving basic rights for children. For more information, contact them at unicefulo@une.edu.au.

People attending next week's film evening at UNE can make a voluntary contribution of $10 (per adult) or $12 (per family or group of four students). Tea and coffee will be available for a gold coin donation.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:21 PM

Lecture to explore the history of a desert frontier

October 19, 2007

A public lecture at the University of New England will trace the impact of European settlement on the people and landscapes of Western Central Australia through the years 1850-1980.

Dr Mike Smith studied the journals of explorers, police, and government surveyors, as well as anthropological records and genealogies, in reconstructing the Aboriginal history of this remote area during its "frontier" period.

Dr Smith (pictured here), a Senior Research Fellow in the National Museum of Australia's Centre for Historical Research, will be presenting UNE's third annual John Ferry Heritage Lecture on Thursday 25 October. The free lecture will be at 5.30 pm in Lecture Room A2 of UNE's Arts Building.

"Western Central Australia – where the long valleys of the McDonnell Ranges open out into sand hill and spinifex country – is one of those rare regions where documentary records provide a detailed picture of the dynamics of the desert frontier," Dr Smith said. "These records allow us to follow the history of individual Kukatja families, and to watch historical processes play out over a century as desert people migrated into pastoral stations and ration depots on the frontier, and the colonial authorities attempted to stem this flow of people."

Dr Smith, who is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and of the Society of Antiquaries (London), will draw on his book Peopling the Cleland Hills for the lecture. "My aim in writing this book," he said, "was to watch historical events play across the landscape, following the fortunes of Aboriginal people associated with the area on the one hand and, on the other, exploring the broader historical forces shaping and re-shaping its cultural and natural landscapes."

One of the nation's leading archaeologists, and the pioneer of research into the Aboriginal settlement of Australia's deserts, Dr Smith was the first student to graduate with a PhD in prehistoric archaeology from UNE's Department of Archaeology. In 2006 the Australian Archaeological Association awarded him its Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology.

The John Ferry Heritage Lecture, organised by UNE's Heritage Futures Research Centre, honours the memory and work of the UNE-based historian Dr John Ferry (1949-2004). His prize-winning book Colonial Armidale, regarded by many historians as the best and most innovative local history written in Australia, is – according to Dr Smith – "a masterpiece, resonating with good humour and scholarship".

For more information on the lecture, phone Dr Pam Watson in UNE's School of Humanities on (02) 6773 2921 or e-mail: pwatson5@une.edu.au.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 02:35 PM

Students win $40,000 for linking science and literacy

October 19, 2007

Student teachers at the University of New England have been awarded a total of $40,000 for their efforts to link science with literacy in primary school classrooms.

Twenty students received awards of $2000 each for exemplary performance in units incorporating elements of the Australian Government's "Primary Connections: Linking Science with Literacy" program, a joint Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian Academy of Science initiative.

UNE Vice-Chancellor Alan Pettigrew presented the awards in a ceremony at the School of Education at UNE last week.

The Primary Connections program aims to build teacher confidence in teaching science to primary school children through professional teaching models and curriculum resources.

Dr Peter Fletcher, coordinator of the Primary Connections program at UNE along with Dr Neil Taylor, said: "In primary schools, science is often either not taught or not taught systematically. A key issue is the lack of confidence that many primary teachers have due to their limited experience in science.

"The Primary Connections curriculum units provide exciting and engaging ways for primary school students to learn science through hands-on, creative activities, while helping teachers build their confidence at the same time."

UNE chose the award winners by running a poster competition. Students were asked to explore an aspect of the Primary Connections material in the form of a poster, which was then judged on its content and presentation. Students were also required to have received a distinction mark or higher in either their course or their first assignment, depending on whether the course was one or two semesters in duration.

Students chose topics for their posters ranging from constructivist learning in the classroom to Bloom's taxonomy and the theory of multiple intelligences.

Dr Fletcher congratulated the winners on their success and said he was impressed with the quality of all the entries.

"It's wonderful to see our students embracing the Primary Connections material, and I look forward to seeing them carry this enthusiasm for science teaching into their own teaching careers," he said.

For more information contact Dr Neil Taylor on (02) 6773 5064 or Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photo is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at 10:37 AM

How the 'music of the spheres' came to earth in Paris

October 18, 2007

A public lecture in Armidale next week will discuss how "the music of the spheres" was brought down to earth in thirteenth-century Paris.

The lecturer – Professor Constant J. Mews – is an expert on medieval thought, religious culture and education. His publications include two books on the famous twelfth-century lovers and letter writers Abelard and Heloise, and many articles relating to the twelfth-century writer and composer Hildegard of Bingen.

He will be presenting the University of New England's annual Gordon Athol Anderson Memorial Lecture. Titled "The Music of the Spheres and the Music of the City: Aristotle, the Pythagoreans and Paris in the Thirteenth Century", the lecture will be in Armidale Town Hall at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 24 October.

Professor Mews, from the School of Historical Studies at Monash University in Melbourne, is the Director of that university's Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology. (He is a regular contributor to the media on matters relating to religion, and is well known to radio audiences in northern NSW for his weekly appearances on ABC New England North West.) He said that UNE's Professor Gordon Anderson, in whose memory the lecture series is named, had "devoted much energy to exploring the development of polyphonic music in thirteenth-century Paris". He added that the development of polyphonic music – in which different voices sing different parts simultaneously – had been accompanied by "some revolutionary new thinking about the origins of music".

"The traditional understanding of musica (developed by followers of Pythagoras and transmitted by Boethius)," he explained, "was that it was, first of all, a cosmic harmony that most humans could not hear with their ordinary ears. The music we produce was believed to be a manifestation of these inaudible harmonies. In thirteenth-century Paris, students at the newly founded University discovered from newly translated writings that Aristotle had rejected the notion that heavenly bodies could produce a music that was inaudible to the human ear. My lecture will discuss the clash that developed in the thirteenth century between these two perspectives – one based on the music of the spheres, the other on the music that people could hear – and the various solutions that were adopted to understand the nature of music."

Professor Gordon Anderson was the first Australian academic to make an international impact on the study of medieval music. He held a personal Chair in Music at UNE from 1979 until his death in 1981. UNE inaugurated the Gordon Athol Anderson Lecture series in 1983, and it has continued every year since then. The lecture is free, and everyone is welcome. It will be followed by supper in the Town Hall foyer. To help with catering, those intending to come to the lecture are asked to ring Lydia Waters on 6773 2833 or e-mail: events@une.edu.au.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 10:53 AM

Giant koala visible from space

October 17, 2007

A group of students from the University of New England has created what is possibly the largest picture of a koala ever made.

The koala image, which is visible from space, has been marked into paddocks next to the UNE campus with a combination of herbicide, mowing, digging, marking paint, and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology.

The inspiration for the artwork, described as a "geoglyph", came from ancient artworks such as the Uffington White Horse in England, a giant artwork carved into the chalk of a hillside and measuring more than 100 metres in length. The UNE geoglyph measures more than 400 metres; the Koala itself is 200 metres long – about the size of two football fields.

While the inspiration for the artwork may be ancient, it took cutting edge technology to create it. The project, offered through the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences, is part of a unit called "Remote Sensing and Surveying", which is designed to teach students about the latest applications of surveying technology and satellite imaging.

The coordinator of the unit and the geoglyph project, Dr Paul Frazier, said the students "really had fun with the task and rose to the challenge of integrating advanced GPS technology with satellite imagery to make the giant image to such exacting standards".

"The project aims to make a picture big enough to be seen from space, and provides a unique opportunity for the students to combine surveying and navigation skills with satellite image analysis," Dr Frazier said. "The end result is really fun, but there is rocket science involved."

The koala is an icon of the New England area and was chosen by students and staff to follow the blue heeler "dog and bones" – the geoglyph created by last year's students.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:09 PM

UNE event to reveal cultural riches of Japan

October 16, 2007

A Japanese Cultural Day at the University of New England on Friday 19 October will provide the whole community with an insight into a culture rich in traditional arts and current creativity.

The public event, beginning at 1 pm, will include a calligraphy demonstration, a traditional song / dance performance, a martial arts demonstration, and a Japanese feature film. It will all take place in the A2 Lecture Theatre in UNE's Arts Building.

The Japanese Cultural Day has been organised by staff and students of Japanese in UNE's School of Arts, and the Armidale potters Kumi and Kiyo Hashimoto who are hosting a study group from Japan.

One member of that group (which is undertaking a language program at UNE's English Language Centre) is the calligrapher Junichi Kawada. Mr Kawada, who has exhibited his work in Tokyo, Osaka and Nara, will use a poem from the fourteenth-century historical chronicle The Tale of Heike as the subject for his calligraphy demonstration on Friday.

Then, as well as the martial arts demonstration, there will be an authentic performance of a song and dance traditionally performed during the annual "Bon" festival – a Halloween-like commemoration of the dead.

The final item on the program is the feature film Ima ai ni ikimasu ("I'm Coming to See You Now"), which brings a traditional theme of Japanese drama and literature – the relationship between the living and the dead – into the present day. The film, made in 2004, concerns the annual return of a dead wife to her living husband and son.

Kiyomi Yamada, a Japanese lecturer at UNE, said that, over the years, her department had enjoyed the authentic cultural input of many Japanese people from both the UNE and Armidale communities. "We're particularly lucky to have so many Japanese people – including groups of students from Japan – contributing to the learning experience of our students," she said. "Our Cultural Day will allow us to extend this gift of Japanese culture to the whole community."

For more information on the Japanese Cultural Day, ring Kiyomi Yamada on (02) 6773 3028 or e-mail kyamada2@une.edu.au.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, taken at this year's UNE Open Day, shows exchange student Naoko Inoue from Daito Bunka University in Tokyo.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 09:51 AM

Primary children create an animated event at UNE

October 15, 2007

The University of New England's "Animating Learning" project, which has enabled children from four remote New England primary schools to project the magic of their imaginations onto the big screen, has culminated in an "Animations Premiere" at UNE.

More than 120 children from Kentucky, Kelly's Plains, Woolbrook and Kingstown Public Schools converged on the University late last month to participate in the event. They watched and judged the animated films they had created as part of this innovative project. (The photograph displayed here shows Woolbrook Public School teacher Fiona Uren at the UNE "Premiere".)

Having learnt much from the animation process itself, the children had another experience of technology as they used an audience response voting system after each animated film to assess each other's work. "At the culmination of their project they were able to get instant feedback through the system, with graphs charting their peers' ratings on the big screen almost instantly," said the leader of the "Animating Learning" project, UNE's Dr Chris Reading. The very short film festival was followed by the presentation of awards.

The procedures involved in making the animated films included creating the characters (often using clay or toys) and the backgrounds, taking a series of photographs, and using computer software to bring the photographs to animated life, frame by frame.

Anna Bragg, a 10-year-old Year 4 student at Kelly's Plains Public School south of Armidale, called her animated film clip The Amazing Sandwich. Simple but effective, it clearly showed the steps the young animator had taken in creating a chronological series of frames, with the sandwich coming together one ingredient at a time then being bitten into. "It was fun," Anna said. "It was hard moving all of the little pages. Now I can imagine how much time and work it must have taken to make good movies like Shrek and The Simpsons."

Funded by the National Centre of Science, ICT and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR), which is based at UNE, the project used animation to open a new medium of storytelling to primary school children. As part of the project, teachers and parents from the four schools spent a day at UNE in July, learning and practising the animation techniques they used to teach their students.

Dr Reading said that animation provided educators with an enjoyable and stimulating educational exercise that followed the themes of the existing syllabus. "The students have been able to work with technology in team environments of three or four students, and they've learnt to express themselves in a different way," she said. "This project has been very successful. It is an exciting way in which UNE can help small, remote schools to incorporate technology in learning and nurturing creativity."

Like many parents in remote country localities, Margaret Yarnold is quite actively involved with her local school. "This animation project has been great," she said. "It's taught the kids so much about movement, cameras, technology, and telling a story. All of the students have really got a lot out of it."

"In bringing new education methods and technology to isolated country schools, this project has highlighted the vital role UNE can play in rural and regional Australia," Dr Reading said. "It's always difficult for smaller schools to explore the educational benefits of technology like this, because they don't have the critical mass of students. So it's really important for them to get together at times to experience feedback from a much larger group of peers."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 09:51 AM

UNE's got talent

October 12, 2007

UNE's creative talent was on display at Lazenby Hall this week, where the winners of the Student ASSIST and Services UNE 2007 Creative Arts Competition were announced.

The competition, which has existed in various forms for more than a decade, encourages UNE students to express themselves creatively in a variety of media.

This year's competition drew a healthy number of entries in four categories: painting, poetry and song lyrics, photography and short story writing.

The theme of this year's competition was "Healthy Relationships @ UNE", which competition organiser Annette Stevenson (pictured) said had been chosen to tie in with the theme of Mental Health Week 2007: healthy relationships in the community.

"How we treat each other has a huge impact on our physical and mental wellbeing, and that's the message we're trying to get across to the students through this competition," Ms Stevenson said.

Ms Stevenson organised the event in her capacity as the education programs officer in UNE's Student Assist Office, which sponsored the competition.

Other sponsors were Services UNE, The Armidale Express, and United Campus Bookshops.

Winners in the various categories included Marina Makepeace for painting, Benjamin Wales for song lyrics, Phillip Pain for photography and Helen Machalias for short story writing. Second and third prize in the photography competition went to John Flower Emblen and Dan Climpson respectively, while Terence Wong picked up second prize in the short story competition with his entry, "Our Own Healthy Style".

Brennan Wales, a lecturer in Italian at UNE, accepted the prize for song lyrics on behalf of his son, Benjamin, who is currently living and studying in Japan as an off-campus student.

Songwriter Daniel Larkin received the People's Choice Award for his song titled "Just a Memory", while Dan Climpson received first prize in the People's Choice Award for photography. Stephanie Haussler rounded out the popular winners, taking second place in the People's Choice Award for photography with her photo, titled: "UNE – Where You Make Friends For Life".

Ms Stevenson congratulated all the entrants on the high quality of their work, and said she was impressed with the way they integrated the theme of the competition into their creative works.

"I wanted students to explore what it means to have a healthy relationship and to convey that to their peers in a creative way," Ms Stevenson said. "I also wanted to encourage creativity as a way of stressing less and of feeling connected to UNE.

"I think that when a message is being conveyed from one student to another, it can often be more powerful and meaningful than when it is conveyed by someone that students don’t necessarily identify with."

You can listen to Benjamin Wales' prize-winning song, "Healthy Relationships at UNE" by clicking here to download the MP3 file.

Posted by Leon Braun at 05:56 PM

$1.2 million Federal funding for UNE sports ground

October 10, 2007

The University of New England is to receive $1.2 million in Commonwealth Government funding to build a new club house and amenities block at its Bellevue Sports Ground.

Plans for the building incorporate a canteen, change rooms, public toilets and a storeroom. It will enable UNE and the Armidale community to host regional, State and national competition matches at the Bellevue ground, which has one of the best playing surfaces for football in the New England region.

The funding has been allocated under Round 2 of the Government's Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) Transition Fund for Sporting and Recreational Facilities.

NSW Nationals Senator Sandy Macdonald, who announced the grant earlier this week, said the new facility, in allowing the University and the community to host a range of competitions, would "promote sport across the region".

The Government introduced the VSU Transition Fund to help universities adjust to loss of revenue after the system of compulsory student fees for sporting and recreational facilities was discontinued in the middle of last year.

In February this year, in Round 1 of the funding program, it allocated $5 million to the University for the upgrading and further development of its sporting facilities. Sport UNE has used some of this money to buy new fitness equipment for its Cardio Workout Room, and will use the rest in work that includes upgrading the swimming pool and building a new weight-training gym. The Master Plan for this work is currently being completed.

Professor Alan Pettigrew, the Vice-Chancellor of UNE, said the University welcomed this latest allocation from the VSU Transition Fund. "It recognises the important role of Sport UNE in providing first-class sporting facilities not only for the University's students, but also for the people of Armidale and the New England region," he said. "More broadly, it recognises the University's continuing commitment to providing its students with a rich educational experience while contributing to the life of the community."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 09:29 AM

Book gets inside the lives of tawny frogmouths

October 09, 2007

Gisela Kaplan has hand-raised 36 tawny frogmouths, and has systematically observed many more in the wild. The intimate knowledge she has gained through that research and personal experience informs her newly-published book about these remarkable birds.

Tawny Frogmouth (CSIRO Publishing, 2007) is, as a result, the most comprehensive record of their lives to date, drawing on a larger sample size than any previous study of this species.

Gisela Kaplan, who is Professor in Animal Behaviour at the University of New England's Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour, specialises in bird behaviour and higher cognition in animals. In her spare time she rehabilitates native Australian birds. (She is pictured here with a tawny frogmouth.) "The initial impression one gets of tawny frogmouths is that they are 'stoic' and show little emotion," she said. "But this is because we usually see these nocturnal birds during the day, when they tend to sleep. In fact they have a very large range of expressions, including many – such as expressions of anger, grieving, curiosity, affection, and likes and dislikes – that were once thought to be unique to humans."

As a surrogate "parent" of orphaned nestlings, Professor Kaplan has been exposed to all of those expressions of emotion, and her book includes photographs illustrating the full range of their "body language". She also describes each of the calls comprising their complex and expressive system of vocal communication. "They're extremely good communicators," she said.

The book draws on Professor Kaplan's observation of – and interaction with – the 60-odd tawny frogmouths she has hand-raised, rehabilitated, or studied in the wild over the past 10 years. It also gives a thorough update on other research on this species (most of which has been conducted by UNE scientists).

Professor Kaplan's systematic observation of hand-raised birds continues, often for two or three breeding seasons, after their release into the wild. One of her "parenting" responsibilities, she said, is teaching juveniles to hunt. "It's a slow process," she explained. "At first a favourite food item is presented and held just a few inches away from them. In order to pick it up with their beaks they have to take a step or two along the branch. They're quite stubborn about this, and one has to be very patient. Then, gradually, the distance they have to move is increased. They've finally 'graduated' once they can fly down to the ground to pick up a food item and then fly quickly back to the perch. Equipped with these skills (which, in the wild, they learn while they are still with their parents) they are ready for release."

As tawny frogmouths are highly territorial birds, Professor Kaplan has to find a "tawny-free" area in which to release her "graduates". "In my case it's easy to tell when it's time for their release," she said, "because the property has a resident adult tawny frogmouth pair, and they will unfailingly come to the aviary at the right time and start threatening the fledgling tawny frogmouths.

"The ultimate success – as in rehabilitation work with individuals of any native species – is when the released bird pairs with a wild tawny frogmouth."

That pairing is for life, as tawny frogmouths appear to be monogamous and highly loyal to their partners. "They seem to grieve after the death of a partner," Professor Kaplan said, "often staying near the place where the partner died and even whimpering. One bird I was observing chased away all suitors for four years after the death of her mate."

Professor Kaplan is a passionate advocate of the need to research native species and inform the Australian public about the nation's wildlife. "Only by getting to know their wildlife can people begin to feel a sense of ownership," she said. "It's hugely important for us to improve education in this regard at all levels – from primary school to university – so that we can all become good custodians of our natural heritage. And, with adverse developments such as climate change, there's a degree of urgency about it."

Tawny Frogmouth is her latest contribution to this endeavour. It follows the outstanding success of her Australian Magpie (UNSW Press & CSIRO Publishing, 2004) – also a book aimed at a wide audience but containing the latest research findings – and her children's book Famous Australian Birds (Allen & Unwin, 2003). She is also the author (with Lesley Rogers) of Birds: Their habits and skills (Allen & Unwin, 2001), and has written many other books on animal behaviour.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 12:44 PM

Lecture to 'explain the pyramids of Mexico'

October 08, 2007

A visiting professor from Mexico will begin a public lecture at the University of New England this Thursday evening by asking the question: "What does Australian archaeology have to do with pyramids?"

Professor Manuel Gandara, from Mexico's National School of Anthropology and History, will argue that the archaeology of a country such as Australia, populated until recently by hunters and gatherers who didn't construct monumental buildings such as pyramids, can provide "half the picture" in explaining the emergence of pyramid-building in other cultures.

Professor Gandara specialises in the evaluation of theories that attempt to explain archaeological evidence – particularly those theories relating to the rise of States. His lecture on Thursday (11 October), at 6 pm in Lecture Room A2 in UNE's Arts Building, will be titled "Explaining the Pyramids of Mexico".

He has been at UNE for the past six weeks as a Distinguished Visitor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The public lecture comes at the end of his visit, which has been funded by the Faculty. He said his Australian experience had been "mind-opening and incredibly useful". "I've learnt a lot about hunters and gatherers while I've been here," he said, "and the lecture will reflect something of what Australia has given me."

Professor Gandara, accompanied by his UNE host Professor Iain Davidson and UNE researcher Ken Mulvaney, visited the Burrup Peninsula in north-west Australia (adjacent to Woodside Energy's North West Shelf Venture) to examine issues of cultural heritage relating to the Peninsula's prehistoric rock art.

He also visited Cuddie Springs near Brewarrina, where there is archaeological evidence of humans living alongside megafauna species such as Diprotodon 30,000 years ago.

Thursday's lecture, while presenting many of the "exotic" details of the Mexican pyramids, will thus come from a global perspective. "We need both pyramid builders and hunters and gatherers in the world," Professor Gandara said.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 05:59 PM

Trevenna garden open to the public next weekend

October 08, 2007

The Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University of New England, Professor Alan Pettigrew, and his wife Ann, invite you to the garden at Trevenna, the historic home that is the residence of the Vice-Chancellor of the University.

The Trevenna garden will be open to the public as part of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme on the weekend of 13-14 October. Visitors are encouraged to come and tour the garden, listen to a wide range of talented local musicians, and sample the food on offer. Proceeds from the $5 entry fee and food sales will go to charity. Children will be admitted free.

The House

Trevenna was designed and built in the 1890s by the Boston-trained 19th century architect John Horbury Hunt. The land had been purchased by Philip Wentworth Wright in 1885 with the intention of retiring to the home. He transferred the land to his wife, Eliza Jane, before he died in 1889. Mrs Wright died in 1909 at the age of 89 and Trevenna passed to her grandson William Plumpton Wilson, who was married to F.R. White’s daughter, Florence. F.R. White was the original owner of Booloominbah, which is another historic building at the University of New England also designed by John Horbury Hunt. The land on which Trevenna was built had originally been purchased from F.R. White by Joseph Pearce in 1882 and Joseph sold the land to Phillip Wright.

Florence Wilson died in 1960, bequeathing the land to the University of New England. The University Council resolved at its meeting on 14 August 1961 to use Trevenna as the residence of the Vice–Chancellor.

The Garden

Approached through a long avenue of pines, planes, cypress and horse chestnuts, the gardens are constructed on several levels. A sunken garden at the entrance, complete with stone sundial, offers a charming welcome. The sundial is surrounded by lavender and petunias, as are the border gardens, with camellias and box hedging beyond. On the other side of the entrance a series of hedges encloses a private lawn. Many of the trees, including horse chestnuts, pines and planes, date back to when the house was built.

The front garden slopes away into a series of ha-ha walls, and wide perennial borders lead the eye to the city of Armidale. These wide borders are planted with a variety of shrubs including camellias, rhododendrons, and a range of autumn flowering perennials. Ivy and grapevines ramble along the old stone walls around the garden.

At the rear of the house a wide sweep of lawn leads down to another sunken garden where a magnolia forms the centrepiece in a small oval bed planted with dry shade lovers. A shaded border with hellebores, windflowers and violets provides a soft, leafy barrier between the garden and the tennis court.

Throughout the garden an impressive rang of mature trees adds to the ambience and tranquillity of this beautiful garden.

Australia’s Open Garden Scheme

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Open Garden Scheme in Australia. The Scheme is a self-funding not-for-profit organisation, with proceeds being dedicated to community garden projects and other charities. Since 1987 $870,000 has been given to garden projects around Australia and more than $4,000,000 to worthwhile causes.

Proceeds from this year’s Trevenna open garden will go to The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program. Learning for Life provides direct financial assistance to disadvantaged school children in Australia for things like textbooks, school equipment and uniforms.

Morning and afternoon teas and lunches will be provided by the Bhutan School Residence Appeal. The proceeds will be used to build a teacher residence in a remote part of Bhutan. UNE and the Armidale community have many links with educators in Bhutan through the large number of Bhutanese students who study through, and visit, UNE each year.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 01:04 PM

Richard Torbay, James Harris honoured by UNE

October 06, 2007

Richard Torbay, Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly and Member for Northern Tablelands, was made an Honorary Doctor of the University during a graduation ceremony at the University of New England today (Saturday 6 October). He then presented the Occasional Address, which he began by saying that, although he had attended more than 30 graduation ceremonies at UNE, this was the first one at which he had graduated.

Dr Torbay explained that he had started work as a kitchen hand at the UNE Union in 1980. In that position, his experience of "people in suits walking past without any acknowledgement" prompted him to vow that, in his own career, he would "never do that to anyone". "As you enter the workplace," he told the graduands, "one of the important things to understand is that you will become part of a network of other human beings who have their priorities and concerns just as you do."

By 1991 Richard Torbay was Chief Executive Officer of the UNE Union. This position, he said, in allowing him to serve not only the University but the wider community, had been "almost a perfect apprenticeship for public life".

Dr Torbay acknowledged the role of his parents (who were in the audience at the graduation ceremony) in teaching him that "in any business, if you look after the people you will always succeed". "Another thing they taught me was to try to find the positive in every circumstance," he said.

"The interesting challenge in public life is to know when to stand your ground and fight on an issue," he continued. He recalled his fight – several years ago – to save the train service from Tamworth to Armidale after the State Government had proposed to discontinue it. He said that, once he had taken his stand and begun working with the community, "people power took over and proved such a compelling force that the Government backed down and we still have our train."

The Occasional Address speaker at the graduation ceremony yesterday (Friday 5 October) – the University's Deputy Chancellor, James Harris – was also made an Honorary Doctor of the University.

Dr Harris has continued a long and close family interest in the University which began when his grandfather, Thomas Richmond Forster, donated the family home "Booloominbah" to the New England College of the University of Sydney in 1938. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said when introducing Dr Harris that his "interest in and support of UNE, both on and off the campus", had been "untiring".

Dr Harris recalled that UNE, Australia's first "bush University", had been founded by a group of local people (including his grandfather) who had believed that education should be available to everyone – whether they lived in the city or the country. He went on to outline the leading role that UNE had played in making that belief a reality.

Then, looking to the future and saying that Australia faced "enormous challenges but extraordinary opportunities", he outlined some of the ways in which UNE could take advantage of those opportunities in the national interest.

A total of 845 people graduated from UNE over the two days of Spring Graduation ceremonies, with more than half of them being able to attend the ceremonies in person.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here shows Dr James Harris (seated, left) and Dr Richard Torbay (right).

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 06:58 PM

An insight into the world of a High Court Justice

October 05, 2007

The Law Students' Society at the University of New England is to serve up a rare legal experience. As the guest speaker at the Society's annual Law Dinner, former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael McHugh will provide a personal insight into the pinnacle of the legal profession in Australia.

The 2007 UNE Law Dinner will be at 7 pm on Friday 12 October in "Booloominbah" – the heritage-listed building at the centre of the University. The topic of Justice McHugh's lecture will be "A Month in the Professional Life of a High Court Justice".

Penelope Scott, the President of the UNE Law Society, said Justice McHugh's lecture would be "an exciting opportunity for academics, law students and solicitors practising in the New England region of NSW".

Justice McHugh (pictured here) was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1961, after having taken the Barristers' Admission Board Examinations. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1973 and was Vice-President of the New South Wales Bar Association from 1978 to 1981, then President from 1981 to 1983. Justice McHugh was President of the Australian Bar Association from 1983 to 1984. He was appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1984. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in February 1989, a position he held until his retirement in November 2005. After his retirement from the High Court, Justice McHugh was appointed as one of the non-permanent Justices of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

"I strongly urge everyone with a genuine interest in law to come to the UNE Law Dinner and hear about the working realities of our legal system from somebody who survived and even flourished for many years at the top," Ms Scott said. "The local band 'Switch' will be performing, and at just $60 a head the 2007 UNE Law Dinner will be to be a night to remember. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from Booloominbah."

"A speaker of Justice McHugh's calibre demonstrates the high regard in which UNE's School of Law is held on a national – and even international – level," said the Head of the School of Law, Associate Professor Jürgen Bröhmer. "The School of Law at UNE is comparatively young. It was established in 1993 but has experienced rapid growth and has earned widespread respect for its law research and graduates. It has played a pioneering and leadership role among its Australian counterparts in areas such as the integration of Web-based applications into law study, research and practice."

For more information on the UNE Law Dinner, contact Penelope Scott on (02) 6773 3174 or 0423 768 648.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 04:19 PM

New funding of $3.5 million for School of Rural Medicine

October 05, 2007

The Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, has announced additional funding of $3.5 million, through her Department's Capital Development Pool (CDP), for the School of Rural Medicine that will open next year at the University of New England.

The Commonwealth Government granted the project an initial $3 million in capital funding when, in July last year, it accepted the proposal by the University of Newcastle, UNE, and Hunter New England Health for the establishment of a Joint Medical Program to be conducted by the two universities.

The Minister's announcement takes the amount of Commonwealth capital works funding for the School of Rural Medicine to $6.5 million. In addition, the Commonwealth is funding places for 60 students at the School next year. The NSW Government will provide substantial assistance for clinical placements in hospitals within the Hunter New England Health area.

Minister Bishop's announcement included a total of $70 million of CDP funding for 27 universities. The $3.5 million for the School of Rural Medicine at UNE is the maximum amount allocated to any university project in the current round of CDP funding.

The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said the University "warmly welcomed" the additional Commonwealth funding. "It confirms the Commonwealth's commitment to this important project," he said. "This additional funding will enable us to ensure that UNE's students in the Joint Medical Program will be training in some of Australia's most modern and well-equipped facilities throughout their five-year Bachelor of Medicine degree program."

Professor Pettigrew said that, thanks to Commonwealth funding, capital works associated with the School of Rural Medicine were proceeding according to schedule. "Curriculum development is also on schedule," he said, "we're getting a great deal of support from clinicians in the Hunter New England Health area, and there has been strong demand for places in the course."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 09:00 AM

UNE again rewarded for teaching excellence

October 04, 2007

The University of New England's excellence in teaching and learning has earned it a $1.6 million award through the Commonwealth Government's Learning and Teaching Performance Fund.

In announcing the awards yesterday, the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, said the successful universities had "demonstrated a commitment to high quality learning and teaching – particularly those which have performed strongly across multiple discipline groups".

The Minister's announcement listed UNE among the top six universities for teaching and learning in a discipline group that includes science, computing and agriculture, and among the top nine universities in a group of health-related disciplines.

This latest award represents a continuation of UNE's success through the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund. The University received an initial award of $2.2 million through the newly-established fund in 2005, and $1.5 million in 2006.

The Vice-Chancellor of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said the award was "an outstanding achievement that reflects the professional quality and dedication of the University's teaching staff". "I offer my thanks and congratulations to all who have contributed to this success," he said.

"This reinforces the University's reputation for teaching and learning that is reflected in its five-star rating for 'teaching quality' and 'overall satisfaction' in the Good Universities Guide," Professor Pettigrew continued. "The process of organisational and course renewal that the University is currently undergoing should only add to the success of our teaching and learning outcomes."

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 11:44 AM

Four Honorary Doctorates to be presented at Graduation

October 03, 2007

The award of four Honorary Doctorates will be among the highlights of the University of New England's 2007 Spring Graduation ceremonies this Friday and Saturday.

Two of the recipients of those awards will also be the guest speakers at the ceremonies: the University's Deputy Chancellor, James Harris, on Friday 5 October, and the Member for Northern Tablelands and Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, Richard Torbay, on Saturday 6 October. On those days the Chancellor of UNE, Mr John Cassidy, will present Mr Harris and Mr Torbay with the degree of Honorary Doctor of the University.

A total of 845 people are graduating over the two days, with about 220 of the graduands attending the ceremony on Friday for the Sciences and Education, Health and Professional Studies, and about 250 attending Saturday's ceremony for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Economics, Business and Law. On each day, the graduands will receive their testamurs from Mr Cassidy in front of an audience of more than 1,000 family members and friends.

In announcing the honorary Doctorates, Mr Cassidy said that Mr Harris's award recognised "his displayed commitment to UNE, both as an individual and as a Council member, since 1994, as past Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee and Deputy Chancellor since 2001, and for his outstanding contributions to the broader community."

He said that Mr Torbay's award recognised "his continuing outstanding support for the University and for the broader community".

On Saturday, too, Mr Cassidy will award the degree of Honorary Doctor of Letters to Emeritus Professor Norman Feather ("in recognition of his important contribution to the development of the discipline of Psychology at UNE and his outstanding contribution to the field of Psychology") and to Dr Lionel Gilbert, OAM ("in recognition of his eminence as a lecturer in History at the Armidale Teachers' College and, later, the Armidale College of Advanced Education, and of his outstanding contribution to the development of family and local history – especially in the New England region").

During Friday’s ceremony the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, will present UNE's Young Distinguished Alumni Award for 2007 to Mr Andrew Lu (a Master of Laws graduate), and Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Research to Associate Professor Yihong Du (School of Science and Technology, UNE) and Associate Professor Lewis Kahn (School of Environmental and Rural Science, UNE).

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 06:07 PM

Students network for rural health

October 02, 2007

University of New England students from a range of health-related disciplines became the newest members of the National Rural Health Network (NRHN) recently, joining fellow students interested in augmenting the health workforce and improving health outcomes in rural and remote Australia.

The network is the peak body for health students across Australia with an interest in rural and remote health. The UNE chapter, founded mostly by enthusiastic nursing students, is ready to welcome members from any health-related discipline – including, for example, medicine and psychology – as one of the main aims of the network is to encourage multidisciplinary interaction among students.

Claire Seiffert, co-Chair of the NRHN and a medical student at the Australian National University, said that the new UNE club was joining 21 other clubs around Australia comprising a multidisciplinary network of 5,000 health students.

"The aim of the club is to support rural students who are studying in rural and city areas and ultimately enhance recruitment and retention in rural areas upon graduation," Ms Seiffert said. "We also promote awareness of rural health issues around the nation."

Second-year UNE nursing students Peta McDonald and Melanie Williams, who are members of the new UNE club, joined about 40 other delegates from clubs around the nation at a conference in Melbourne on 21 September. As well as providing support for health students, they hope to promote health awareness at UNE and around the district by undertaking activities such as visiting local high schools to conduct workshops encouraging students to pursue a career in health.

Funded by the Department of Health and Ageing, the NRHN is also a national sponsor of the Croc Festival and has collaborated with Beyond Blue to produce When the Cowpat Hits the Windmill, a mental health guide for university students that promotes wellbeing and self-care.

A number of UNE academics, including Associate Professor John Nevin from UNE’s School of Rural Medicine, and nursing lecturers Jan Brown, Dr Yoni Luxford, Dr Angie Smith and Dr Lyn Irwin, lent their support to the students by attending the inaugural meeting of the club.

The New England chapter of the National Rural Health Network can be contacted by email on: nercha@une.edu.au

THE PHOTOGRAPH of UNE nursing student Peta McDonald (left) and NRHN co-Chair Claire Seiffert displayed here expands to include (far left) UNE nursing student Melanie Williams and (far right) NRHN Project Officer Linda Nink.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at 03:38 PM