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Issue 10 - Wednesday 23 May

ACU Update is produced fortnightly for staff, students and friends of Australian Catholic University (ACU). To submit a news article or event, please email editor@acu.edu.au or call 02 9739 2514.

Francis Carroll Scholarships presented

ACU and the Capital Region Community Foundation GreaterGood recently presented the inaugural Francis Carroll Scholarships, named after the recently retired Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, at the Canberra Campus (Signadou).

“Providing greater educational opportunities for students from rural and regional areas was always a strong priority for former Archbishop Carroll, so it is fitting that this new scholarship program bears his name,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO.

More than $60,000 has been pledged to the fund, demonstrating the strong commitment of local benefactors to the cause of education.

Francis_Carroll_presentation_
Front (left – right): Inaugural Francis Carroll Scholarship winners education student Hayley Oldfield from Yass, education student Clare Walker from Grenfell and theology and social work student Jennifer Drum from Young. Back (left – right): Canberra Campus (Signadou) Rector Professor Peter Camilleri, GreaterGood representative Andrew Taylor, Appeal Chair Dr Ray Storrier, Professor Peter Sheehan AO and scholarship patron Sir William Deane AC KBE.

Health care volunteers

ACU nursing graduates Paul Tran and Eunjun Pak recently travelled to Thailand and Cambodia as volunteers with Global Aid Network (GAiN). In three days the medical team gave health care checks and primary care to 400 villagers.

"I appreciated being part of this community engagement project" said Eunju Park "it was heart touching to see the daily struggles of the local people in Thailand and Cambodia". Paul Tran said he thanked God for the opportunity to be part of the project. "It’s always great to express your faith through action" he said.

paultran       health_care_volunteers

Celebrating heritage at the Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary) recently celebrated its campus feast, the feast day of Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers. Special guests included Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Wilson, Dean of Students Professor Tim O’Hearn and numerous Christian Brothers and representatives of Edmund Rice agencies.

At Mass, Brother Athanasius McGlade was presented with a small gift as the day coincided with the feast day of St Athanasius. Brothers, students and staff mingled during a barbeque in the quadrangle after the Mass.

celebrating heritage
Roxanne Leopardi with Brother Athanasius McGlade
celebrating heritage 
Associate Professor Charles Burford, Fabian Amuso, Brother Athanasius McGlade, Professor Peter Sheehan AO

Bachelor of Nursing expanded

ACU’s Bachelor of Nursing at the Canberra Campus (Signadou) was officially launched on 17 May by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Professor Gabrielle McMullen.

Present at the launch ceremony were Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Health Australia Francis Sullivan, Ambassador of the Phillippines Ernesto de Leon, ACT Liberal Party member for Molonglo Mr Richard Mulcahy, ACT Liberal Party member for Brindabella Mr Brendan Smyth, Dean Faculty Health Sciences Professor Pauline Nugent, Head of School of Nursing (NSW/ACT) Dr Violeta Lopez, Assistant Head of School of Nursing (NSW/ACT) Dr Cindy Leigh, Canberra Campus Rector Professor Peter Camilleri and General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Fr Brian Lucas.

The Bachelor of Nursing was introduced in Canberra after ACU received funding for an initial 50 student places from the Commonwealth Government in July last year, to help address a healthcare sector skills shortage in the ACT. Matured-aged enrolled nurses keen to become registered nurses are among the first intake of students.

The University offers the degree in partnership with the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT). Students transfer skills and expertise gained through previous studies undertaken at CIT, moving directly into the second year of a three-year, full-time Bachelor degree at ACU.

Nursing is also offered at the University’s Brisbane, North Sydney, Melbourne and Ballarat Campuses.

Dr Cindy= Leigh, Ambassador Ernesto de Leon, Dr Violeta Lopez 
Dr Cindy Leigh, Ambassador of the Phillippines Ernesto de Leon, Dr Violeta Lopez

Brendan Smyth, Francis Sullivan, Prof Gabrielle McMullen, Fr Brian Lucas, Richard Mulchay
Brendan Smyth, Francis Sullivan,  Professor Gabrielle McMullen, Fr Brian Lucas, Richard Mulchay

Children’s author visits Canberra Campus (Signadou)

Children’s author Don Bell and his wife Ruth, both Ngunawal Elders, spoke to the education students in Children’s Literature for Literacy course at the Canberra Campus (Signadou) recently.

In an inspirational presentation they spoke of their own childhoods and of what had led them to collaborate in the writing of children’s picture books.
 
Don has written stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime that he learnt as a boy sitting around the campfire, listening to the Boomerang Man. Don said ‘I write the way I was told’. Ruth Bell told the students about her experience as a member of the Stolen Generation and said she hoped more and more young Aboriginals would come to university. Her granddaughter is a second-year education student at ACU.

“The Unit has a focus on using Indigenous children’s literature to promote Aboriginal Reconciliation,” said Children’s Literature for Literacy Lecturer in Charge Margaret Carmody.”

An Australian authority on children’s literature, Lecturer Dr Belle Alderman AM recently examined the issue of representation of Indigenous people in children’s literature.
 

childrens_author_3
Nugnunawal Elder Don Bell (centre) presents copies of his children’s picture books to Library Manager Annette McGuiness. Dr Belle Alderman AM (left), Ruth Bell, students Rebecca Ellis and Sarah Kossatz, Lewins Library Manager Annette McGuiness and Margaret Carmody.

Graduate Certificate in Higher Education

Academic staff members are invited to apply to take part in the fully-funded third intake of the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education.

The course’s four units include Teaching and learning in higher education; Curriculum design and Assessment and evaluation in higher education; Contexts and issues in tertiary teaching; and Research-based teaching and learning.

Applications, to be made online, require input from heads of schools, supervisors, deans and Heads of Department. They close on Friday 8 June.

For more information, please contact Institute for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (IATL) Director of Flexible Teaching and Learning Course Coordinator Ann Applebee on (02) 9739 2446 or at ann.applebee@acu.edu.au

Applications open for the Vice-Chancellor’s Development Awards

General members of staff may apply for the Vice-Chancellor’s Development Awards for 2008. The awards, valued at $10,000 each, support projects that will contribute to the Strategic Plan of the University.

Staff may apply as single individuals, jointly or as a group.  Proposals must reach The Executive Director, University Services, by close of business on Friday 29 June 2007. 

More information is available at myACU intranet site under:
Information for Staff / Services / Personnel Relations and Equal Opportunity/ Policies and Guidelines / Developing, Rewarding and Managing Staff / Vice-Chancellor’s Development Awards

Creation, Grace and Redemption

The Bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay Bishop David Walker recently launched a book by ACU Professor of Theology Neil Ormerod, Creation, Grace and Redemption, at the North Sydney Campus (MacKillop).

The book, published by Orbis Press and suitable for classroom use, explores Christian responses to the big questions of life, such as where human existence stands in a cosmos some 15 billion years old and the seeming indifference to human suffering.

Art from inside

Artworks from NSW inmates and ex-inmates will be on display at the Prison Fellowship Australia’s Art from inside national art competition and exhibition at ACU’s Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary), this year with the theme Where love and justice meet.

Judges will include School of Arts and Sciences (NSW) Visual Arts Sessional Lecturer Lachlan Warner. The exhibition will be officially opened by NSW Member for Strathfield Virginia Judge MP at 2pm on Saturday 9 June at the ACU Gallery, Strathfield Campus, in Barker Rd, Strathfield.

The exhibition will be open from Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 4pm, from 11 June to 23 June. Entry to the exhibition is free, though donations will be accepted.

Prison Fellowship Australia is a chartered ministry of Prison Fellowship International, a network of more than one hundred affiliated national ministries committed to serving inmates, ex-inmates, crime victims and families.  This show will coincide with an International Conference on Prison Work in Sydney.

Visiting China

Academics, administrative staff and students are invited to take part in a 15-day tour of China from mid November this year.

The tour, organised by Business and Informatics (Queensland) Lecturer Dr Andrew Papadimos, will begin in Brisbane or Singapore and will include Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo, Longsheng and Hong Kong, with accommodation in 4-star hotels where available, breakfasts, lunches and most dinners, hotel transfers, local tours and a 24-hour tour guide.

The price of around $4,000 includes international travel and airport taxes from Brisbane. “We will be visiting factories and having lectures at various universities and colleges to explain and experience first hand the enormous changes currently underway in the world’s newest economic powerhouse,” said Dr Papadimos.

“Students may also participate in this tour as part of their studies in the new mixed-mode unit International field project (BUSO306 or BUSO606). Please be sure to consult with your relevant course coordinator before officially enrolling, however.”

Bookings are limited to 15 people. For more information, please contact Dr Papadimos on
(07) 3623 7180 or andrew.papadimos@acu.edu.au 

Online teaching and learning workshops

One-day online teaching and learning workshops will be held at all campuses in July. They will explain the Learning Management System (LMS), including using communication tools, creating an online unit and assessment tools. Workshops on using the library will also be held.

The teaching and learning workshops will take place at the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) on Monday 2 July; at the Ballarat Campus (Aquinas) and North Sydney Campus (MacKillop) on Wednesday 4 July; and at the Melbourne (St Patrick’s) and Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary) on Friday 6 July.

To register your interest, please email Institute for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (IATL) Online Teaching and Learning National Coordinator Emma Felton at emma.felton@acu.edu.au

Insights into the teaching and research nexus

The nexus between teaching and learning and research and scholarship is important for the quality of both the undergraduate and postgraduate experience.  Illustrative Approaches to the Teaching and Research Nexus, which includes input from 27 ACU academics, can be viewed at http://my.acu.edu.au/2028.

“I extend my thanks to these staff for their willingness to share their insights with colleagues,” said ACU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Professor Gabrielle McMullen.

Exploring the meaning of “My Father’s House”

A new book by School of Theology Lecturer Dr Mary Coloe, Dwelling in the household of God: Johannine Ecclesiology and Spirituality, published by Liturgical Press, 2007, invites a re-reading of the gospel.

The book, which starts with an image in John 14:2, “my Father’s house,”  which is given its Old Testament meaning of “my father’s household” moves on to embrace an awareness of the community of believers, brothers and sisters of Jesus and living “temples” of God’s presence.

Privacy and freedom of information laws

A workshop on recent developments in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Privacy Law and the implications for universities will be held on Friday 15 June from 9am to 1pm at the Darlington Centre at the University of Sydney.

Staff wishing to attend should obtain the approval of their supervisor. Registration fees and travel costs are payable by individual budget units. Registrations of three or more delegates from the same department receive a 10 per cent discount.
  
More information is at http://www.atem.edu.au/education_training.cfm

New research funding for Institute of Child Protection Studies

New research at the University’s Institute of Child Protection Studies at the Canberra Campus (Signadou) centres on helping the community to better assist children whose parents have alcohol and other drug addictions.

The ACU research project is called Supporting Children and Families affected by Alcohol or Other Drug Use and has been funded by the ACT Government as part of its Carers Recognition Grants Program. It will be conducted in partnership with young carer service CYCLOPS ACT and shall explore the nature of care responsibilities, support needs and services to be able to respond to children, young people and families affected by alcohol and drug use.

This project is another example of the Institute's commitment to and growing experience in directly engaging vulnerable children and young people and providing them with an opportunity to talk about the issues that are affect their lives.

More information about the Institute's work can be found at www.acu.edu.au/icps/

Global peace and Rumi

A conference on Rumi, the Great Sufi Master, will take place tomorrow, Thursday 24 May at 7pm in the Mercy Lecture Theatre at the Melbourne Campus (St Patrick’s). For more information, please contact School of Theology Associate Professor Raymond Canning on 02 6209 1135 or at raymond.canning@acu.edu.au.

Upcoming Events

Details on these and other upcomming events can be found at www.acu.edu.au/events

Promote your event by listing it on the myACU events section and by emailing details to editor@acu.edu.au.