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Issue 14 - Wednesday 18 July

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.

International Catholic educational leadership conference

Congregation for Catholic Education Secretary Archbishop Michael Miller CSB, pictured below in Rome with Catholic tertiary education leaders, will address Directions for Catholic educational leadership in the 21st Century: the vision, challenges and reality, an international conference to be held from 29 July - 1 August at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, Sydney.

The conference will be hosted by ACU’s Flagship for Creative and Authentic Leadership.

For more information on the conference, please visit www.acu.edu.au/conferences

Archbishop Miller, who will receive an honorary doctorate from ACU on Wednesday 1 August, also attended the recent Third Rome Seminar with Pro-Vic-Chancellor (Academic Afairs) Professor Gabrielle McMullen.

ACCU Conference Group 2 Professor Gabrielle McMullen, (front row, third from left), at the Third Rome Seminar with Congregation for Catholic Education Secretary Archbishop Michael Miller CSB (front row, fifth from left), and fellow members of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and of the Lay Centre.

Queensland Deputy Premier to visit ACU

Queensland Deputy Premier Anna Bligh will be at the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) tomorrow (Thursday 19 July) to address the Agenda North Forum, which includes the Brisbane North Development Forum Inc, Brisbane Airport Corporation and ACU. The event is strongly supported by Quest Newspapers and business and community leaders across the greater Brisbane North region.

Ms Bligh will speak on the topic Delivering on growth: Brisbane and South East Queensland in the next 20 years.

For more information, please contact School of Business and Informatics (Queensland) Associate Professor Dr Nasir Butrous who is honorary secretary of BNDF, at nasir.butrous@acu.edu.au or on (07) 3623 7208 or 0408 724 094.

Fruits of the Catalyst Program on display

Artwork produced by students of the joint ACU and Mission Australia Clemente/Catalyst Program were displayed recently at Cafe One in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, to celebrate the completion of first semester.

The program, now running in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, aims to provide people who have been homeless and marginalised with the chance to engage in higher education through accredited ACU courses. After completing four sponsored courses they can further their education through TAFE or by entering the Bachelor of Arts program at ACU.

Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) program lecturer and Head of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr Lindsay Farrell spoke of the importance the program placed on respect between all members of society, and of his delight in being able to contribute to such a worthwhile course.

"The program comes from the University's Institute for Advancing Community Engagement” Dr Farrell said. “It is about reciprocity. There is opportunity for all to benefit. It is not just a one-way process."

Artwork Display Clemente/Catalyst students Rob, Lizzie, Jill, Vicky and Bette with School of Arts and Sciences Head Dr Lindsay Farrell (centre) and Mission Australia's Jae Newell (right)

Student association news

ACU Student Association (ACUNSA) presidents from each campus recently met at the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) to discuss national issues and events.

They met key University staff and past presidents, to find ways of offering students “the best campus life possible” in the face of Voluntary Student Unionism.

Parties, field trips, games nights, barbeques, street retreats, soup kitchens, movie nights and a Uni Ball are planned for students in Week 2 next year.

All students are encouraged to support ACUNSA by becoming a member or representative, and to find out about events on their campus by getting in touch with local representatives.

To contact your Local student association please visit http://my.acu.edu.au/student/community/student_associations

John O'Gorman with Brisbane student representatives Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Quality and Outreach) Professor John O'Gorman (left) with Brisbane student representatives Liz Fisher, Lauren Walker, Casey Bromilow, Emily North, Joel Schneider, Maree Howard, Mark Young and David Webber with Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Sheehan AO

Nurse for a day

Thursday 12 July saw the Ballarat Campus (Aquinas) host Student Nurse for a Day, where 71 secondary students from all around Victoria (and one from NSW) came to experience life as a student nurse.

The day included a talk from a current Paramedic, to promote the new Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Paramedicine combined degree starting in 2008, a nursing lecture, nursing and science labs, campus tours and a talk with current Nursing students Beth Mitchell and Courtney Walker.

Nurse for a Day Ballarat, Damascus students Alexandra Smith, Hannah Pinkerton Damascus students Alexandra Smith, Hannah Pinkerton at Student Nurse for a Day

Enrol to vote

Staff and students who have not yet enrolled to vote are reminded to do so as soon as possible to ensure their views will be counted at the next Federal election, expected to take place later this year.

Under the recent Electoral Integrity Act, voters must enrol before 8pm on the same day a Federal election is called. Visit http://www.aec.gov.au/ for more information and to enrol.

Anglicare leadership development program

A leadership development program created by ACU’s Flagship for Creative and Authentic Leadership has been adopted by the Sydney Anglican Church, University of Wollongong and Moore Theological College.

Sydney Anglicare, the social welfare agency of the Sydney Anglican Archdiocese involving 81 sites between Berowra and Nowra, invited the Flagship to develop the program as part of its restructuring and Strategic Plan 2007-2009.

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Reverend Peter Jensen recently launched the program, which will involve six two-day sessions, followed by a conference early in 2008. The program is being coordinated by Flagship for Creative and Authentic Leadership Adjunct Professor Dr Anne Benjamin.

The program aims to “support and encourage authentic leadership at every level in the organisation in such a way as to ensure that gospel values are intrinsic to our way of leading and operating Anglicare’s business” Anglicare CEO Peter Kell said.

Anglicare Leadership Development Program Adjunct Professor Anne Benjamin (left) with Flagship Director Professor Patrick Duignan, the Most Rev Peter Jensen and Anglicare Sydney CEO Mr Peter Kell.

Forgiveness and peace in international interfaith project

ACU is represented by Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) academics Dr Gerard Hall SM and “Aunty Joan” Hendriks in an international Spirit of religion project funded by Switzerland’s Arbor Foundation.

The three-year project draws together scholars from diverse religious traditions, such as Abrahamic, Eastern and Oral, committed to interreligious and intercultural dialogue. The president of the project is Professor Raimon Panikkar, well-known internationally for his seminal work in interfaith dialogue.

Participants meet in Barcelona on a regular basis to engage in “dialogical dialogue” in the context of prayer, study, discussion and communal living. A major theme of the project is “forgiveness as a way of peace”. The project aims to produce a major academic publication and will conclude in 2009 with an interreligious pilgrimage.

spirit of religion forgiveness peace Scholar Council Project President Raimon Panikkar (left) with members Young-Chan Ro from George Mason University in Washington, Giuseppe Jiso Forzani from the University of Milano, Project Director Milena Carrara, Dr Gerard Hall SM from ACU, Francis D’Sa SJ from the University of Würzburg in Germany, and Kala Acharya from Somaiya Institute in Mumbai, photographed in Barcelona in July 2006

NSW Auditor-General to share skills

NSW Auditor-General Bob Sendt has accepted an invitation from School of Business and Informatics (NSW) Lecturer in Accounting Eric Clubb to give a guest presentation to undergraduate Auditing and Assurance Services students in September at the North Sydney Campus (MacKillop).

The presentation will deal with the complex issues of government sector auditing.

Religious Education Symposium Hits Brisbane

Religious education academics from across the country joined together at the Fifth National Symposium on Religious Education and Ministry, held recently on the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo), with a week of workshops and presentations. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Robert Jackson from the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK, who spoke of the importance of religious diversity in education.

The event coincided with the release of the International Handbook on the Religious, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education.

Professor Robert Jackson and others Cardinal Clancy Research Flagship and School of Religious Education Senior Lecturer Associate Professor Kathleen Engebretson (left), with symposium keynote speaker Professor Robert Jackson and School of Religious Education Senior Lecturer Dr Marian de Souza

Institute of Legal Studies launches in Brisbane

The national launch of ACU's Institute of Legal Studies was celebrated in Brisbane at the Francis Rush Centre at St Stephen's Cathedral on 25 June.

Guest speaker Professor Cathleen Kaveny from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana in the US, delivered her public lecture on 'Hope, solidarity and human rights'.

The ILS provides postgraduate education in various aspects of legal studies, conducts research and offers continuing professional development for lawyers and for other professionals requiring professional development activities with legal input.

For more information please contact the School of ILS on (03) 9953 3586 or visit http://www.acu.edu.au/faculties__and__schools/schools/institute_of_legal_studies

John O'Gorman, Frank Brennan, Cathleen Kaveny and Bishop Joseph Oudeman Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Quality and Outreach) Professor John O'Gorman, Institute of Legal Studies Professor of Law Father Frank Brennan SJ AO, Professor Cathleen Kaveny and Bishop Joseph Oudeman

Make Poverty History ambassador

ACU social work student Bronwen Smith, 23, from the Canberra Campus (Signadou) was among hundreds of Make Poverty History Zero Seven Road Trip ambassadors earlier this month.

“We are travelling across regional Australia to promote the ‘make poverty history’ message and to show that young Australians really do want to help end extreme poverty” said Bronwen, a Case Manager with ACT Community Youth Justice. “We are asking the Australian Government to increase our foreign aid contributions and provide more and better aid to the world’s poorest.”

The event is a joint initiative between the Oaktree and Reach foundations. More information is at www.zeroseven.org

Mobile computers

The School of Education (NSW) at the Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary) has celebrated the launch of Computers on Wheels (COW1), a mobile computer lab. COW1 stores 16 laptops which can be wheeled en masse to a lecture room or borrowed by individuals.

The computers allow for activities such as video editing and podcasting. COW1 incudes E Beam software for use with a data projector and an Interwrite Board. Several secure wireless access points have been established around the campus.

The COW1 project team included staff from the School of Education, Information and Communication Services and industry partners.

To view photos of the launch please visit http://e-learn.acu.edu.au/cows_launch/cows_launch.html

Encyclopedia of Melbourne recognised

The Encyclopedia of Melbourne, developed by Professor Shurlee Swain of the School of Arts and Sciences (Victoria) and Dr Andrew Brown-May of the University of Melbourne, was selected as the best collaborative/community work in the recent Victorian Community History Awards. The Encyclopedia of Melbourne is an A to Z reference work covering the city's history from pre-European settlement up to the present day. To purchase a copy or find more information, visit www.emelbourne.net.au For information on the Victorian Community History Awards, including lists of past winners, visit www.historyvictoria.org.au

Spirituality in education and health Conference

The Role of Spirituality in Education and Health, a conference promoting health and wellbeing among children and adolescents, will be held at the Ballarat Campus (Aquinas) from 20-24 January.

For more information, please contact School of Religious Education Senior Lecturer Dr Marian de Souza or School of Religious Education Lecturer Dr Brendan Hyde.

Dealing with diversity conference

The Centre for Social, Emotional, Cognitive and Behavioural Development will host a conference Dealing with diversity in a complex global world on 20-21 October.

The Conference will include keynote speakers, symposia, papers, posters, and professional roundtables, with a special welcome for postgraduate students completing their professional psychology training and presenting the research they undertook as part of that training.

Abstracts and early bird registrations close on 17 August and 31 August respectively for presenters. Please visit www.acu.edu.au/research for registration forms.

Leadership Flagship hosts Distinguished Visiting Scholar

The Flagship for Creative and Authentic Leadership’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar for 2007 is Professor Stephen Gross, who specialises in educational leadership and policy studies at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Professor Gross’s teaching, books, articles and research activities focus on initiating and sustaining democratic reform in schools, as well as turbulence theory.

A keynote speaker at the recent ELIM Conference, sponsored by the Catholic Education Office, Parramatta and the Flagship, Professor Gross has also contributed to coursework, teaching, workshops and research, and to the Flagship’s forthcoming International Leadership Conference.

Stephen Gross and Students Master of Educational Leadership Winter School students with Distinguished Visiting Scholar Professor Stephen Gross.

Teaching/Research Nexus Forum

Associate Professor Maureen Walsh of the School of Education (NSW) is one of a small number of presenters who has been selected to present at the Teaching/Research Nexus Forum, held by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in higher education, in August.

The focus of the Forum will be on the teaching-research nexus in higher education, and the opportunities and challenges for discipline-based development in exploring this interrelationship.

For more information on the Carrick Institute, visit www.carrickinstitute.edu.au

A white winter in Ballarat

Ballarat has endured some cold, wet and even white days recently.

Ballarat Campus This picture was taken on the Ballarat Campus (Aquinas) yesterday (17 July).

Upcoming Events

Details on these and other upcoming 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.