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ACU wins gender equality award

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:11:28 +1100

ACU wins gender equality award

Caption: Staff Equity and Diversity Coordinator Kim O�Brien, HR Director Diana Chegwidden, National Media Manager Alisse Grafitti, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning and Teaching) Professor Anne Cummins at the awards.

ACU has been announced a winner in the 2011 Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Business Achievement awards.

The University won the Leading Organisation for the Advancement of Women (>800 employees) category.

Professor Anne Cummins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning and Teaching), accepted the award, and said the University takes the place of women seriously.

“We stand in the tradition of some great women educators, we believe in the family and we believe in the benefit of a diverse workplace – so for us, this is core mission business,” she said.

HR Director Diana Chegwidden said ACU had made it a priority to promote gender equality.

“ACU continues to strive to be an employer of choice for women by providing the support for career development and work life balance that allows them to reach their potential,” she said.

“Our leading parental leave provisions, flexible working arrangements and regular consultation with staff to ensure we are meeting their needs has resulted in high levels of female representation all the way through to senior management roles, and ensures that we continue to attract and retain the very best staff.”

Each of ACU’s five faculties is headed up by a female executive dean, and 50 per cent of the University’s deputy vice-chancellors are women. The University has some of the most generous parental leave provisions in Australia with 12 months paid leave, and was the first employer in the country to offer that entitlement.

Since the implementation of the maternity leave policy, staff retention has been 91 per cent.

In addition, research awards are made available to female academics returning to work after parental leave, and women constitute 68.7 per cent of the workforce.

ACU and Georgetown sign nursing exchange agreement

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:11:39 +1100

ACU and Georgetown sign nursing exchange agreement

Georgetown School of Nursing & Health Studies Dean Martin Iguchi and ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven in Washington D.C

As of next year, nursing students from Australian Catholic University (ACU) will have the opportunity to study at the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven met with School of Nursing & Health Studies Dean Martin Iguchi to sign the agreement last month.

He said the student exchange agreement was a coup for students at both universities, which share a similar Mission and ethos.

“Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, and the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States,” Professor Craven said.

“One of the most obvious similarities between our universities is the correlation between things like social justice and the dignity of the human person.”

“We have common assumptions. If you have common assumptions and different applications that seems to provide the most fruitful possibilities for collaboration.”

Nursing students from ACU’s North Sydney Campus will have the opportunity to undertake the student exchange semester at Georgetown.

The University is also looking at options for other ACU campuses. Professor Michelle Campbell, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, said she looked forward to welcoming the Georgetown students to Australia.

“ACU has a long tradition in health sciences and is one of the largest providers of graduate nurses in Australia,” she said.

Community education recognised

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:11:50 +1100

Community education recognised

A groundbreaking university course for people struggling with homelessness, mental illness and long-term unemployment was recognised at this year’s Community Action Network (CAN) Awards.

Catalyst-Clemente, a joint project between ACU’s Brisbane Campus and Mission Australia, received the award for Outstanding Educational Environment.

Head of the School of Arts and Sciences (Brisbane), Associate Professor Lindsay Farrell, said he was proud to see the project recognised.

“Clemente is primarily about a community of people who are learning together,” he said. “It is transformative for all involved and takes a holistic view on educating a person though building trusted partnerships and relationships.”

“The project focuses on empowering students, learning partners and lecturers to reflect on deep learning about the world, others and themselves.”

Clemente provides accredited university courses in humanities subjects as a step towards overcoming poverty and other serious challenges.

Based on the belief that the way out of poverty is about giving people access to more than just a wage or a roof over their heads, Clemente provides activities that engage and lead to social interaction, learning and community participation.

A recent study on the program showed 79 per cent of participating students have experienced homelessness, with 44 per cent having experienced sleeping rough. Eighty-seven per cent of participants are on government pensions or benefit, almost half have had to ask an agency for food or similar necessities in the past 12 months and a similar number are wrestling with physical and mental health conditions.

The CAN Awards celebrate the work and achievements of people of inner-Brisbane and are held annually at the New Farm Neighbourhood Centre.

Half a million surveys reveal church trends

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:01 +1100

Half a million surveys reveal church trends

The Strathfield Campus will be inundated with post over the next few weeks as 500,000 National Church Life Surveys (2011 NCLS) are returned.

The ACU partnered research, which took place between September and November, examines the religious beliefs, experience of church life and attitudes to general social issues. Surveying thousands of churches over 23 denominations, responses will come from church attendees and religious leaders.

NCLS is the second largest survey completed in Australia – second only to the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Census. The survey, which is translated into seven languages, has been running for 20 years and is completed every five years.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to find out what is happening in churches around Australia,” said NCLS Director, Dr Ruth Powell.

“It clarifies varying attitudes and allows both the church to understand their own values, and the wider leadership to provide support where the results expose need.”

ACU joined NCLS Research as a primary partner in 2010 and staff are now based at the Strathfield Campus.

ACU researchers from the faculties of business, arts and sciences, education, theology and philosophy have already commissioned some questions in a special ACU survey that is going to a representative sample of Australian attendees. This will lead to a series of diverse research projects on topics such as theological education, the spirituality of Gen X-ers, financial giving, gratitude, and forgiveness and life satisfaction.

One goal for the survey is to help local churches reflect on their health and build on their strengths for the future. The 2011 NCLS also has a particular focus on sustainable leadership, looking particularly at how leaders can balance the challenges and rewards of their role.

Once the surveys have been compiled results will be given to the participating churches and provided to researchers internationally.

Students and staff interested in using the NCLS datasets from the past 20 years for their research projects should contact NCLS Research (info@ncls.org.au).

There will be opportunities available for both volunteer and casual positions to process these surveys over the next few months – if you are interested in being involved in this large scale research project please email logistics@ncls.org.au

Students experience outback nursing

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:12 +1100

Students experience outback nursing

ACU Bachelor of Nursing students at Tennant Creek Hospital

Bachelor of Nursing student Leona Ellis was one of 10 ACU students who recently travelled to Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory as part of a hands-on Indigenous health care unit.

The second-year unit aims to develop an understanding of the unique health needs of Australia’s Indigenous population, allowing students to experience a wide range of health activities including drug and alcohol prevention, infectious diseases screening, mental health care, and mother and baby care.

ACU students were also involved with haemodialysis, trauma, paediatrics, long-term care and acute care at the local hospital.

Leona said she chose the elective because she would like to become a remote area nurse.

“I lived and worked in remote regions of Australia for many years and during this time I saw the role that qualified and dedicated health professionals play in the health outcomes of people living in remote area communities,” she said.

“I knew I would like to contribute to improving the health of Indigenous Australians.”

“The Tennant Creek elective reaffirmed my passion for remote area Indigenous nursing and I now have an increased focus and resolve.”

Clinical Advisor and Lecturer Flora Corfee coordinated the trip and said it was an excellent experience for the students.

“The students reported a rich and at times emotionally confronting learning experience,” she said.

“Besides developing nursing skills such as culturally responsive care, therapeutic communication and remote area nursing care, the students experienced firsthand health inequality, the challenges of meeting care needs in a remote and often mobile population, and the successes and failures of the many government initiatives aimed at reducing Indigenous morbidity and mortality.

“The students have expressed a sense of profound learning through their trip to Tennant Creek, especially around social justice, the poverty cycle and the unique health needs of Australia’s remote communities.”

Melbourne Chapel Campaign appointments

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:24 +1100

Melbourne Chapel Campaign appointments

Campaign Patron, Archbishop Denis Hart and ACU Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven

Vice-Chancellor Professor Greg Craven has announced the Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Reverend Denis Hart DD, as the Patron for ACU’s Melbourne Chapel Campaign.

At a quiet launch of the campaign held at Drake House, His Grace said he was delighted to be involved in the development of the spiritual centre for the Melbourne Campus.

Lawyer and long-standing advisor to the Melbourne Campus, Paul Hoy, has been appointed as Chair and Pro-Chancellor Ted Exell AM will provide joint leadership as Deputy Chair.

Professor Craven said strong leaders will be pivotal to the success of the campaign.

He said ACU was fortunate to have the opportunity to develop a dedicated chapel and square within the University, and while the Chapel Campaign is a fundraising effort, it is first and foremost about building an everlasting spiritual community near the birthplace of St Mary of the Cross.

“To accomplish this we need to reach out to the supporters of our current community,” said campaign coordinator Annalise Vogel.

“ACU is currently seeking volunteer leadership from the University’s Melbourne community for the future of the St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Chapel.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the campaign please contact Annalise Vogel, Senior Advisor, Partnerships and Development on 02 9739 2247 or at annalise.vogel@acu.edu.au

Funding for midwifery research

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:35 +1100

Funding for midwifery research

Professor Sue Kildea

Professor Sue Kildea has been awarded funding by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The $456,760 grant is for research on whether sterile water injections can decrease caesarean section rates and improve outcomes for women or their babies.

Professor Kildea is Director of the Midwifery Research Unit at ACU and Mater Medical Research Institute (MMRI).

She is the Chief Investigator on the double-blind collaborative study, which will run for three years across four hospitals and include 1846 women.

Nigel Lee, Project Manager and PhD candidate, said sterile water injections could be an innovative and simple technique to increase the normal birth rate.

“There are indications the sterile water injections used to ease back pain during labour may also decrease the rate of caesarean sections,” he said.

“Caesarean section can cause increased risk of infection, increased recovery time and other serious complications. There are many benefits to encouraging a normal birth.”

Holding a Chair of Midwifery at ACU and MMRI, Professor Kildea said the grant was a significant achievement and will help support vital midwifery research.

"This is an exciting area of research which we already have a track record in. This large study has been called for internationally and will attract much interest,” she said.

Professor Kilda will also participate in a collaborative project which was granted $660,886 to develop an Australian Regional Birthing Index.

In total ACU will administer two grants from nine applications totalling more than $2.7 million, and participate in the collaborative research of two other grants totalling $1.5 million.

News in Brief

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:12:48 +1100

News in Brief

ARC success for ACU

ACU researchers Professor Tim Scrase, Dr Vince Geiger and Associate Professor Anandwardhan Hardikar, were recently awarded grants by the Australian Research Council (ARC).

ARC sits within the Australian Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) portfolio. As part of their commitment to advancing Australian research, they provide a number of significant grants each year.

Professor Tim Scrase, Associate Dean (Research) and Professor of Sociology at ACU, was awarded $128,000 over three years for his project Contingent Development in Regional India: Ethnographies of Neoliberal Globalization in Gujarat and West Bengal.

Associate Professor Anandwardhan Hardikar was awarded an ARC Future Fellowship grant of $816,756 to commence in 2011.

Associate Professor Hardikar is part of the O’Brien Institute, Melbourne, and the Fellowship is tenable at ACU from 2011. His research interest is in diabetes and early diagnosis to reduce complications later in life.

Dr Vince Geiger is part of a research team which received $210,000 for the project Enhancing numeracy learning and teaching across the curriculum.

PhD student wins outstanding thesis award

ACU PhD student Dr David Kenyon was recently announced the winner of the NSW Institute for Educational Research (NSWIER) Award for an Outstanding Thesis.

Dr Kenyon’s study What constitutes success in classroom Religious Education? A study of secondary religion teachers’ understandings of the nature and purposes of Religious Education in Catholic schools investigated Catholic secondary school teachers’ perceptions of what constituted the ‘successful’ teaching of religion.

Key issues raised throughout the study included: the desirability of critical inquiry and an academic subject orientation; ambivalence about ecclesial constructs like catechesis and evangelisation; and, a need for ‘relevance’ – in both content and pedagogy.

Conclusions and recommendations centred on paying attention to contemporary youth spirituality as a way of informing a more relevant religious education.

The NSWIER award, which has been running since 1972, aims to recognise outstanding research in the area of education. The award is given in line with the NSWIER’s mission of encouraging young researchers and promoting quality educational research.

Preppies life captured in play

Self-portraits by prep students from Saint Ita�s Primary School, Brisbane

ACU Bachelor of Arts students recently concluded their community engagement project – a play entitled Preppies, portraying a five-year-olds view on life.

The Brisbane drama students, working with 50 prep students from Saint Ita’s Catholic Primary School, wrote snapshots of a prep’s life views which they combined into a play and performed for the Saint Ita’s community.

Senior drama lecturer Dr Tracey Sanders said a backdrop of self portraits by the preps framed the performance and brought colour and creativity to the school stage.

“The performance was testimony to the strength and value of community engagement, not only for our students, but also the community that works with us,” she said.

“The stories were a beautiful tapestry of love, family, friendship and faith with an honest and down to earth slant only a five-year-old can bring to our adult worlds.

“My students gained not only a better understanding of the area of Applied Theatre and Community Narratives but also found a genuine wonderment in the world of young children.”

The performance was part of a new core unit in the Bachelor of Arts program, Drama in the Community.

Strange cargo

Apparitions, by BVAD graduate Keegan Hunt

The ACU Gallery was buzzing with talent as the largest ever cohort of Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design (BVAD) students hosted their graduate show Strange cargo at ACU’s Melbourne Campus.

The 24 budding artists exhibited across a range of mediums, including photography, digital media, collage, sculpture and even ballpoint pen.

BVAD Lecturer and Course Coordinator Dr Catherine Bell said the show was intentionally designed to be eclectic.

“It was an assortment of very different works sitting randomly together, as though they had all been washed up on a deserted beach, that was the idea behind Strange cargo”, she said.

Peter Eglezos won the 2011 ACU Acquisition Award for Outstanding Visual Arts Graduate for his work Musings of a cigarette smoking man. Peter employed a unique technique – violently erasing male figures from magazine pages with a ballpoint pen to explore concepts of identity, absence and presence.

Alicia Centofanti’s Stencils – a series of intricate paper structures delicately carved with a scalpel –was awarded BVAD Outstanding Achievement in Design.

“The interesting thing about paper is that it is a vulnerable material that can take on new forms while being on the edge of collapse”, Alicia said.

In Apparitions, Keegan Hunt combined a series of oil paintings with contemporary digital processes to create both controlled and random effects on individual portraits– and received the BVAD Special Distinction Award for her work.

The Visual Culture and Social Justice Award was presented to Judith Egli for The best dad in the world: in memory of that lost family artefact, my foremost artistic endeavour – a series made from various cut papers.

“The show is a culmination of the strong creative momentum that has developed among these students throughout the duration of the course,” said Dr Bell.

“It’s been so exciting to see these students seek out and embrace opportunities for industry placement during the course and I am very confident that they will go on to become very successful artistic practitioners in the future.”

iArtist3 Exhibition

iArtist3 is an exhibition by Melbourne Bachelor of Education (Primary) students exploring visual arts and media arts through appreciation, practice and curriculum.

The theme In Memoriam is homage to the recent Callum Morton exhibition at the Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Each student has produced a portfolio which reflects workshop and lecture experiences and also a final piece of work as the culmination of their In Memoriam studies.

The varied responses to In Memoriam such as audio visual artworks, sculptures made with concrete and digital paintings created on iPads are testament to a deep engagement on the part of the students and to their understanding of their roles as visual arts educators.

iArtist3 is on at the ACU Gallery in Melbourne from Monday 5 December to Friday 9 December.

Graduate bags teaching excellence award

Tarryn Berning

ACU graduate Tarryn Berning has been awarded a 2011 Queensland College of Teachers Excellence in Teaching Award.
Tarryn, who graduated from a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the Brisbane Campus in 2008, won the Dr Roger Hunter Excellence in Beginning to Teach Award for her work at Payne Road State School.

Students in Tarryn’s grade 3 and 4 class face a range of challenges including diagnosed disabilities, developmental delays and behavioural problems. Shorter lessons, smaller groups and a range of innovative strategies including meditation, a drama club and an enriching school campus have generated academic improvements.

ACU’s economics course received the highest ranking for its category in the 2012 Good Universities Guide.

This is the second consecutive year the course has received top marks for Teaching Quality, Generic Skills of our Graduates and Overall Student Satisfaction. The popularity of the program has been acknowledged with the introduction of a Bachelor of Arts and Economics - offered in Sydney from 2012.

Top marks for economics in Good Uni Guide

Economics lecturers Dr Tony Stokes and Dr Sarah Wright

Dr Tony Stokes, Senior Lecturer in Economics for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, said the results were not a one-off, but follow on from the University’s excellent performance in economics over the last few years.

“This achievement reflects the efforts and achievements of my fellow economics lecturer, Dr Sarah Wright, and our team of high quality and dedicated sessional staff,” he said.

Dr Wright was recently awarded an ACU Citation for Excellence in Learning and Teaching for developing teaching approaches and resources that engage students and enhance their learning by catering for their individual learning styles in economics.

She presented a paper about the teaching approaches used by the department at the Australian Conference of Economists.

Princeton academic presents to ACU students

Princeton University academic Professor Denis Feeney recently gave a presentation to History and Curriculum students at ACU’s Melbourne Campus.

The video presentation comprised a short introductory lecture into his book and class text, Caesar’s Calendar. A scholar who researches the study of time, Professor Feeney spoke about issues of history chronicling and gave an insight into our heritage of history scholarship.

Currently the Giger Professor of Latin in the Department of Classics at Princeton University, Professor Feeney has extensively studied Latin literature and Roman culture. Achieving his Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, Professor Feeney has held numerous academic posts at universities across the UK and US including Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard Universities.

Education lecturer Stephen Spain said thanks must be extended to Dr Madeleine Laming and Sr Geraldine Larkins for their assistance in preparing for the presentation.

“Professor Feeney was very impressed and interested in the way in which his literature had been utilised by ACU students and subsequently is now interested in visiting ACU to conduct a lecture in the near future,” he said.

Geraldine Butler

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:13:01 +1100

60 Seconds with Geraldine Butler, Campus Life Coordinator, Melbourne Campus

Geraldine Butler, Campus Life Coordinator, Melbourne Campus

How would I spend my ideal day?

With my family; Rob, Liam and Matilda, in Salt in Northern NSW. Starting with breakfast, walk along the beach and finishing the day watching a sunset together

In life I have learned...

that the only person that I can change is myself. I can give information to others in the hope that I influence them, but at the end of the day I can’t change anyone

Something that inspires me...

Sunsets

What would surprise most people about my job?

A good symbol of what it is to be a Campus Life Coordinator is a paperclip. It is our job to build links across the University but it is also important for us to to be flexible and adaptable.

What has been the most significant development in my field since starting my career?

I’m a primary school teacher and a Pastoral Associate by vocation, and teaching has provided me with a suitcase full of skills and strategies which can be transferred to many different fields. Through this I’ve learnt that the most important skill, and the one you will be able to bring to any role, is the ability to build good working relationships

If I could invite any five people to dinner, who would they be and why?

Joan Chittister, she has given me the courage to ask about the important, spiritual questions of our time. Margaret Oats, she was a great ambassador for the poor in Collingwood, Victoria and was not afraid to speak her mind. My mum, Mollie Butler and another a woman of strong values who instilled in me the importance of having a voice. Pope Benedict, the conversation could be quite stimulating with some strong, informed, women at the table and Jesus, I always leave a seat for him at the table just in case he turns up unexpectedly, it is Advent after all!