Issue 17 - Thursday 4 September
ACU National Update is produced fortnightly for staff, students and friends of Australian Catholic University (ACU National). To submit a news article or event, please email editor@acu.edu.au or call 07 3623 7491
- 2008 Australian University Championships - Snow Sports
- Sustainability initiative
- Brisbane students take on staff
- Book launch of The Resurrection Effect
- ACU National provides food for students
- Forum on God in today’s world
- People’s forum on climate change
- Books for the boys
- Symposium on Catholic social thought
- Capacity building continues in East Timor
2008 Australian University Championships - Snow Sports
Five students are currently representing ACU National at the 2008 Australian University Championships - Snow Sports at Mount Buller in NSW.
Natalie Maclarn, Hayley Oldfield, Rhys Artridge Payne, Simon Frame and Andrew Bray are among nearly 300 competitors.
The competition, which runs from 31 August until 4 September, is for competitors aged 18 to 27 and provides an opportunity to go on to compete at the level of the International Ski Federation and Olympics.
Exercise Science student Rhys Artridge Payne has become the University’s first medallist at this year’s event, winning a silver medal in the Giant Slalom Alpine and a bronze in the Alpine Super Giant Slalom.
Dual medallist Rhys Artridge Payne in action at the Snow Sports Championships.
Sustainability initiative
Education lecturer Dr Barbara Odgers was joined by students Simone Scheepers, Nicole Edwards and Jenny Moody from the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) in visiting Queensland’s Parliament House recently to present a Student Teacher Charter to the Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts Mr Rod Welford MP.
The Charter was created by students from several Brisbane universities who interacted via Facebook. It was presented at a Sustainability Forum, part of the Eidos Mainstreaming Education for Sustainability into Pre-Service Teacher Education project, funded by the Federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and involving the Eidos Institute and The Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability at Maquarie University.
Visit http://www.eidos.org.au/news/results.chtml?filename_num=225210 for more information.
Students Simone Scheepers and Nicole Edwards presented a Student Teacher Charter at Queensland’s Parliament House recently.
Brisbane students take on staff
Students and staff from the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) argued That the youth of Australian are dumb in the recent annual Peter Beattie Debate.
It was a chance to reflect on the great Catholic tertiary tradition of the debate as a form of education and edification, with the student team of Ellie Bardhese, Christine Tesch and Daniel Gullotta arguing in the affirmative and the staff team of Peter Blakey, Professor Anthony Kelly CssR and Ellen McBarron in opposition.
The staff team proved triumphant, retaining a record of wins in recent years.
Book launch of The Resurrection Effect
Theology lecturer Professor Tony Kelly launched his latest publication, The Resurrection Effect, at the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) recently.
The book, Professor Kelly’s 19th, examines the impact of the resurrection of Jesus in today’s world. It is currently available for loan from the Brisbane, Canberra (Signadou) and Strathfield (Mount Saint Mary) campus libraries.
Visit www.acu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/106671/Book_Review_Kelly (PDF, 26kb) to read a review of the book by theology lecturer Rev Dr Tom Ryan SM.
Rev Associate Professor Gerard Hall, Professor Tony Kelly, Rev Dr Tom Ryan SM and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Quality and Engagement) Professor John O’Gorman at the launch of The Resurrection Effect.
ACU National provides food for students
Following recent media coverage of concerns over the level of welfare payments available for university students, the Campus Ministry team at the North Sydney Campus (MacKillop) has begun handing out meals to students in need through the Food Cupboard initiative.
The story has been featured on several mainstream media outlets, including Triple J and ABC Radio and the Daily Telegraph and The Australian newspapers.
An interview about the project can be heard online at www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/28/2349218.htm. A similar food program has been running on the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) for several years.
Forum on God in today’s world
Students, staff and friends of ACU National in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are invited to attend an interfaith forum, Our One God in a Divided World, hosted by the University in collaboration with the Catenians.
The Catenians are an international brotherhood of practising Catholic laymen who provide a sociable and supporting haven for people facing challenges to their beliefs and moral values in their business, professional and family lives in an increasingly secular society.
They are celebrating the centenary of the Catenian Association. Please note the dates, times, venues and speakers below:
- Sydney (Thursday 11 September 7pm to 8pm)
- The College Hall St Mary’s Cathedral College 2 St Mary’s Road, Sydney NSW
- Professor Ismail Albayrak, Peta Pellach, Fr Patrick McInerney
- Melbourne (Tuesday 23 September 7.30pm to 9pm)
- Mercy Lecture Theatre Australian Catholic University 115 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy VIC
- Professor Ismail Albayrak, Rabbi John Levi, Dr Maryanne Confoy
- Canberra (Wednesday 12 November 7.30pm to 9pm)
- St Thomas More Parish Hall 30 White Crescent, Campbell ACT
- Professor Ismail Albayrak, Rabbi John Levi, Associate Professor Anne Hunt
People’s forum on climate change
Students and staff on the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) are invited to attend a free forum on climate change as part of Oxfam’s Make Poverty History campaign.
The forum, Climate Change, Global Poverty and Development, will be held on Tuesday 9 September from 6pm at the University of Queensland’s Steele Lecture Theatre at the St Lucia Campus.
A diverse panel of speakers will address the human impacts of climate change, economic costs, energy systems, transitions to sustainability and environmentally and socially just solutions to climate change and poverty.
Please RSVP by 3 September to roshinim@oxfam.org.au or 3637 4625.
Books for the boys
Faculty of Education Dean Professor Marie Emmitt has invited staff and students on the Melbourne Campus (St Patrick’s) to attend the book launch of education lecturer Dr Matthew D Zbaracki’s Best Books for Boys: A Resource for Educators on Monday 8 September at 4.30pm.
The launch will be held in the fifth floor staffroom at the Melbourne Campus, with refreshments to be served following the proceedings.
To RSVP and for further information, please contact Ms Vera Maschette at v.maschette@acu.edu.au or on (03) 9953 3313.
Symposium on Catholic social thought
ACU National’s Centre for Research into Ethics and Decision-making in Organisations Director Mr John Little recently attended the seventh international symposium on Catholic Social Thought and Management Education at University of Notre Dame in the US.
The symposium attracted more than 250 delegates from at least 150 Catholic institutions, including Mr Little from ACU National and a representative from University of Notre Dame, Western Australia.
Visit www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/cst/conferences/becu/conferencepapers.html to view papers from the symposium.
Capacity building continues in East Timor
ACU National’s collaborative capacity building in East Timor is continuing, with extra support for teacher training.
Six East-Timorese staff members of the Catholic Teachers’ College in Baucau (ICFP) are undertaking new distance education modules for the University’s Master’s in Educational Leadership degree, including Leading Authentic Learning.
The studies are being offered with the help of ACU National’s School of Education (NSW) lecturer Ms Margie Beck, on secondment in Baucau.
Jose Mendes, who has recently completed his Masters degree in Educational Leadership at the Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary), Brother Fons, Brother John and Sister Diaan have helped tailor the course and are overcoming language challenges by assisting as mentors, according to Institute for Advancing Community Engagement Director Professor Jude Butcher CFC.
Students at the Catholic Teacher’s College in Baucau, East Timor
Upcoming Events
- University Experience: Monday 30 June – Thursday 2 October.
- Open Days: Wednesday 23 July – Saturday 13 September.
Details on this 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
