Celebrating 26 years of excellence in assessment research
On 20 October 2022, the Assessment Research Centre (ARC) held a Celebration Evening at the University’s newest innovation precinct, Melbourne Connect, reuniting staff members, research degree graduates and industry partners from the last 26 years to celebrate the Centre’s development and achievements. The founding director, Professor Emeritus Patrick Griffin and former director, Professor Emeritus Barry McGaw AO, attended the event along with over 100 guests.
Professor Sandra Milligan hosted the event and welcomed guests with opening remarks highlighting the ARC’s history, status and seminal projects that have shaped the Centre.
Guest of honour for the evening was Professor Emeritus Patrick Griffin, who led the Centre for its first 20 years. In his speech, Professor Griffin reminisced about the early days of the Centre, including its transition to the University of Melbourne on 11 November 1996. Some of the inaugural staff members were in the audience, bringing back fond memories spanning nearly three decades.
The guests were pleasantly treated to two video compilations prepared by the ARC team. The first video consisted of congratulatory messages from PhD graduates Dr Alejandra Arratia-Martinez in Chile, Dr Thu Mai Duong in Vietnam, Dr Syed Kamal Ud Din in Pakistan, Dr Frank van Cappelle in the USA, Dr Rosemary Callingham AM in Tasmania and Associate Professor Phuong Nga Nguyen in Vietnam. The second compilation included messages from current industry collaborators Greg Miller from St Luke’s Catholic College, Marsden Park, NSW, Rachel Byrne from Hunter Sports High School, NSW and the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC) team from the University of the Philippines.
Professor Sandra Milligan later shared the future vision of the ARC, building upon the strong research, credentialing, and industry collaborations the Centre has established in recent years. In September 2022, Professor Therese Hopfenbeck and Associate Professor Joshua McGrane joined the ARC from the University of Oxford, supporting the Centre’s evolution and building a new chapter going forward.
The evening’s formalities culminated with an acknowledgement of Dr Cuc Nguyen, the longest-serving staff of the ARC, who started as a postgraduate student at the Centre in 1996 and formally joined as a staff member in 2003. With 26 years and counting, Dr Nguyen has made vital contributions to the Centre and its research.
The ARC team is looking forward to inviting all guests back for the launch of its transformed structure in early 2023.
