Dean's Report
Dean's Lecture - Hon. Dr Barry Jones
Last night, we were treated to an inspiring and thought-provoking lecture from the Hon. Dr Barry Jones as part of the 2019 Dean’s Lecture series. He outlined what he sees as a world-wide existential crisis for democracy and the return of racism as an issue in Australia. He believes that there is a current political paralysis in Australia and where once politicians were well ahead of public opinion they are now far behind. His plea to his captivated audience was for us all to wake from what he called citizen passivity. I encourage you to watch Barry’s lecture which will be available to view on our YouTube channel in the next few days.
MGSE Excellence Awards
Acknowledging the work of colleagues is an important way to encourage a culture of celebration and something we can overlook in the demands of our daily work. The MGSE staff awards are one way of doing this and by taking a moment to nominate a fellow staff member you will not only be recognising a colleague but also the contribution MGSE makes to the wider community. The awards will be given out at our Annual Awards Evening on Tuesday 4 June. The nomination forms are available on the intranet and close on Wednesday 3 April.
Talking Teaching
Season Two of Talking Teaching is off to a great start with its second episode featuring an interview with the academic Tegan Bennett Daylight who poses the question of how to instil a love of reading in children from teachers who may be struggling themselves. An entertaining and provocative listen.
MGSE Video
Those of you who attended the Setting the Scene day earlier this year will remember the video about MGSE that we showed at the beginning of the day. This video was primarily created for external audiences to show the principles that underpin the work that we all do here at MGSE and to visually demonstrate the tangible outcomes of this work. I encourage you to use the video to inspire your students and external stakeholders and to show before conference presentations, particularly when you are overseas. It is a quick and entertaining way to explain who we are. The video is available on the Intranet and on our YouTube channel for you to download.
Staff appointments
Finally, I would like to welcome two new members of staff to MGSE, Kym Williams and Keryn Negri. Kym comes to us as part of the Melbourne Indigenous Professional Employment Program (MIPEP) where this year 14 Indigenous Australians joined the University on a two-year work and training program. Participants in the program are rotated through various faculties and chancellery and complete a Diploma of Business in their first year. We are fortunate to have Kym with us on her first rotation and she is currently situated on the 9th floor.
Keryn Negri started with us last week as our new Executive Director and she has hit the ground running and is relishing the new challenge. She has already met many staff and will continue to make this a priority as she settles in over the next few weeks.
Jim