Dean's Report

While we are all appreciating the easing of restrictions in Victoria, it is important that we continue to follow the University’s COVID-19 guidelines, which are based on the latest government information. Currently, the advice is that if you can work from home then you should. Hopefully, these restrictions will be lifted in the coming days, and we will be able to come back to campus and, importantly, welcome more of our students back to MGSE. It is imperative that we maintain our vigilance where COVID-19 is concerned and use QR codes for each University building we visit, wear our masks, continue monitoring exposure sites, and if you have any symptoms no matter how mild, not come to campus. I know we are all looking forward to resuming something approaching ‘normal’ life and I would encourage all staff who are eligible to be vaccinated to do so – you can book an appointment on the Victorian Government’s coronavirus website.

Open Day 2021

One of the most consistently impacted areas of work across the University during the pandemic have been the scheduling of events. In-person events are planned, and then new clusters and lockdowns occur, and staff quickly must adjust their plans. Open Day  2021 is a case in point. The University was hoping that this year we could once again showcase our outstanding grounds, buildings and staff on one day but the recent lockdowns, and the concerning NSW Delta cluster, has meant some readjustment to the program. Open Day 2021 will now include a range of online and on campus experiences across August and September, starting with a live online event on 22 August with pre-recorded videos available on demand:  smaller on campus Explore Tours will start from mid-September.

MGSE Awards evening

Another casualty of the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 this year is our MGSE Awards evening. While we were hoping to hold an in-person event to mark this important event, this is no longer possible. Instead, we will have a virtual ceremony on Thursday 26 August at 6 pm, broadcast on our YouTube channel. If you have already registered this will be carried across to the digital event, and if not, you can register here. A great deal of work is going into producing an entertaining celebration of our student and staff achievements, and my thanks goes to our events team who, over the past 18 months, have been dealing with constant change with much grace.

Academic Promotions

My warmest congratulations to our MGSE staff who have recently been promoted to Senior Lecturer or Senior Research Fellow, Level C:

  • Dr Natasha Ziebell - Educational Leadership
  • Dr Emily Wilson - Arts & Creative Education
  • Dr Annie Gowing - Wellbeing, Policy & Pathways
  • Dr Matt Harrison - Learning Interventions
  • Dr Sarah Truman - Language & Literacy Education
  • Dr Sonja Arndt - Early Childhood Education
  • Dr Ryan Dunn - Maths, Science & Technology Education
  • Dr Babak Dadvand - Wellbeing, Policy & Pathways

All of these academics deserve this acknowledgement of their outstanding work, and I would also like to thank all of those staff who were not successful this time around for the significant time and effort they invested in their applications.

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

Today marks the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day with a theme of Proud in culture, strong in spirit. The 4th of August was originally chosen to celebrate the birthdays of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from the Stolen Generations who never knew their birth date. This year’s theme aims to celebrate the importance of supporting strong family and community connections for children to achieve strong spiritual and cultural identities. Today is an ideal time to view the videos that highlight MGSE’s partnership with the Yambirrpa schools in North East Arnhem Land, where some of our final year students have the opportunity to connect with and learn from Yolnu educators, students and the wider community.

Jim