2011 News Archive
Staff Promotions
Please congratulate the following colleagues who have been promoted to Lecturer or Senior Lecturer, effective 1 January 2012. To be promoted, colleagues need to be considered “outstanding” in at least one of the areas of research, teaching and service.
- Promoted to Senior Lecturer
- Dr Kathleen Butler
- Dr Joseph Mintoff
- Dr Michael Ondaatje
- Dr Marie-Laure Vuaille-Barcan
- Promoted to Lecturer
- Ms Kylie Agllias
2011 'Vice-Chancellors Awards
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Researcher of the Year, presented to the most outstanding applicant for a Faculty award. The Awards are based on the excellence of the nominee's best research output (usually a research publication) in the previous calendar year. For the current round, this means the best research publication published in 2010.
- Dr Michael Ondaatje
Ondaatje Michael L. (2010) Black Conservative Intellectuals in Modern America, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
The Vice-Chancellor's Award for Supervision Excellence is then presented to the most outstanding application received for a Faculty award.
- Dr Keri Glastonbury
Recognition of Excellence
Congratulations to Keri Glastonbury, who has been awarded a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Supervision Excellence for 2011; this award also puts Keri in the running for an overall Vice-Chancellor's award for Supervision Excellence.
Congratulatulations also to Michael Ondaatje, who has been awarded The Vice-Chancellors Award for Research Excellence, for 'excellence in outstanding early career and mid-career researchers'. Michael received the award for his book, Black Conservative Intellectuals in Modern America (2010).
Both these awards are testimony to the quality of the academic life in our School.
Farewell Professor Tarrant!
Prof. Harold Tarrant has retired as UoN Professor of Classics. The School Board on Wednesday 2 November adopted by acclamation a unanimous vote of thanks to Harold for his 18 years of dedicated service to the University, the School and the Classics discipline. Although Harold and his wife Judith are returning to the UK, we are confidant that they will maintain links with UoN. Below is a brief biographical note on Harold kindly provided by Hugh Lindsay:
Harold Tarrant came to Newcastle as Professor of Classics and successor to Godfrey Tanner in 1993. He was trained in Durham and Cambridge and had been on the staff at University of Sydney, where he developed his specialisation in Plato and ancient Platonism. He has additional interests in the whole gamut of ancient intellectual life, as well as dramatic and narrative literature, especially the ancient novel. He has an impressive publication record culminating recently in the publication of a selection of his best known papers as From the Old Academy to Later Neo-Platonism: Studies in the History of Platonic Thought, Ashgate 2010. During his years at Newcastle he has also had a total of 21 grants including an ARC Discovery Grant for the years 2009-2011 under the title Academies under Stress: the Reinvention and Survival of Platonist Schools, 360BC-AD565, conducted in conjunction with Associate Professor Dirk Baltzly, Associate Professor Eugenio Benitez, Professor Francois Renaud, and Dr Julius Rocca. As well as the role of Head of Classics, he took on the significant administrative role of Head of the School of Liberal Arts between 2002-2005, a role he vacated when the present system was instituted. He has been a great supporter of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, and was asked to give their annual Athens lecture in 2006. He has had many international invitations, and has edited and is on the board of significant journals. He has been a major figure at international conferences on ancient philosophy and has been an executive member of the International Plato Society. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
Welcome Dr Tamara Blakemore
A warm welcome to Dr Tamara Blakemore who has recently taken up her position as Lecturer in Social Work. Tamara comes to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences with a background spanning Social Work practice, policy and research. For the past seven years Tamara has worked for the Federal Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) as a senior research and policy analyst. During this time Tamara worked intensively on the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and is acknowledged as a leading expert in its use for social policy research. Tamara holds adjunct and associate positions with the University of South Australia and Macquarie University. Her research interests centre around the lived experience of disadvantage for children and families, child protection and resilience.
Vice-Chancellor’s Award for General Staff Excellence in 2011
Please join me in congratulating Helen Moffatt, assistant to Alistair Rolls, DHOS RT, who has received a Vice-Chancellors Award for General Staff Excellence in 2011. The Award formally acknowledges, and rewards, outstanding performance by general staff across the University.
Helen works tirelessly on behalf of and liaising with our RHD students, for most of whom she is the first port of call when they need assistance or advice.
Thoroughly deserved Helen.
World-renowned sociologist to lead FEUDA
The University of Newcastle today announced the appointment of its new Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Education and Arts, Professor John Germov. University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Saunders, said Professor Germov has a distinguished academic career as an internationally-recognised sociologist, with 16 books and 86 other publications to date.
“His market-leading text Public Sociology: An Introduction to Australian Society (2007) has shaped the way sociology is taught and studied in Australia,” Professor Saunders said. “The University is privileged to have someone of Professor Germov’s calibre leading the Faculty of Education and Arts. The University will be strengthened by his vision for the faculty to be a leader in interdisciplinary collaboration in research, teaching and international engagement.”
Professor Germov joined the University in 1993 as a lecturer. He was appointed Head of the School of Humanities and Social Science in 2008 and has been Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Education of Arts since October 2010. Professor Germov said it was a privilege to be appointed to lead education and arts at the University of Newcastle.
“I’m motivated by ‘making a difference’ to people’s lives," he said. "By enhancing the student and staff experience, we can collectively add value to the social and cultural life of our community, and prepare graduates who are work-ready global citizens. The key areas of our Faculty - education, the creative arts, humanities and social sciences - have much to contribute to understanding our future and addressing the world’s problems.”
Since 2009 Professor Germov has been the Secretary of the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the national body on research and teaching in humanities and social sciences. He is a former President of the Australian Sociological Association, serving on its executive for 12 years. He has also served as an executive board member of the International Sociological Association. In 2010, his professional service was recognised in a prestigious national honour, the Outstanding Service to the Australian Sociological Association Award.
Equity Research Fellowship Success
Congratulations to Dr Melanie Boursnell, Lecturer in Sociology, who has been awarded a University of Newcastle Equity Research Fellowship for 2012. In the course of her Fellowship, Melanie will be undertaking a project on
'Intergenerational impact of adverse childhood incidents on older women: life course perspectives.'
This is a very competitive, prestigious award for Melanie, the School and the Faculty.
Click here for more information
Congratulations Speech Pathology
Please join with me in congratulating Sally Hewat, Elizabeth Spencer, Alison Ferguson, Joanne Walters, Annemarie Laurence, who have just won a Work Integrated Learning Staff Member/Team of the Year Award for 2011.
UoN's Work Integrated Learning Staff Member/Team of the Year Awards formally recognise and reward outstanding performance by staff/team who have achieved excellence in terms of research into WIL activity which will directly benefit the University and/or have provided our students with opportunities for meaningful WIL based activities which have enriched and enhanced the student learning experience.
The Awards will be presented by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Nicholas Saunders at a ceremony at the University Gallery, Callaghan campus, on Monday 12 September.
The Award is a credit to the hard working Speech Pathology discipline and the School as a whole.
Well done Guowu Jiang!
The School would like to congratulate Guowu Jiang from Linguistics on his excellent performance in the University final of the Three-Minute Thesis competition. The quality of presentations was very high and included topics that resonate all too well with the public, including cancer, technological advances and, amazingly, even world peace! As it turned out not even world peace could compete with neuro-science and oncology, which, of course, left little elbow room for the linguist. And yet, Guowo would certainly have won the people's choice award for his turbo-charged performance: he got far more applause from the (very large) audience than any other speaker.
So, well done Guowu for doing such a great job for Linguistics and the School.
ALTC Success!
The Australian Learning and Teaching Council have announced the successful applicants for 2011 Teaching Excellence Awards.
I have much pleasure in advising that Dr Michael Ondaatje, Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, Faculty of Education and Arts has been awarded an ALTC Teaching Excellence Award in the Early Career category.
Awards for Teaching Excellence celebrate teachers (individuals and teams) renowned for teaching excellence, who have outstanding presentation skills, and who have made a significant contribution to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching in higher education.
The University of Newcastle submitted 4 nominations for the awards. All nominees have been invited to attend the national Citations and Awards Ceremony at the Sydney Opera House on 16 August 2011.
The University congratulates Michael on his success!
Click here for more information
Recent staff promotions
Congratulations to the following colleagues who have been promoted to Associate Professor or Professor, effective 1 July 2011.
To be promoted, colleagues need to be considered ‘outstanding’ in at least one of the areas of research, teaching and service. Of those promoted, 2 were outstanding in all areas, 9 were outstanding in two areas and 8 were outstanding in one area. Overall, 55% and 74% of those promoted had, respectively, teaching and research as at least one of their outstanding areas.
Congratulations to the following two promotions to Associate Professor within the School
- Associate Professor Roger Markwick
- Associate Professor Debbie Plath
Philosophy and film database
The School would like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr Chris Falzon in setting-up a philosophy and film database which lists numerous films and other visual materials useful for teaching philosophy. This database used to be hosted on the ANU website but has now been re-established at Newcastle with the help of Lyn Keily at the Auchmuty library.
The Philosophy and Film Database contains details of around 500 films which can be used to enhance philosophy teaching at all levels. In addition, a small number of entries list other available visual material, including television shows and filmed interviews
Click here to visit the database
2010 Unijobs Lecturer of the Year
Staff from our School made up an impressive 50% of the Top Ten list of the 2010 Unijobs Lecturer of the Year for the University of Newcastle. A hearty congratulations the following:
- Marguerite Johnson
- Michael Ondaatje
- Jane Bellemore
- Rebecca Beirne
- Debbi Long
Click here to visit the Unijobs Lecturer of the Year Results
2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
Please join with me in congratulating David Musgrave, Lecturer in English based at our Ourimbah campus, whose novel Glissando has recently been short-listed for the 2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards for fiction.
This is a wonderful achievement, of which David, the School and the University can be truly proud.
Click here for more information
Indigenous Poetry
On 22 May Keri Glastonbury organised a launch of the groundbreaking anthology of poetry by Indigenous poets "this country anytime anywhere." The event, a collaboration between Wollotuka, the School and the Hunter Writers Centre, enjoyed marvellous turnout.
Feminist fighter speaks to future generations
The stories and memorabilia of one of Australia’s renowned campaigners of feminism has been collected and preserved for the first time.
‘Archiving Australian Feminism’ is a living history project built around Merle Thornton, a well-known activist of the 1960s who famously chained herself to Brisbane’s Regatta Hotel to protest the exclusion of women from public bars. This event has been widely recognised as one of the most defining moments of the feminist movement in Australia.
The project preserves Ms Thornton’s personal archive of records, letters, petitions, film scripts and press clippings. The collection will be handed over to the National Library of Australia.
Associate Professor Maryanne Dever from the University of Newcastle and Dr Margaret Henderson from the University of Queensland have been interviewing Ms Thornton to record her story and address the gaps in the formal records that detail women’s grass-roots activism in Australia.
Prestigious appointments for Newcastle researchers
Two senior University of Newcastle academics have been recognised for their contribution to the study of humanities with roles on prestigious higher education bodies.
Sociology Professor, Lisa Adkins, has been appointed to the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts, in the Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences discipline group that assess applications for National Competitive Grants Program.
She will also travel to Canada at the end of the year to research how the recent global financial crisis can be used to prompt a rethink on the relationship between gender, work and time as part of a visiting fellowship from McGill University’s Institute for Gender Sexuality and Feminist Studies, in Montreal.
Senior lecturer in history and Deputy Head of School Teaching and Learning at the University’s Central Coast campus, Dr Josephine May, has been elected President of the Australian and New Zealand History and Education Society, which collects and distributes information relating to study, teaching and research in the history of education.
Click here for more information
Researcher to interpret entrepreneurship across cultural borders
Looking for links between Indigenous entrepreneurs in Europe and the Pacific Rim is at the centre of unique research by an award-winning University of Newcastle academic.
Professor Dennis Foley will conduct his research in Ireland as part of the Australian Government?s Endeavour Awards for Indigenous Australians, an internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for Australian scholars to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia and overseas.
Click here for more information
2010 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence
Congratulations to Dr Michael Ondaatje for recieving the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence in 2010. These awards honour our outstanding teachers and recognise individuals who have made a substantial contribution to enhancing the quality of learning and teaching at the University of Newcastle. Recipients are formally acknowledged at a 2011 graduation ceremony.
Promotion success
Please congratulate the following colleagues who have been promoted to Lecturer or Senior Lecturer, effective 1 January 2011. To be promoted, colleagues need to be considered “outstanding” in at least one of the areas of research, teaching and service.
Promoted to Lecturer
- Dr Seyed Abdolhamed Hosseini Faradonbeh
Promoted to Senior Lecturer
- Dr James Bennett
- Dr Nancy Cushing
- Dr Christopher Falzon
- Dr Sally Hewat
- Dr Bill Palmer
- Dr Shigeru Sato
Well-Regarded HASS Lecturer
Congratulations to Alex Beveridge for being voted the Favourite HASS Lecturer of 2010.
The following Lecturers deserve special mention for the high number of votes they received.
- Chris Falzon
- Mitchell Hobbs
- Michael Ondaatje
- Sharon Walsh
- Emma Kirby
Click here to view all nominations at our Student and Staff Awards page
