1,400 students from around Australia and the world set to graduate
More than 1,400 students will celebrate the culmination of their studies at the University of Newcastle graduation ceremonies this week.
Ceremonies will commence at the Great Hall, Callaghan campus on Wednesday 12 July, with School of Nursing students the first to cross the stage.
Among them will be Consultant Liaison Nurse at Alice Springs Hospital, Sonia Bayley, who is part of the graduating cohort of Master of Mental Health Nursing students. Sonia helps assess patients with physical health conditions, for underlying mental health conditions and wanted to pursue postgraduate study to progress to more senior roles in her career.
The University of Newcastle is home to the largest Master of Mental Health Nursing program in Australia, with close to 400 students graduating annually and 1000 currently enrolled.
Sonia said she chose to study at the University of Newcastle because of the flexibility to tailor the curriculum to suit her preferred subspeciality – forensics and epidemiology, and it came highly recommended.
“I emailed the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses about studying at the University of Newcastle, and they said it was a great curriculum so that was very reassuring,” Sonia said.
“We’re very short staffed in Alice Springs. Having this specialised training will go a long way to help the community we care for.”
Sonia is one of the many graduates of this internationally recognised, online program who is flying interstate to attend graduation, and hear from occasional speaker Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer for NSW Health, Jacqui Cross.
Convenor of Master of Mental Health Nursing, Professor Rhonda Wilson said there has been a rapid rise in demand for the program over the last decade – with enrolment numbers tripling in the last five years.
“Our Master of Mental Health Nursing graduates are highly skilled to provide specialist treatment and care to the growing number of Australians with mental health conditions.
“With financial stress from the rising cost of living, and delay in accessing face-to-face services during Covid-19 lockdowns, there has been an acceleration of people in Australia presenting with mental health conditions to our health services.
“We’re leading the discipline of mental health nursing education in Australia. Our program is sought after by registered nurses to become specialised in mental health nursing in Australia and internationally,” Professor Wilson said.
Climbing 19 places in the recently announced 2024 QS World University Rankings, the University of Newcastle is ranked equal 173rd in the world.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO said the graduating students have studied at one of the best universities in the world.
“Our strong links with industry and focus on work integrated learning means our graduates can walk into jobs with the reassurance that they are ready to enter the workforce and make a difference,” Professor Zelinsky said.
“We are immensely proud to celebrate each and every one of our graduating students. I also welcome them as they now join our global network almost 169,000 alumni who stretch across 153 countries around the globe.”
“Every graduate has had a unique experience and no matter what path they have taken to reach this point, they have all shown dedication, commitment and resilience. For anyone who is feeling inspired by the stories of this cohort of graduates, we invite you to join us at Central Coast Open Day on 29 July or Newcastle Open Day on 26 August.”
Go to Newcastle.edu.au/open-day to learn more.
Study Master of Mental Health Nursing
Read more about our graduates:
- A midwife's passion is born | Agatha was 11 years old and living in her home country, Nigeria, West Africa, when she learnt first-hand what a midwife was. Now she holds a record of delivering 84 babies in one year.
- Development Studies graduate makes a global mark | A study immersion trip to Samoa reassured Nick he was on the right path. Through a work integrated learning opportunity, he has helped improve education outcomes in Nepal.
- Gommeroi woman draws inspiration from her community to make change| Global Indigenous Studies graduate, Kyiesha, was inspired by her Nan to improve outcomes for her community. She was instrumental in the creation of the Indigenous Business Handbook - a guide to help First Nations' business owners understand legal obligations.
University Medalists Awardees
Congratulations to the following students who will be awarded University medals:
- Natalie Gray B Nutrition & Dietetics (Honours)
- Alex Delbridge B Physiotherapy (Honours)
- Chloe Eather B Medical Radiation Science (Honours) (Diagnostic Radiography)
- Kirah-Lee Thomas B Occupational Therapy (Honours)
- Mitchell Burton B Medical Radiation Science (Honours) (Nuclear Medicine)
- Odessa Mullin B Biomedical Science (Honours)
- Elyse Mead B Medical Science (Honours)
- Shivani B Education (Secondary) (Honours)
- Tina Graham B Teach (Technology) (Honours)
- Carly Matthews B Education (Primary) (Honours)
- Hannah Titchmarsh B Teaching (Early Child & Prim) (Honours)
- Jemma Gillard B Natural History Illustration (Honours)
- Shea Evans B Arts (Honours)
- Jackson Turton B Arts (Honours)
- Ashleigh Kirkland B Mechanical Engineering (Honours)
- Ashleigh Kirkland B Mechatronics Engineering (Honours)
- Hunter Bake-Smith B Aerospace Systems Engineering (Honours)
- Alexander Bennett B Engineering (Honours) (Environmental)
- Nicholas Gilbert B Civil Engineering (Honours)
- Douglas Pianta B Surveying (Honours)
- Claudia Smith Master of Architecture
- Jessica Haugh B Renewable Energy Eng (Honours)
- Thomas Vanderberg B Science (Honours)
- Myles Egan B Development Studies (Honours)
- Aditya Joshi B Mathematics (Honours)
Ceremony Times and Dates
Ceremony | Information |
10am Wednesday 12 July | College of Health, Medicine and WellbeingSchool of Nursing and Midwifery (all programs, excluding B Midwifery, M Midwifery and M Nursing) |
2pm Wednesday 12 July | College of Health, Medicine and WellbeingSchool of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy (all programs), School of Health Science (all programs), School of Medicine and Public Health, + B Midwifery, M Midwifery, M Nursing excluded from above. Occasional speaker: Emeritus Professor Nicholas Saunders AO |
10am Thursday 13 July | College of Human and Social Futures Occasional speaker: Mr Murat Dizdar, Acting Secretary NSW Department of Education
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2pm Thursday 13 July | College of Human and Social Futures Graduate speaker: Claire Dudgeon,Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) & Uni Medal and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) with Honours Class I
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6pm Thursday 13 July | College of Human and Social Futures |
10am Friday 14 July | College of Engineering, Science and Environment |
2pm Friday 14 July | College of Engineering, Science and Environment |
Contact
- Communications Coordinator, Penny Harnett
- Phone: (02) 4921 6779
- Email: penny.harnett@newcastle.edu.au
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.