Macquarie Matters » FROM THE VC’S DESK

Reconciliation at Wallumattagal Campus

Yue Zhang — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 01:31:04 +0000

On the occasion of National Reconciliation Week, please acknowledge and celebrate with me Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture at Macquarie University. At Macquarie we are committed to reconciliation between Australia’s First Nations peoples and those who came after them. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make an important contribution to our University. It is a place where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture forms an integral part of our learning, teaching, research and community engagement. We respect and have long valued knowledge from the world’s oldest continuous living culture. We recognise the value and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and understand reconciliation is a mutual process in which all staff can participate. This year marks a new beginning and underscores our commitment to reconciliation. The University Council in April voted to adopt a new name for our main campus, Wallumattagal, recognising the traditional custodians of the land, the Wallumattagal clan of the Dharug Nation. Join me on this journey as we deepen ties with each other and grow our understanding of the original culture that has had unbroken ties to this land for more than 60,000 years. Sincerely, Professor S Bruce Dowton Vice-Chancellor, Macquarie University

New Executive Dean appointed for the Faculty of Science and Engineering

Yue Zhang — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 02:04:52 +0000

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton announced last week the appointment of Professor Lucy Marshall as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, commencing 10 November 2022.

Professor Marshall joins Macquarie from the University of New South Wales, where she is Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Engineering, and Director of the Water Research Centre in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Professor Marshall’s research expertise is in hydrology and water resources, environmental model optimisation and quantification of uncertainty in water resources analysis. She is a leading Australian expert on the assessment of uncertainty in water resources engineering, and more specifically in the application of Bayesian methods for model inference and calibration. “We look forward to welcoming Professor Marshall to the Macquarie community. Her appointment brings a strong vision for continued success and innovation within the Faculty of Science and Engineering,” said Professor Dowton. Professor Marshall completed her undergraduate, Masters and PhD degrees at UNSW before moving to Montana State University in 2006 as an Assistant Professor of Watershed Analysis, where she worked at the interface of engineering and environmental science in quantifying uncertainty in hydrologic and environmental systems. She returned to UNSW as an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow in 2013. In 2018, she was appointed as the first Associate Dean (Equity and Diversity) at UNSW where she pursued a broad portfolio aimed at student and staff equity, diversity and inclusion. Professor Dowton commended Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes, who has been acting in the role as Interim Executive Dean since April 2022. “I take this opportunity also to thank Distinguished Professor Lesley Hughes for her contribution as interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in recent months. It has been a pleasure to have Distinguished Professor Hughes as part of the Executive Group for this time and we wish her well in her retirement.” Following Distinguished Professor Hughes’ retirement later this month, Professor David Coutts, the current Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, has kindly agreed to serve in the role of interim Executive Dean until Professor Marshall joins the University in November.

Professor Rorden Wilkinson joins Macquarie University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Yue Zhang — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 01:43:42 +0000

Professor Rorden Wilkinson, an expert on international trade, global governance and international development, has been appointed as Macquarie University’s new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).

He will join the University in September 2022 from the University of New South Wales, where he is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Education & Student Experience and Professor of International Political Economy. Professor Wilkinson is a passionate advocate for increasing access to higher education and a champion of the role universities play in transforming lives worldwide. His leadership interests lie in educational innovation, experiential learning, digital technologies, mental health and wellbeing, and the value of student participation in all aspects of university life. Before joining UNSW, Professor Wilkinson was Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education and Innovation, and Professor of Global Political Economy, at the University of Sussex, UK. Prior to that he was Professor of International Political Economy and Research Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester, UK, where he was based for 17 years. He has held visiting positions at, among other institutions, Brown University, USA, Wellesley College, USA, and the Australian National University. Professor Wilkinson’s research expertise covers international trade, global governance and international development with a particular interest in least developed countries, and institutional and global crises. He is also interested in the relationship between popular culture and global politics, both inside and beyond the classroom. Professor Wilkinson will also join Macquarie University as a Professor of International Political Economy within the Faculty of Arts. “Professor Wilkinson’s skill set and experience closely aligns with Macquarie’s goals of truly putting students first and I very much look forward to welcoming him to the University,” says Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor S Bruce Dowton. Professor Rorden Wilkinson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

Vice-Chancellor’s video update for alumni

Jackie Gent — Mon, 25 May 2020 01:01:20 +0000

A video message to the alumni community from Professor S Bruce Dowton, Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University

Macquarie alumni feature in 2019 Australia Day honours

Jackie Gent — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 04:50:33 +0000

Macquarie alumni were recognised for their contributions to a range of endeavours in the 2019 Australia Day Honours. Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes at UNSW, Professor Andrew J Pitman (PCEdLeadership /HE 2001) received the Officer of the Order of Australia award for distinguished service to science as a leading researcher, particularly of climate systems and the environment. The Macquarie University alumni Australia Day Honours recipients:

Ms Jennifer Star OAM (BA Hons 2010) for service to education.
Mr Ross Walker OAM (PDEnvStud 1997) for service to the community of Beecroft.
Mr Stephen Milgate AM (BA/DipEd 1975) for significant service to medical professional associations, and to the community.
Dr Ian Thorpe AM (DLITT Honoris Causa 2014) for significant service to youth and Indigenous education through charitable initiatives, and to swimming.
Professor Andrew Pitman AO (PCEdLeadership /HE 2001) for distinguished service to science as a leading researcher, particularly of climate systems and the environment.
Professor Lyndall Ryan AM (PhD 1976) for significant service to higher education, particularly to Indigenous history and women's studies.
Mr Ted Waters OAM (BA/MBA 1975) for service to the community through a range of organisations.
Dr Joy Goodfellow AM (BA 1978) for significant service to early childhood education, to children with special needs, and to professional standards.
Mr David Oates ACM (GCertPublicSector 2008)
Major James Burchmore CSM (BPsych /Hons 2002) for meritorious achievement in the development and implementation of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives for the Australian Defence force.
Dr Christine Townend OAM (BA /Hons 1987) for service to animal welfare.
Dr Leonard Fisher OAM (BA 1988) for service to science through a range of roles.
Mr Raymond Harding AM (MA 2013 /PhD 2018) for significant service to the broadcast media, particularly as a script writer and producer for television.

Macquarie University congratulates each alumnus and member of staff for their exceptional contributions to our communities.

Discover ‘You to the Power of Us’ – Macquarie’s new ad campaign

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 02:39:47 +0000

[caption id="attachment_3405" align="alignnone" width="743"] You to the Power of Us[/caption] If you've visited the cinema or checked your social media feeds recently, you might see some familiar faces pop up on the big screen, with some of Macquarie’s notable researchers featuring in the University’s new advertising campaign. Focusing on the power of human collaboration to achieve outcomes and impact, the campaign launch is a major milestone in the University’s ongoing ‘Shared Identity’ project, which aims to improve Macquarie’s distinctiveness in the higher education sector. The new brand campaign highlights Macquarie’s research impact, particularly how the collective power of business, research and academia can solve real-world problems. The research stories that feature in the brand campaign demonstrate how Macquarie is a place of collaborative innovation:

Additional impact collaborations will highlight unique elements of the Macquarie learning experience, including PACE and the global exchange program. ‘You to the Power of Us’ campaigns will be shown in cinemas, digital and outdoor for the remainder of the year. Let us know what you think below.

Macquarie alumni feature in 2018 Australia Day honours

Jeff Hargrave — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 02:54:58 +0000

Twenty Macquarie alumni were recognised for their contributions to a range of endeavours in the 2018 Australia Day Honours. Former Australian netball captain and champion, broadcaster and media commentator, Liz Ellis (B Arts / LLB 1997), and Industrial Relations academic, Emeritus Professor Russell Lansbury (Doctor of Laws (HonorisCausa) 2005), received the Officer of the Order of Australia award. The Macquarie University alumni Australia Day Honours recipients:

Mark Anderson AM (B Arts / Dip Ed 1980) for significant service to secondary education in New South Wales through administrative and executive roles, and to educational standards.
Warren Atkins OAM (M Arts 1970) for service to mathematics education
John Bateman OAM (B Arts / LLB 1981) for service to local government, and to the community of Nepean.
Dr Caroline Bowen AM (PhD 1996) for significant service to speech pathology and clinical linguistics as a therapist, academic, educator and mentor.
Emeritus Professor Shelley Burgin AM (PhD 1989) for significant service to environmental science and education as an academic, author, and mentor, and to zoology and conservation.
Dr Sharyn Eaton OAM for service to chiropractic medicine, and to education.
Elizabeth (Liz) Ellis AO (B Arts / LLB 1997) for distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach, through support and advocacy for young women, as a contributor to the broadcast and print media industries, and to the community.
Emeritus Professor Russell Lansbury AO (Doctor of Laws (HonorisCausa) 2005) for distinguished service to industrial relations education as an academic, researcher and author, through contributions to international arbitration foundations, and as a mentor of young academics.
Dr Ross Littlewood AM (B Arts 2016) for significant service to medicine as an ophthalmologist, to professional medical organisations, and to the international community of Timor Leste.
Associate Professor Henrietta Marrie AM (M Environmental and Local Government 1999) for significant service to the community as an advocate for Indigenous cultural heritage and intellectual property rights, and to education.
Dr Wilfred (Alan) Morrison AM (M Public Administration 1986) for significant service to the community through development and support for international standards, to the energy supply sector, and to engineering.
Lieutenant Commander Sandon Morrell CSM RANR (M Policing, Intelligence & Counter Terrorism / M International Security Studies 2017) for meritorious devotion to duty in the field of operational planning and implementation in direct support of Australian Defence Force operations.
Andrew Nicholls PSM (B Arts Hons 1993) for outstanding public service to transport and insurance policy development and reform in New South Wales.
John Reid PSM (B Arts / LLB Hons 2002) for outstanding public service through the provision of legal advice to the Commonwealth.
Ian Sayers ED OAM (B Arts Hons 1973) for services to veterans and their families, and to the community.
Michael Shobbrook AM (M Chiropractic 1994) for significant service to the chiropractic profession through leadership in education, accreditation and development programs.
Dr Michael Stanford AM (MBA 1991) for significant service to the health sector through executive roles, to tertiary education, and to the community of Western Australia.
Gregory Whitby AM (B Arts / Dip Ed 1976) for significant service to education in the Catholic school system as a leader, administrator, advocate and teacher.
Vivienne White AM (B Arts 1984) for significant service to education through leadership in the development of initiatives that support disadvantaged students and schools.
Professor Richard Wortley AM (PhD 1993) for significant service to criminology and psychology through the development of security and crime science education.

Friends of Macquarie were also recognised for their contributions to the community.

Angelos Frangopoulos AM for significant service to the broadcast media sector, to higher education and the promotion of journalistic standards, and to the community.
Colleen Godsell AM for significant service to youth through Scouting, and through roles with educational, historical preservation, Indigenous tourism and social welfare groups.
Peter Henchman OAM for service to conservation and the environment.
Peter Levett AFSM awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal.
Paul Robertson AM for distinguished service to the community through ethical leadership and management of, and philanthropic contributions to, health, social enterprise, research, education and arts.

Macquarie University congratulates each alumnus and member of staff for their exceptional contributions to our communities.

The Vice-Chancellor’s welcome

David Han — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 05:01:33 +0000

The first year of our second half-century saw a remarkable step change in our performance across the University. Last year we released our learning and teaching strategic framework, Learning for the future; achieved a 100 per cent rating for research at or above world standard in the Excellence in Research for Australia assessments; received five future fellowship awards from the Australian Research Council; and accepted more than $10 million in gifts and pledges from donors, partners and alumni.

Following these successes, I am very excited for this year. After the thoughtful development of our plans for the University over the past few years, we are beginning to see the fruits of labours as we put them into action. With the Learning and Teaching Framework finalised, and the Research framework well into implementation, I am looking forward to the transformation of the University that is to come.

That transformation is no more evident than in the campus itself. With the campus master plan well underway, new construction and major refurbishment projects are reshaping the University daily. The latest large-scale project will see buildings and roads renamed and new signage installed. For the first time buildings will take on a street address, with roads and avenues named accordingly. A move away from the coordinates-style building identifiers towards proper addresses – a number and a street name – will create the sense of an academic neighbourhood and foster our sense of community and ownership over our campus.

Off campus, we are strengthening our relationships with corporate partners to deliver better learning and teaching and research outcomes for our students. Google has provided more than $500,000 in support for robotics initiatives, while Johnson & Johnson supports a number of student engagement activities such as the Indigenous internship program and Women in MBA program (WiMBA) through Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM). The Optus Engineering Cadetship program commenced in July 2015, with six first-year engineering students being supported by Optus throughout their engineering degrees.

As ever, we continue to reach out to our alumni at home and around the world, and to make that connection as valuable to each of our 167,000 graduates as possible. Events in New York, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore were held last year and I enjoyed meeting so many alumni in each city. With graduates in 142 countries, I look forward to meeting our alumni wherever I travel, gaining local knowledge and insights and sharing stories of the Macquarie experience. It is an exceptional and powerful network, and I encourage you to reach out to your fellow graduates wherever you travel. Your experience at Macquarie can give you so much more than just your qualification.

I wish you the very best for the year ahead.

Professor S Bruce Dowton MD
Vice-Chancellor and President

Welcome to 2016

Martine Balit — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 04:56:53 +0000

It is a pleasure to write to you at the start of another exciting year. The campus has come back to life after the summer break, with students taking up or resuming their studies for the year. As the world of higher education continues to evolve quickly, this year promises to be full of opportunity and challenge. Increasingly, we find that universities need to be clear about their aspirations and what they plan to deliver to their stakeholders and society at large. Society urges us to do our very best to earn their trust as we prepare well-educated citizens for an unpredictable world and tackle the real problems of today and tomorrow. Our purpose to serve and engage is increasingly emboldened as we launch into a new academic year. With the array of talent and commitment to these ideals pervading the Macquarie community, I look forward to our work together as 2016 rolls out. On my webpage, I have outlined my very detailed thoughts and intentions for each area of the strategic priorities, and I encourage you to take some time to read through the work we will undertake over the coming months. The ascent of Macquarie University to greater recognition and eminence is real and on track. The commitment to our ideals, combined with dedication to excellence in all we do – not to settle for what is doable but only what is best – will sustain our continued progress. As we continue the work we have begun, I look forward to sharing our successes with you, and I hope that you will follow and take pride in our progress. With warm good wishes Professor S Bruce Dowton MD Vice-Chancellor and President

Macquarie research successes accelerate

Martine Balit — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 00:26:35 +0000

In the past few months, Macquarie University has enjoyed outstanding success in securing funding for projects with the potential for significant impact. Two illustrations of this from many recent notable examples include the accomplishments of Associate Professors Ian Blair and Phil Taylor, and their respective teams. Associate Professor Ian Blair, his research team and his collaborators were recently awarded a $6.37 million grant from the NHMRC to fund research into the common biological origins of familial and sporadic frontotemporal dementia and motor neurone disease. Professor Blair’s investigation will contribute to the treatment of these diseases, predicted to affect more than one million Australians within the next 40 years. Elsewhere on campus, Associate Professor Phil Taylor and his team received a landmark co-investment of $20.5 million, agreed between Macquarie University and Horticulture Innovation Australia. The team will focus on developing an effective program to curb the prevalence of fruit flies in Australia that presents a $9 billion biosecurity challenge to Australian horticulture. These projects and many others like them reflect the significant research-intensive efforts of Macquarie staff that resulted in an 18 per cent increase in external research funding last year. But these financial successes are not the only signs of our accelerating accomplishments in the academic domain. For example, in late July this year our researchers, students and industry partners gathered for the official launch of the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Molecular Technology in the Food Industry, located here on campus; and our 16 finalists for the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are yet another endorsement of our growing reputation for excellence. The confidence of funding bodies in our research potential is a crucial element for our continued success. The prowess of our staff and our growing reputation for impactful and innovative research encourages continued funding and presents us with new and exciting opportunities for continued, impactful success. I am proud to lead this community, and to share with you the fruits of our labours. I hope that you, too, can be proud of your part in the great legacy that we continue to build together. In other news, congratulations to Dr Denis Crowdy and his team on being awarded a research grant for their project "Music, Mobile Phones and Community Justice In Melanesia".