It gives me great pleasure to see that Australian Catholic University (ACU National) has achieved a number of coveted 'five-star' performance ratings in the 2010 edition of The Good Universities Guide.

The University performed particularly well in the area of Indigenous participation, with four out of the six campuses receiving the highest ratings in their individual states for this category. Similarly, the University performed strongly in the areas of access and equity and proportion given credit for TAFE studies.

While we strive to excel in all areas, I am especially delighted to see the University perform so well in categories highlighted by the Bradley Review into Higher Education – namely that 40 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds be university-educated by 2025.

A significant, if not the main factor towards achieving this goal, will be ensuring that all students have equitable access to higher education and several programs at ACU National have been designed specifically with this in mind.

One of these initiatives is the Early Achievers’ Program, which considers the achievements and community contributions of prospective students as part of the application process. Taking into account a student’s character and individuality is integral to the social justice and service obligations of a Catholic university.

The program was an instant success with over 1000 applicants in its first year.  It is open to both school leavers and non-school leavers and we already have over 1200 applicants for 2010.

As these wonderful young people progress through their first year of university, they continue to demonstrate the qualities that we aspire to witness in all our students – they are independent and articulate thinkers, with an enthusiasm to succeed, and the desire to make the less fortunate a priority in their lives. Late applications for the program will be accepted until 6 November, 2009.

Another program, in its inaugural year, is accessACU – an entry scheme that grants bonus points to current Year 12 students based on a number of factors outside their admission score. The first of these is subject bonus, for students who excelled in a particular subject at school and wish to further their study in this area at university.

The second is geographical bonus, where extra points are awarded for students who live near one of our campuses. The third and final is special access scheme, for students who have experienced some kind of educational disadvantage in Years 11 and 12.

Providing the opportunity for higher education, regardless of background or beliefs, is strongly aligned with the University’s Mission to foster and advance knowledge, and make a specific contribution to its local, national and international communities.

It is only by encouraging all students to strive for higher education that we can hope to achieve the Rudd Government’s ambitious target of 40 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds being university-educated by 2025.
 

It’s ‘decision’ time again, when higher education students get the chance to reconsider the choices they’ve made when applying for university, and look at other new and exciting opportunities.

Australian Catholic University (ACU National) will be holding information sessions throughout December to assist students with the application process. These sessions provide an opportunity for potential students and parents to speak directly with current students, lecturers and course coordinators about their particular area of interest.

ACU National Vice-Chancellor, Professor Greg Craven, said change of preference was the perfect time for future students to assess their choices, get further advice, and even look at different ways to get into a course.

“University will be a huge change in your life that combines hard work with a lot of fun,” he said. “With most degree courses being either three of four years, it’s essential to make sure you have picked the right degree.”

“And if you didn’t get in, don’t panic - contact the University and ask about pathway options, or to learn about other courses that you hadn’t even thought of yet,” he added.

The information sessions are designed to support and inform students on how they can reassess their preferences for university as they go through the application process.

Once the initial application is submitted through the relevant Tertiary Admissions Centres, students have until Wednesday 6 January 2010 to finalise their choices. 

Tthe North Sydney Campus Information Session will be held on Friday 18 December at 2pm. The Strathfield Information Session will be held on Thursday 17 Decemeber at 2pm.

For further information, call us on 1300 ASK ACU (1300 275 228) or contact your local Marketing Officer.
 
 

Despite study pressures of the Higher School Certificate, sport commitments and having to wear a sling for three months after a shoulder injury, Strathfield Campus student Anthony Calavassy still found time to volunteer during Year 12.

So when it came to applying for university, he knew that the Early Achievers’ Program at ACU National would take into account these community contributions.

The popular program, now in its second year, offers places to students who demonstrate a commitment to their communities as well as their studies.

“During year 12 I worked with young and disadvantaged children, teaching them basic football skills through NSW Rugby Union,” Anthony said.

Now in his first year of a Bachelor of Teaching / Bachelor of Arts, the 20-year-old hopes to become a woodwork teacher.

“I would really recommend the Early Achievers’ Program to anyone thinking about applying, who has studied hard at school but also given something back to the community,” Anthony said. “My volunteer work really helped me to secure a place, and it was great that it was appreciated.”

 Australian Catholic University has launched its newest postgraduate degree, the Master of Social Work.

The Master of Social Work focuses on the professional values and practices of the social work profession, with a strong commitment to ethical practice, human rights and social justice. It will be available from 2010 at the University’s Brisbane, Canberra and Strathfield campuses.

The course prepares students to practice in a wide range of social work roles in both direct and indirect practice including counselling casework and case management, social policy and planning, research and evaluation, community development and administration.

Dr Patricia Hansen, Head of the School of Social Work, commented on the need for a Masters program.

“There is a growing trend in the social work industry for universities to offer a Master of Social Work as a qualification to enter the profession and become members of the Australian Association of Social Workers,” she said. “Some students will come into the course with more life and work experience before being exposed to the sometimes confronting circumstances a career in social work can bring.”

The two-year program includes 1000 hours of practical experience in the form of two block placements.  Through supervised practice, students will be introduced to agency work and procedures, effective practice and the dilemmas facing social workers.

ACU National will continue to offer undergraduate courses in social work including a Bachelor of Social Work (Strathfield, Brisbane and Canberra), Bachelor of Social Work/Bachelor of Theology (Strathfield, Brisbane and Canberra) and the Bachelor of Social Work/Bachelor of Arts (Strathfield and Brisbane).

Graduates of ACU National’s Master of Social Work will be eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

A postgraduate Certificate in Educational Career Development will be offered at ACU National’s Melbourne, Brisbane, and Strathfield Campus from Semester 1, 2010. 

The Certificate in Educational Career Development is aimed at secondary school teachers and individuals in the community who have the responsibility of providing information, guidance, and counselling on careers and work-related issues. 

The course will also equip participants with counselling skills for use in a career development role.

The one-year course will consist of four units, with two covered each semester. Some units will be offered on campus over two weekends and others offered over one weekend with an additional online component.

Normal entry for admission requires a Bachelor Degree in Education or a Bachelor Degree in an area other than Education and a postgraduate qualification in Education. Candidates who do not meet normal entry requirements can be considered for admission via special entry. The on-time closing date for semester 1, 2010 intake is 11 December and for 28 June 2010 for semester 2, 2010. 

For further information, please contact Mick Ryan, Course Coordinator, on (02) 9701 4134 or Mick.Ryan@acu.edu.au.

The Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) recently announced six ACU National recipients for the 2009 Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. They were:

Dr Lindsay Farrell (Brisbane Campus)
For sustained commitment to inspirational visual arts education through gallery-based programs and arts activities for equity groups.

Dr Ann Gervasoni (Ballarat Campus)
For contributions to teacher education, educational research and the development of community partnerships that enhance effective learning and teaching in mathematics education.

Dr Robyn Horner (Melbourne Campus)
For sustained and influential promotion of high standards in the design and delivery of theological education.

Dr Annette Schneider rsm (Melbourne Campus)
For modeling educational leadership in both course development and teaching, and leading eLearning at Australian Catholic University.

Dr Klaus Serr (Melbourne Campus)
For fostering student learning and constructive engagement in social justice issues through the creation of a nexus between teaching, professional practice and research.

Dr Anne Drabble, Dr Pam Hanifin, Dr Barbara Odgers, Mr Vince Geiger, Ms Rachael Jacobs (Brisbane Campus)
For sustained excellence in the development of an innovative online facility that supports professional experience for teacher education practice.

The ALTC present the Citations at a ceremony in August at the Old Parliament House in Canberra.
 

Australian Catholic University’s (ACU National) men’s AFL team won gold this month at the 2009 Australian University Games.

ACU National Campus Life coordinator, Mark Young, said the gold medal match against Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University was a tough encounter.

“We were down by three goals at half time, yet the boys managed to fight back and run away with a convincing four goal win,” he said.

Meanwhile, ACU National’s men’s touch football team placed second in the competition following a gruelling final match against New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology.

Australian University Games, held at the Gold Coast last month, is an annual event with thousands of students attending from universities across Australia and New Zealand. ACU National had a record attendance this year with over 180 students from all six campuses participating.

Teams competed in sports such as athletics, AFL, beach volleyball, netball, rugby 7s, soccer, swimming, taekwondo, touch football and ultimate frisbee.

Captain of the ACU National AFL team, Chris Dunne, along with men’s touch football players Michael Daher and Luke Eisenhuth, were selected for the national team.

“The boys were hand-picked from all of the universities competing at the Games to be part of the prestigious green and gold team and they are all well deserving of this recognition,” said Mark. 

 “All of our ACU National students pulled on the uniform and wore it with pride, remaining defiant against strong opposition and displaying empathy in their victories,” he said. “There is something very special and unique about the ACU team, we are not the largest university team, but we share in a spirit that drives our teams towards strong performances.” 

 Executive Manager of the Office of Student Success, Maria Hegerty, said involvement in Australian University Games provides students with an opportunity to meet other ACU students.

“AUG allows students from across the campuses to come together as one, in a positive, healthy and fun filled event,” she said.
 

Earlier this year, year nine student Cailin Engel was announced the New South Wales winner of The Pixel Prize - a photography competition run by Australian Catholic University and open to high school students in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

A ceremony was held at the University’s Strathfield Campus to announce the winners and open an exhibition of the finalists’ work.

Cailin, from Keira High School in Wollongong, said she was overwhelmed to have won the overall prize of $1000.

“It’s pretty awesome,” she said. “I saw the competition on Facebook and thought I may as well enter, but I didn’t expect to win. This is the first time I’ve won anything.”

Competition runners-up, Sarah Lee in the Digital Darkroom category, Mitchell Galbraith in the Place category and Rachael Hetherington in the People category, each received $200 in prize money. The $500 Strathfield Council Award was won by Alex Berlage.

ACU National Gallery Coordinator, Lachlan Warner, said he was impressed with the level of talent demonstrated by the young photographers.

“It’s a great honour to be among 60 or so fellow artists,” he said. “The apprehension and also the pleasure of putting your work up is an ongoing experience for any artist or designer.”

“It’s a really great opportunity for these young artists to put their work on display, put their name on the wall, and in a literal and metaphorical way, stand by their work, and I congratulate them all.”

Nationally, the competition received more than 380 entries.

The Pixel Prize coordinator, Alex Brisbane, said he was impressed with the large amount of entries.

“Getting your work seen by other photographers, the public and people in the industry is a very important step in pursuing photography as a career or serious hobby,” he said.

“The competition aimed to encourage the use of photography as a means of expressing thoughts, feelings and opinions through a vastly dynamic and artistic medium.”


ACU National looks forward to welcoming new submissions when the competition opens again in 2010.

 For more information visit www.thepixelprize.com.au

The centenary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop, a woman whose name has become synonymous with great vision, outstanding holiness and heroic character, was commemorated earlier this year.

For staff and students at Australian Catholic University, Blessed Mary MacKillop has special significance.

Born on 15 January 1842 in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, directly opposite the University’s Melbourne Campus, she dedicated her life to works and values which resonate deeply with the University’s mission. 

Co-founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Blessed Mary MacKillop is the only Australian to be beatified. Her order opened schools and orphanages around the country, along with facilities for the homeless and refuges for former prisoners and prostitutes looking to make a fresh start.

Her respect for the dignity of all people, her service of the disadvantaged, and her efforts to build the capacity of those communities she served are qualities which ACU National seeks to instil in its staff, students and graduates.

In the 1880’s the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph moved to a cottage in Mount Street, North Sydney, where they established a teacher training school for the Sisters.

Lay students were admitted in 1958, and the school later became the Catholic Teachers' College and in 1982 became part of the Catholic College of Education Sydney.

The campus was given the name MacKillop to identify it as part of the College and to recognise the ongoing support of the Sisters of St Joseph. At the end of 1990, the Catholic College of Education Sydney formally handed over responsibility for the College and its operations to ACU National.

In November last year, Archbishop of Sydney His Eminence Cardinal George Pell unveiled a sculpture of Blessed Mary MacKillop at the North Sydney Campus.

ACU National Vice Chancellor, Professor Greg Craven, commissioned the sculpture by artist Linda Klarfeld to celebrate the University’s history and ongoing affiliation with Blessed Mary MacKillop.

“I particularly asked that she be depicted in her later years,” Professor Craven said. “She knew this house, knew this garden. We see this as Blessed Mary MacKillop coming home to MacKillop Campus.”