CollegeDownUnder is now CampusDownUnder

AUGUST 2008

Newsworthy & Interesting

Applications are now open for January May and September 2009 intakes, as Bond has a rolling admissions system, and there is no application fee.


BOND ranks #1 for 2009

The 2009 Good Universities Guide has been released today, and the results are very pleasing once again.

Bond has received the highest rating of all Queensland Universities, after earning the maximum five-star ratings across an impressive ten key performance indicators. We were also the only university in Australia to achieve five stars across all of the educational experience and graduate outcomes categories and were rated second highest nationally (just behind the University of New South Wales which scored highly in other categories including research).

I would like to congratulate all staff for the important part they have played in helping Bond receive such a wonderful result. Our five-star performance in this independent guide is testament to the outstanding success of our graduates, our consistent focus on quality, and the commitment and dedication of our staff.

Our five-star assessment in areas such as graduate satisfaction, staff-to-student ratio, graduate starting salaries, teaching quality, getting a job and positive graduate outcomes is indicative that our unique, personalised approach to education is helping us deliver a superior quality education.

In summary, in the 2009 Good Universities Guide, Bond rates FIVE STARS for :

  • Overall Satisfaction
  • Graduate Starting Salaries
  • Teaching Quality
  • Staff Qualifications
  • Student to Staff Ratio
  • Getting a Job
  • Positive Graduate Outcomes
  • Generic Skills
  • Entry Flexibility
  • Non-Government Earnings

I am enormously proud of our performance, and take great delight in sharing this news with you. Thank you all for your continued efforts in making Bond University the upstanding educational community that we are.

Professor Robert Stable
Vice-Chancellor & President

4 August 2008

 


BOND Introduces australia's newest sustainable building
Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon. Julia Gillard MP, has today officially opened Australia’s first 6 Star, Green Star designed educational building. The Bond University Mirvac School of Sustainable Development was awarded its 6 Star, or ‘World Leadership’, status by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) for the design of its recently completed building. The 6 Star Green Star - Education PILOT Certified Rating puts Bond University, and Australia, at the forefront of world’s best practice in sustainability. The design rating is the result of a 12-month submission process Bond University undertook with GBCA as part of their Green Star pilot process for educational buildings, as one of only five education providers nationally chosen to take part. Bond University Chancellor Mr Trevor C Rowe AM stated the University is proud to be leading the way in sustainability. “This achieves the goal we shared with Mirvac to create an educational building that reflects a Living Laboratory for the advancement of teaching sustainability principles and practices, not only to Bond students but to the wider community. “We will be inviting schools, governments, industry and the general public to visit the new building and see sustainability in practice and have a hands-on experience of sustainable planning, design and construction processes,” he said.
The building has been designed to minimise energy consumption through an innovative design that makes maximum use of natural light and mixed mode ventilation. Water tanks, solar heating and a grey water recycling system means it won’t rely on the already stretched South East Queensland water supply, and the building will generate around 40 per cent of its peak power through solar cells and wind turbines. The design also made extensive use of recycled materials, including recycled-certified steel and timber, low-emission paints and carpets made from recycled fibres.




Bond's Quality Teaching Practices Recognised
Eleven Bond academics were last night awarded a total of five Citations, each valued at $10,000, for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning at an ALTC Awards Ceremony in Brisbane. ALTC Executive Director, Professor Richard Johnstone, congratulated the recipients on their long-standing contribution to the quality of student learning and said this year’s recipients were representative of the diverse range of activity taking place across the higher education sector. The Citations are part of a program of national awards designed to recognise and reward teaching excellence in the higher education sector and are granted to people who have made a significant contribution to the quality of student learning in a specific area of responsibility over a sustained period.

Vice-Chancellor of Bond University Professor Robert Stable said the receipt of five citations was testament to the University’s commitment to innovation and excellence in teaching practice and research supervision. “These citations mark another outstanding achievement for the university and our world-class academic staff, who are among the most highly qualified in the country,” he said. “To be recognised with five Citations is disproportionate to our small size, and we have again proved ourselves to be at the forefront of providing a quality educational experience for Australian and international students. “At Bond, we pride ourselves on providing a superior quality education, and to have our contribution recognised several times in a highly competitive field is a fantastic result. “The applications from our staff this year were truly of exceptional quality and indicative of the very exciting work being done in both teaching and research here at Bond University. “I congratulate our award winners and thank them for their ongoing commitment to the University and our students,” Professor Stable said. The Citation recipients for Bond University in 2008 are:

*BioSmart Team: Dr Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Professor Russ Chess Williams, Dr Kevin Ashton, Dr Peter Johnson, Mr Greg Dux and Mr John Leggett
For the implementation of the BioSmart (Scientific Methods for Analytical and Reasoning Skills and Critical Thinking) Program to enhance graduate outcomes in biomedical sciences
*Mr Baden U'Ren For significant contribution to student engagement and learning in the entrepreneurial finance domain through practical application of theoretical concepts in both curricular and extracurricular forums
*Dr Mary Power For empowerment of students through facilitation of experiential learning experiences and empowerment of university teachers through mentoring and sharing of skills in teaching and evaluation
*Dr Stuart Murray For in-class diplomacy simulations which expose students to the art of negotiation and aim to embed critical, innovative and imaginative solutions to diverse conflict resolution.
*Professor Cynthia Fisher and Professor James (Ben) Shaw For the development and sustained implementation of an action learning/consulting project for building analytical and applied skills in the introductory human resource management subject.



ANIMATION GOOROO - CAMERON EDSER

In his first year out of university, Film and Television graduate and now co-Director of GooRoo Animation, Cameron Edser has certainly made his presence felt on the international film circuit. His graduation film, Animal Instincts, has notched up awards in a number of significant industry events, including:

Skidmore International Student Film Festival, Saratoga NY – Voted by audience as second overall; Short Sited Film Festival, Wollongong Australia – National Winner, Open All Ages category; National Film Festival for Talented Youth, Seattle Washington – Awarded Jury Prize for Best Animation, as well as the Thomson Young Innovator of the Year Award.
Cameron is no stranger to success, having won his first animation award for Umbrellas at the Outback Youth Film Festival in 2002, when he was a Year 9 student at Concordia College in Adelaide.

That same year, his second film, Cows with Guns, was named Most Outstanding Film at the South Australian Young Film-Makers Awards in Adelaide and went on to win Best Non-Fiction Film at the 2003 Trinity Grammar International Student Film Festival and Best Secondary Animation Film at the 2003 Australian Teachers of Media Awards in Melbourne.
This talented and still-very-young animator first came to Bond’s attention when he entered two short films in the 2003 BUFTAs; ultimately taking out the Craft Award for Production for Bang Bang and Best Animation for Stackhat. He was back again the following year to take out Best Animation for The Cow Goat Song and, in 2005, he won Best Film and a full scholarship to study a Bachelor of Film and Television at Bond with The Bushman of Bunyip Billabong.

This quirky claymation short, based on Waltzing Matilda’s jolly swagman, continued to win awards through 2005 and 2006 at international film festivals here in Australia and in Germany, Austria, Canada and across the USA. Meanwhile, Cameron moved to the Gold Coast to start his studies at Bond where he dedicated a full year to creating his next claymation award-winner, Animal Instincts. "One of the stand-out moments at Bond would have to be Centrescreen 2007," says Cameron. "The Cerum Theatre was packed and I sat there with 500 people watching my graduation film being shown on the big screen in high definition, listening to the audience erupt in laughter and applause." During his first year at Bond, Cameron also found time to develop a proposal to open an animation studio in partnership with fellow animator, Michael Richards. The pair submitted their innovative concept to the Nescafe Big Break Competition and walked away with a major prize of $15,000 to help them turn their dream into a reality. Cameron and Michael are now co-directors of GooRoo Animation which is forging an international reputation in the wake of Animal Instincts’ success on the film festival circuit.



BOND TEAMS UP WITH IBM TO LAUNCH NEW MASTER OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Bond University has teamed up with IBM to launch a new Master of Service Management, designed to address the critical shortage of service management professionals.
Developed in consultation with industry leaders IBM, the program will focus on the design, development and monitoring of inter-organisational workflow and is aimed at those who need to enhance their process, management and IT knowledge in a business setting. The program was officially launched at an industry breakfast in Brisbane on Wednesday, July 23. Over 35 industry representatives attended to hear the government, industry and educational perspective on the changing needs of the services sector. Three guest presenters, including Mr Robert Pagura, a public sector specialist from IBM, Mr Tony Hayes from the State Government and Bond’s own Head of Information Technology, Professor Iain Morrison, discussed the current shortage of workers in the Service Management sector and how this is currently affecting both industry and government. The speakers endorsed the new Master of Service Management program, providing positive feedback on the School of Information Technology’s forward-thinking. The event was a huge success, with industry partners interested in the degree and eager to learn more.



Bond University was represented by student Nuku Hifo, who was selected as Lock for the Australian Team after a solid performance for Queensland against NSW earlier in the Year. Nuku played an important role in Australia’s solid finals performance with a try in the 63rd minute to beat England 26-16.

 


ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOLADES

The School of Sustainable Development will be officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister The Honourable Julia Gillard MP on Monday 11 August. To ensure the commitment to sustainability is upheld throughout the entire university, a Sustainability Committee is currently being formed.

On Friday 4 July, the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars Dinner was held. Over 50 current and recently appointed Vice-Chancellor scholarship recipients attended.

The Bond Business Leaders Forum was held on Wednesday 16 July with guest speaker Mr Greg Paramor, Managing Director of Mirvac Group. Mr Paramor presented on 'The Development Industry - trends towards a sustainable way of life'. Approximately 130 guests attended the presentation.

Bond University was allocated $1.4 million in the Federal Budget this month with funds to be used for IT infrastructure, teaching facilities, library facilities and student amenities.

VISITORS TO CAMPUS

Justice Kirby, our favourite High Court Justice spoke about his Thirteen Years on the High Court. Justice Kirby has also been heavily involved in Human Rights words and International Law and his oration was relevant to all students.

Professor Michel Tison, Faculty of Law, Ghent University, Belgium presented a talk on "Financial Market Integration in the European Union”

The Faculty of Humanties & Social Sciences hosted a special presentation with Dr. Sue Trevaskes discussing “Kill Fewer, Kill Cautiously: The Death Penalty In China Today”

Arthur H. Goldsmith, Department of Economics, Washington and Lee University presented “Shedding ‘Light’ on Marriage: The Influence of Skin Shade on Marriage for Black Females”

Special guest lecturer Dr Bruce Budowle, Senior Scientist from the FBI in the United States of America visited Bond from 23 June – 14 July. Dr Budowle gave a number of lectures during his time at Bond

Consulate General of the United States of America, Judith Fergin visited the campus and met with the Chancellor, Senior Management staff and two students from the United States

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