The Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Hans G. Gnodtke (pictured here), is visiting the University of New England today to discuss the benefits of academic links between Australia and Germany.
UNE’s Chancellor, Dr Richard Torbay, said UNE had much to gain from expanding its international links with Europe through the German Academic Exchange Service.
Mr Gnodtke’s visit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November, 1989.
“It is a great honour to welcome the German Consul-General to the University, and to strengthen our international ties and explore collaborations with the European Community,” Dr Torbay said.
“Mr Gnodtke has a distinguished record of diplomatic service - particularly in the area of international relations, where his efforts in his role as the Commissioner for Dialogue with the Muslim World have won him appreciation,” he said.
To mark this historic anniversary, Mr Gnodtke is presenting the Armidale community with a special lecture titled “20 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Implications for Europe’s Political Landscape”.
In addition to the lecture, he is discussing with students the opportunities presented by academic exchanges with Germany.
The Head of UNE’s School of Law, Professor Juergen Brohmer, said that students from across Australia and New Zealand were involved in the German exchange, but that UNE had the largest contingent of students in the program. “This speaks volumes about UNE’s willingness to get engaged on the global stage,” Professor Brohmer said.
Dr Torbay commended Professor Brohmer for his efforts to expand the University’s international links. “Professor Brohmer’s initiative and his tireless work in promoting such international links will position UNE well to take advantage of further collaborative opportunities as they emerge,” Dr Torbay said.
This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

Professor Michael Jeffrey, QC, will deliver the next Kirby Seminar, Wishful Thinking or a Meaningful Part of the Climate Change Solution on Wednesday 11 November at 3pm in Lewis Seminar Room (Law School).
Abstract:
In the lead-up to the climate change negotiations that are scheduled to take place in Copenhagen towards the end of 2009, pursuant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and in order to reach agreement on a post-Kyoto Protocol international climate change regime, many countries around the globe are considering the options available to them to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a manner that will minimize the cost impacts to economies already battered from the onslaught of the 2008 global financial crisis.

In addition to confronting a markedly changed geopolitical landscape including the election of a new administration in the United States under the Democrats and President Barack Obama, the ongoing military confrontation between Hamas and the Israelis in Gaza, an outbreak of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and Iran drawing ever closer to the possible development of nuclear weapons, the international community is facing what is predicted by some to be the most severe and prolonged economic downturn since the 1930s and the Great Depression. The collapse of the banking systems in several countries Triggered, in part, by the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States has inevitably led to a credit crisis around the globe as job layoffs are expected to climb throughout 2009 and into 2010.

The impact of these events on the ability of the international community to address the climate change challenges that lie ahead is fraught with uncertainty and the reluctance of the world’s major coal producers to abandon or curtail an industry of vital economic importance in terms of both jobs and exports, has elevated carbon capture and storage (CCS) to increasing levels of importance in the consideration of available energy options. It remains to be seen whether the attention and investment dollars presently committed to the development of CCS technologies around the globe is warranted. This address will endeavour to outline how CCS is currently viewed by Australia and the European Union as part of their respective energy strategies.

The University of New England’s School of Law is pleased to invite you to the 2009 Annual Sir Frank Kitto Law Lecture Torture, Human Rights and the Rule of Law, presented by Professor Keith Ewing from Kings College London.
Professor Ewing is a leading public law scholar. He has co-authored important texts on civil liberties including Freedom Under Thatcher: Civil Liberties in Modern Britain and The Struggle for Civil Liberties: Political Freedom and the Rule of Law in Britain (both with Professor Conor Gearty). His most recent work, The Bonfire of the Liberties: New Labour, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, is soon to be published by Oxford University Press.

The University of New England stands to benefit from the development of strategic relationships in the international arena, following the unqualified success of its International Health Conference held in Thailand this week.

The International Conference on Health Service Delivery Management is a joint effort between UNE and Thailand’s Naresuan University, and has attracted more than 450 delegates from across three continents.

The Vice-Chancellor and CEO of UNE, Professor Alan Pettigrew, in Thailand, said the conference had pulled together knowledge from the fields of health, medicine and education to address global issues in health service delivery.

He said the conference had attracted considerable international interest from health practitioners, health providers, and educators from 16 countries including Australia, Sudan, Nepal, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Laos and Bhutan.

“All of the international experts present are committed to improving health care and to learning from each other through research and education strategies,” Professor Pettigrew said. “The international partnership between UNE and Naresuan University is evidently world-leading in its concept and practical application for improving health care in rural and regional settings.”

Professor Victor Minichiello, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of UNE’s Faculty of The Professions, said that the strategic relationships developed between UNE and institutions such as Naresuan University and the World Health Organisation would provide benefits to the global community.

“It is anticipated the conference will result in the expansion of this collaboration into a wider regional network,” Professor Minichiello said. “I commend the organisers for their vision and dedication to the wellbeing of communities, and look forward to UNE working with global partners to develop strategic relationships that not only benefit UNE, but tackle global health service problems head-on.”

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here expands to show a colourful ceremony at the conference.
This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

The University of New England’s most outstanding accounting and finance students have been recognised by Australia’s national accounting peak body, CPA Australia.

More than 178 awards were presented to the New England Business School’s top-ranking students last Friday.

UNE Chancellor, Dr Richard Torbay extended his congratulations to students and staff at the Business School, and said the awards were evidence of the high teaching quality and calibre of UNE students.

Dr Torbay stressed the importance of industry links, and the benefits of strategic relationships between educational providers like UNE, and industry associations, like CPA Australia for young people at the beginnings of their careers.

“New England Business School and CPA Australia have a strong, and long-term relationship that has provides enormous benefits for both students and staff at UNE.

“A key feature of the relationship is the regular visits by high-profile CPA Australia members to the University,” Dr Torbay said.

Vice Chancellor and CEO, Professor Alan Pettigrew suggested the awards provided an opportunity for CPA Australia to meet some of UNE’s top ranking students.

“Regular visits by industry organisations significantly negate the potential professional isolation of being in a regional area, and help establish strong and productive national networks not only for our staff but also for our students.

“When they visit, the people from CPA Australia spend an extraordinary amount of time talking one-on-one with students, as well as giving more formal talks,” Professor Pettigrew said.

NSW Director of CPA Australia Ron Switzer said he was pleased that the strong relationship between the accounting and finance peak body and UNE provided tangible benefits to students.

“The awards are designed to provide an opportunity for both CPA Australia and the University to recognize and celebrate the hard work and commitment of business students upon graduation.

“Today’s business students will be tomorrow’s business leaders, and it’s important that the outstanding achievements of UNE business students are recognized and provided with a much encouragement as possible during the early stages of career development,” Mr Switzer said.

This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

The University of New England is adopting an innovative approach to the training of health-care professionals in mental health practice.

Next year, UNE’s School of Health will introduce a new program that will address mental health from the perspectives of all the professionals who deal with it - including nurses, GPs, counsellors, teachers, social workers, and occupational therapists.

“With this holistic approach, we’ll be bringing together students from throughout the community of carers,” said the convener of the new program, Dr Sally Hunter. “This will give each of them a greater appreciation of the input of their colleagues from other health-care disciplines in dealing with mental health issues. The course will include case studies from all of those disciplines.”

This interdisciplinary approach includes the composition of the teaching staff as well as of the student cohort. “A core guiding principle has been that teaching will be by an interdisciplinary team,” Dr Hunter said.

The new program builds on UNE’s established reputation in fields such as nursing, counselling and psychology, and the success of its recently-introduced Bachelor of Medicine (Joint Medical Program) and Bachelor of Social Work degree programs. It provides for a “nested” series of awards beginning with a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice and progressing to a Graduate Diploma in Counselling for Health and Social Care, and then to a Master of Counselling degree.

The entire program will be delivered by distance education, with the Graduate Certificate program comprising four units that can be completed in one semester of full-time study or one year of part-time study. The Graduate Certificate program also includes two compulsory residential schools.

“Students will be working on-line with people from other health-care disciplines, and meeting them face-to-face at residential schools,” Dr Hunter said. “This will enable them to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on mental health care. Currently, professionals in one health-care discipline are often unaware of what their colleagues in other disciplines do.

“We are very excited about the new program, and have received positive feedback about it from many of our current students.”

“There’s an acknowledged need in our community for people who can help those suffering from mental illness - and their carers,” she explained. “This is especially so in rural areas, where there is a hidden level of depression. If we catch mental illness early, people have a better chance of recovery.”

This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

While those who couldn’t attend watched on YouTube, more than 300 school students and art-lovers from across the State gathered in Armidale last Friday evening for the award ceremony of the fifth annual University of New England School Acquisitive Art Prize (UNESAP).

The Art Prize is an educational outreach initiative of UNE’s Faculty of The Professions, and engages with schools in regional and remote areas to encourage and nurture young artists. This year, the University received more than 600 entries. The award ceremony took place at the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), and accompanied the opening of an exhibition of the finalists’ works titled “Let’s Hang It!”. The prize-winning entries are incorporated permanently into the UNE Art Collection.

UNE’s Vice-Chancellor and CEO, Professor Alan Pettigrew, spoke at the exhibition’s opening about the “evident talent of young people” living in regional and rural Australia, and praised the 600 young contributors for the “absolute quality and true ingenuity” of their works. He spoke of the importance of nurturing the talents of young people - particularly in rural and regional areas - and thanked all University staff for their efforts in that regard.

Professor Pettigrew also praised Dr Frances Alter, the founder of the exhibition, for the project’s continued success.

This year’s Art Prize winners were selected by a panel of experts led by the guest judge - local artist Kerry Gulliver. “This was my first experience of judging the UNE school acquisitive art prize,” Ms Gulliver said, “and I was very honoured to be asked. Many wonderful works were submitted, and of course it was very hard to choose eight winners in the end.”

Mrs Ann Pettigrew presented Certificates of Distinction to the finalists, and cheques to each of the eight prize winners, including Duval High School Year 12 student Anne De La Motte for her photo from the Series Journey, and NEGS Year 9 student Jessica Serov for her painting titled “Introspection”.

The Chancellor of UNE, Dr Richard Torbay, addressing the crowd, commended the young artists, and reemphasised the importance of nurturing the talents and skills of young people in rural and regional areas.

“The people in the community responsible for young people - including teachers and families - play a critical role in promoting the talents of young rural people and the future of our society,” Dr Torbay said. “This exhibition is important because it provides young people with the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents and creativity on a larger scale, reaching beyond their immediate homes, schools, and local communities.

“That we have seen an extension in the geographic reach of all the schools who submitted art entries - from the northern fringes of Sydney to the border of Queensland, and from Newcastle to Moree - is demonstrative of the project’s success. This is great work.”

Dr Alter thanked the organising team at UNE, including Dr Terrence Hays, Michelle Arens, Sue Johns, and Dr Lynn Everett. She praised NERAM for “getting the exhibition hung so beautifully”, and expressed her gratitude on behalf of UNE to university art supplier S&S Creativity Unlimited for their generous sponsorship and financial support.

In particular, Dr Alter thanked the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of The Professions, Professor Victor Minichiello, for “assisting enormously in getting this event into the public spotlight,” suggesting the competition was reliant on the “support of the Dean’s initiative fund”.

“I think the growth in outreach and art entries every year, as well as the increasing quality of works submitted, testifies to the enormous success of the UNE School Art Prize,” Dr Alter said.

UNE continues to use technology to bring education to the community. In the spirit of educational outreach, for those who did not attend, this event can be viewed online on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WozyPsuHes.

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, showing Elanor Beck with her prize-winning painting, expands to show Elanor with her father Rowan Webb and the Chancellor, Dr Richard Torbay.

Kerry Gulliver’s comments on the winning entries are below.

Section 1

First: “Flowers”, by Matisse Morrissey (KG at Gillwinga Public)

“I loved the freshness and spontaneity of this work. The lines are executed with vigour, and the colours breathe and glow with a life of their own, capturing that wonderful sense of elation one feels when looking at fresh flowers. The work shows that lack of self-consciousness small children have when creating art, acting with pure instinct and passion.”

Second: “Walkabout”, by Daniel Clark (Yr 2 Woodford Dale Public)

“It shows wonderful rhythm and patterning, pulsating and buzzing with life energy. I particularly loved the chalice-like depiction of the trees, the branches cradling and almost throwing their leaves skyward.”

Section 2

First: “Still Life”, by Anthony Maccauley (Year 4 Woodford Dale)

“What really caught my eye was the use of complementary colours, a device that is under-utilised to a large extent in painting. It can create a great impact visually, as the colours react vibrantly when placed next to each other on the canvas. The darkness of the purple recedes into the background, while the brilliance of the yellow comes forward. The work has almost become abstract, as the forms have been broken down to fairly basic geometric shapes, which give it a rather charming naive quality.”

Second: “Mosaic face”, by Freya Weston (Yr6 Martins Gully Public)

“This work is strongly reminiscent of an early Roman mosaic, which I think was the intention - not only because of the mosaicing technique but also the demeanour of the subject. Instead of tiles, the artist has used torn paper to great effect, cleverly using photos of actual hair and skin.”

Section 3

First: “Introspection”, by Jessica Serov (Yr 9 NEGS)

“This reminds me of a Lin Onus work and was most likely influenced by this artist. Artists, at whatever stage of their career, can learn a great deal about technique by copying the artists they like. The floating leaves take on a more formal patterning effect as they move to the top of the work, which creates a lovely sense of perspective. The large water droplet on the leaf in the foreground draws the eye as it reflects fish and lotuses - creating a sense of intrigue as it is a bit ambiguous. The work also makes use of complementaries red and green, with the red going toward the more earthy tones, exaggerating the purity to the greens.”

Second: “T Pot Time”, by Elanor Beck (Yr 9 Duval)

“This is a whimsical and quirky piece. The colours stand out strongly on the black background. The viewer could spend some time discovering the many small, oddly placed cups and saucers while pondering the meanings behind the images, or the story it may be relating, as it has a strongly illustrative quality.”

Section 4

First: Photo from the series Journeys, by Anne De La Motte (Yr 12 Duval)

“I was really attracted to the subtle, pearlescent colours, very understated and beautiful. While the darkness of the model’s hair and features stand out, they don’t dominate the photographic image. There is a dream-like quality to the photograph and the model appears very distant, and largely insulated from the viewer.”

Second: “Dumaresq Dam”, by Jessica Hunt (Yr 11 Armidale High)

“This shows a very skilled use of textured brushwork. The modelling of the features through use of strong light and shade contrasts creates a striking image. The long shadows effectively draw the eye through to the sunlit shore in the background. This student shows lots of promise, and it would be interesting to see how they develop as a painter if they choose this path in life.”

This article was was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.

Dr Maree Puxty (pictured) has been appointed Clinical Dean of the Tablelands Clinical School at the University of New England.

The Tablelands Clinical School is one of five clinical schools that are part of the Joint Medical Program (JMP) offered by UNE in partnership with the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and Northern Sydney Central Coast Health.

Prof Victor Minichiello, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of The Professions at UNE, said the establishment of the Tablelands Clinical School and the appointment of its Clinical Dean was an important milestone in the development of UNE’s School of Rural Medicine.

“This program places medical students in a range of clinical rural environments to ensure that they have the competencies and high-level skills to be effective practitioners,” Prof Minichiello said. “For this reason the appointment of a Clinical Dean who understands clinical practice, and particularly rural medicine, is critical.”

The appointment is supported by Hunter New England Health who has made office space available in the Armidale Rural Referral Hospital to house this important position.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Pettigrew, welcomed this appointment, adding Dr Maree Puxty will play a critical role in the further establishment of links with practitioners and the Area Health Services as the University and JMP implements its strategic plans for the Tableland Clinical School.

“UNE’s focus on the provision of rural-based courses is founded on the evidence that rural-trained graduates are more likely to take up careers in rural settings and is central to the University’s mission.”

“The appointment of Dr Maree Puxty will be of immeasurable benefit to medical students seeking professional placement in the region,” Prof Pettigrew said.

Prof John Fraser, Head of the School of Rural Medicine at UNE, said he was delighted about Dr Puxty’s appointment.

“The Clinical School model — in which Dr Puxty will play a crucial role — of developing a centre of excellence in clinical education and service to the community will be vital in increasing the recruitment and retention of medical professionals working in rural Australia,” Prof Fraser said.

Dr Maree Puxty was raised in Cessnock in the Hunter Valley and went to school in Cessnock and Maitland. She studied medicine at the University of Newcastle and worked as a clinician in Sydney and the United Kingdom. After a stint in the city, Dr Puxty and her husband (who is also a doctor) went to Moree as part of their GP training. They liked it so much they spent the next 10 years working as GPs in Moree, before moving to Armidale.

Dr Puxty said she was excited to be taking up her appointment at UNE’s School of Rural Medicine.

“The JMP is aiming to train high standard medical doctors equipped with a mix of rural, regional and metropolitan experience for the global community. The Tablelands Clinical School at the University of New England will be an important part of this process.

“This means making sure we produce the best doctors we can, who will hopefully want to practice medicine in rural areas because they realise country living is so good.”

On July 8-12, 2009, the SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise) team from the University of New England travelled to Sydney to compete at the National SIFE Competition, where they performed strongly, proceeding to the final, championship round.

The National competition and conference was facilitated by SIFE Australia and saw the arrival of more than 20 university teams from throughout the country, along with high profile executives from some of Australia’s top corporations.

The program involved career development seminars, individual topic presentations and main round presentations, where each university vied for the championship title and the opportunity compete at the SIFE International conference in Berlin, Germany.

The team from SIFE UNE presented a project they are working on with the Minimbah Aboriginal Corporation Preschool & Primary School in the HSBC Financial Literacy competition. Their performance was praised by both judges and peers for its “ethical responsibility and innovation”, according to Jo Vickery, business lecturer and SIFE organiser at UNE.

Another feature of the conference was the Top to Future Top’s seminar where individuals from SIFE teams were able to sit down with company executives from corporate heavyweights such as Woolworths and HSBC to discuss issues such as climate change and the global financial crisis.

In the Main Round of competition, SIFE UNE presented their Minimbah, Armidale Profile, Farming for the Future and Wool Expo projects. SIFE UNE received accolades from judges, SIFE officials and competing university teams, and progressed first to the Semi-Final round and later to the Championship Round, where they were considered in the top four SIFE teams in the nation.

“This achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all involved in the SIFE UNE team,” Ms Vickery said.

(This article was written by UNE’s Marketing and Public Affairs and reproduced here with their permission.)

At each Graduation ceremony, one of the distinguished graduating students is selected to deliver a vote of thanks on behalf of all the recent Graduates. For the Spring 2009 Faculty of The Professions ceremony, the nominee from the School of Law was chosen for this honour. Adam Edwards graduated in the double-degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours. Link to the transcript of the speech delivered by Adam at the ceremony on Saturday 10 October 2009.