Members of the Government’s new ASEAN-Australia Centre advisory board are announced, including Nicholas Farrelly (U Tasmania), Sanga Mahanty (ANU) and Monash U VC Sharon Pickering.
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Duncan Bentley has a second, five-year, term as Federation U VC. He will have plenty to do. The university reported a 20%+ net loss for 2023 of $80.9m on $295m in revenue. This was up from a $41m loss on $266m earnings in 2022. The university is cutting 160 jobs, in part because the Commonwealth has cut its international student intake for 2025 by half, on top of a 49% decrease in international enrolments 2019-23.
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Former Labor HE minister (2010-13) “Silent” Chris Evans has a five-year appointment as Australia’s Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
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Jane Miles (La Trobe U) is named health advocate of the year at the National Rural and Remote Health Awards.
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Yet another award for the learned Lidia Morawaska (QUT), for her work on indoor air quality. She explained it was crucial to the spread of Covid, while the medical research establishment was warning us to hazmat suit-up before wiping the kitchen bench. Professor Morawaska wins the 2024 Planetary Health Award from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
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Thas Nirmalathas is confirmed as University of Melbourne Dean of Engineering. He became Interim Dean in January.
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Winners of the 2024 South Australian Science Excellence and Innovation Awards include,
- scientist: James Craig (Flinders U)
- innovator: ZEISS PhotoFusion X Team: Simon Holtmann, Andrew Lanyon, Fang Chen, Nicole Kitchin, Scott Clafton
- STEMM educator: Voula Gaganis (Flinders U)
- Science-industry collaboration: Sleep Revolution Team, Danny J. Eckert, Sutapa Mukherjee, Celia Tait, Jessica Steens, Mark Harding (Flinders U)
- PhD research excellence: Mary Brushe (Uni Adelaide)
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Study NSW’s Education Provider of the Year is UNSW’s Water Safety Program. Redfern Legal Centre, “the only independent legal service dedicated to international students in NSW,” Is Partner of the Year.
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Marek Tesar is appointed Dean of Education at Uni Melbourne. He moves from Uni Auckland.
