Engagement News
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July 2010 – AUCEA Conference
The 2010 AUCEA Conference will be hosted by the University of Tasmania from 5-7 July 2010. The conference will address key challenges faced by universities in increasing community participation and addressing social equity. This is quite a difference focus from previous conferences and will be of interest for committed higher educators and their community partners.
For further information about the conference, please visit the AUCEA Conference web site.
May 2010 – $4.45 million awarded to QUT research projects
About $4.45 million in grants under the new Queensland Government's National and International Research Alliances Program has been awarded to three Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research projects.
The funding was made public by Queensland Premier Anna Bligh overnight during her North American trade mission.
More than $1.8 million was awarded to the Australia-Canada-India Chlamydia Research Alliance, led by Professor Peter Timms, from the QUT Faculty of Science and Technology, to advance prevention, treatment and management of Chlamydia.
Almost $1.65 million was earmarked for the Planning Future Electricity Grids Project, led by Professor Gerard Ledwich, from the QUT Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, to develop a world-first planning tool to ensure Queensland's electricity network will cope with peak loads in high population areas.
A further $1 million was given to the Queensland-Canada Spinal Cord Injury Alliance, a joint initiative of QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) and Canadian researchers, led by QUT's Dr Ben Goss in partnership with the Princess Alexandra Hospital, to track patients with injured spinal cords, their treatment and clinical outcomes with a view to improving quality of care.
March 2010 – Engagement Innovation Grants bring Travelling Design Workshop to students in regional Queensland
A recipient of a 2009 Engagement Innovation Grant, Natalie Wright’s Travelling Design Workshop project, is helping regional Queensland enjoy the best of the state’s design.
Budding designers in regional Queensland are getting a rare chance for a hands-on experience of designing graphics, products, interior spaces and architecture during an exciting travelling design workshop program for senior school students that will be held in six Queensland towns until September.
The workshops and exhibition will travel to Chinchilla, Mount Isa, Quilpie, Emerald, Gladstone and Bundaberg.
The three-day goDesign workshop will be run by Queensland University of Technology's School of Design lecturer Natalie Wright in conjunction with an exhibition of work by Queensland's best professional designers at a local art gallery.
A designer whose work is featured in the exhibition will travel to each town to share their experiences with the students.
To read the full article about the project and tour dates see unleashed - queensland design on tour 2010.
For more information on the workshops and unleashed - queensland design on tour 2010 go to www.qdosawards.com or www.design.org.au, or contact Natalie Wright on 0411 330 875.
November 2009 – QUT wins top national award for engagement
QUT has won the top overall category at the Business-Higher Education Round Table (B-HERT), the Ashley Goldsworthy Award for Sustained Collaboration between Business and Higher Education.
This Award recognises a sustained effort by a university, business or individual to foster collaboration between the sectors, resulting in significant benefits to higher education, business and the broader community.
QUT also received an honourable mention for best higher education training collaboration with Defence Materiel Organisation.
The Award was accepted by Professor Tim Robinson on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor. The judging process consisted of an analysis of organisations or individuals that had demonstrated sustained efforts in inter-sectoral collaboration over the last five years evidenced through their participation in the B-HERT Awards and the success they achieved. In presenting the award, the judging panel’s comments were noted:
“The AUQA 2005 Report noted the branding ‘a University for the Real World’ and commended QUT for the strategies it had adopted to bring this about. It notes the high priority given to community engagement at all levels in the planning process and the emphasis placed on working with government, industry and community groups.”
November 2008 – QUT wins national award for Engagement
QUT has been recognised for its innovative practice of engagement at the 2008 Business Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Awards held in Melbourne. As well as being recognised for sustained collaboration between business and higher education, QUT won the inaugural award for Best Community Engagement for the project Sustainable Futures by Design.
The Award was accepted by project leaders Dr Les Dawes and Shannon Satherley from the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering. For more information about the Awards and the project, click on the BHERT Award Update (PDF, 267 KB).
Dr Les Dawes and Shannon Satherley
July 2008 – AUCEA Conference
The AUCEA National Conference 2008 was held from 9–11 July at the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Islands. Under the banner of "Engaging for a Sustainable Future", the conference promoted partnerships between universities, private enterprise, Government and communities.
In keeping with this theme, QUT hosted a pre-conference presentation and tour of the Kelvin Grove Urban Village on Tuesday 8 July. This activity was held for AUCEA delegates interested in how QUT has collaborated with both government and commercial organisations to develop a sustainable community. Delegates enjoyed the opportunity of learning more about the Kelvin Grove Urban Village and the Creative Precincts.
May 2008 – QUT Smart Train
Up to 20,000 school children will get to experience science and technology first-hand when the QUT Smart Train travels around the State. The 10,000 kilometre journey will make 24 scheduled stops in rural and regional Queensland during its five week tour from May 9–13 June. Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, officially launched the Smart Train at the historical Workshops Railway Museum at Ipswich on Friday 9 May. Read more.
May 2008 – Talloires Network May 2008 Newsletter
A new web-based tool kit, developed by the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, is available online to help make the most out of community partnerships. The tool kit contains orientation, preparation, and evaluation tools for community co-educators, faculty, staff, and students. The toolkit is also a "wiki", which allows for input, discussions, and customisation. Read more in the Talloires Network May 2008 Newsletter.
May 2008 – Talloires Network: World Book Day
In applying to attend the CGI U Conference, QUT students Brett Hall and Natalie Alexander made commitments to undertake a project addressing human rights through literacy, an effort aligned with the Talloires Network Global Project.
This student project, in its early planning stages, will coordinate the collection of books, computers and other educational materials and then distribute them to a number of schools throughout the developing world, which are currently in dire need of resources. Read more about Talloires Network Global Project
April 2008 – Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)
On March 14 – 16 2008, President Clinton hosted the inaugural meeting of CGI U at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hundreds of students, university officials, and global leaders came together to make a difference within CGI U’s four main focus areas: energy and climate change, global health, human rights and peace, and poverty alleviation. This meeting was about action: before leaving New Orleans, all attendees made a commitment.
24 students from Talloires Network institutions attended this conference, from 11 universities and 7 countries. These students engaged in Talloires Network workshops and are helping to develop the student-led arm of the Talloires Network. QUT students Brett Hall, Todd Phillips and Natalie Alexander attended the conference. Read more in the Talloires Network April 2008 Newsletter.
Visit the CGI U website.
March 2008 – Engagement Strategy Retreat
The Engagement Committee recently met for half a day on 29 February to develop an Engagement Strategy for 2008 and beyond. The forum was chaired by Scott Sheppard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development) and jointly facilitated by Scott and Vi McLean, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching Quality).
Committee members, key QUT staff and two external partners participated in discussions to agree a way forward as to how engagement should be embedded across the university. The Vice-Chancellor started the day with an address reaffirming the university's commitment to engagement as articulated in the Blueprint – regenerate, engage and experiment . Participants brainstormed ideas and concepts for extending and embedding engagement in the university's core activities by considering the building blocks for an engaged university:
- Championing engagement (including recognising, rewarding and encouraging engagement)
- Monitoring and measuring engagement
- Learning how to engage (staff focus)
- New ways for corporations, industry, professionals and the community to engage with QUT (including Alumni)
- Customising engagement for specific clients
- Strengthening engaged learning for QUT students
- Aligning research interests with corporate partners
Outcomes from these discussions will provide the framework for developing an engagement strategy for QUT.
March 2008 – Talloires Network
QUT has recently become a member of the Talloires Network – a global collective of higher education institutions committed to promoting civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education. The network seeks to foster exchange of best practices and encourage collective action. More details about the network can be found at: http://www.tufts.edu/talloiresnetwork/
March 2008 – International Association of Universities (IAU)
The Talloires Network has been invited by the International Association of Universities (IAU) to organise a workshop at its forthcoming conference from 15–18 July 2008 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The theme of the conference, Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs, will emphasise the responsibilities of higher education institutions to serve the world around them.
Talloires are inviting literacy experts from member universities to help plan and implement the workshop, Promoting Literacy Through the Higher Education Sector: Addressing Regional Challenges. Please contact Pauline Gray at pp.gray@qut.edu.au or on 3138 4318 if you wish to participate. More information about the conference is available at http://www.unesco.org/iau/conferences/Utrecht/index.html
January 2008 – QUT Smart Train
The QUT Smart Train will once again take its message of innovation and technology to Queensland when it sets off from Ipswich on 12 May 2008. All faculties at QUT are joining forces to create another exciting and worthwhile experience for the rural and regional communities around Queensland. This will be the fifth QUT Train to travel throughout Queensland in the last decade and is one of the State's largest community outreach programs.
Find out more about the QUT Smart Train
November 2007 – Breakfast for Champions
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Coaldrake hosted a Breakfast for Champions on Wednesday 14 November in honour of our external partners who play a major role in QUT’s successes in engaging with the community and industry. To mark the occasion, QUT’s new engagement publication Challenging Boundaries: Perspectives on community–university engagementwas also officially launched.
Approximately 100 internal and external guests attended the breakfast at the Gardens Theatre Foyer, some of whom were representatives from partnering projects showcased in the book i.e. the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries and Brisbane Airport Corporation.
Guest speakers, Mr Jim Carden, Corporate Relations Manager at Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and Professor Martin Betts, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering spoke about the value of the QUT-BAC Partnership and reflected upon the importance of understanding and accepting each others’ vision and culture as the key to developing the trust that so clearly exists between these two organisations.
We had extremely positive feedback from many of our external partners who thought it was a great opportunity to hear about the partnerships that QUT has with the community and industry and to also be able to touch base and share their experiences with their respective QUT partners.
A copy of the Challenging Boundaries publication is available online at www.challengingboundaries.qut.edu.au
October 2007 – Queensland Multicultural Festival
The 2007 Queensland Multicultural Festival was held at Roma Street Parklands on Sunday 14 October. The festival, now in its fourth year, is held annually to celebrate cultural diversity in Queensland.
More than 45,000 people attended the festival which featured a broad range of activities including music, dance, craft, photography, children’s and family activities, and over 35 international food stalls.
As a major sponsor of the festival, QUT staff and students participated in various activities on the day. Student ambassadors provided course information to festival attendees, introduced acts on the QUT Community Dance Stage, and conducted visitor surveys on behalf of Multicultural Affairs Queensland. QUT staff including the Registrar Dr Carol Dickenson, Prof Susan Street, Sharon Tickle, Elizabeth McDade, and the Engagement team attended the sponsor function and met with the Minister for Multiculturalism, The Honourable Lindy Nelson-Carr MP.
QUT Dance Stage
L–R Breeanna Spires, Sharon Tickle, Dr Carol Dickenson, Hon Lindy Nelson-Carr MP, Prof Susan Street, and Elizabeth McDade
June 2007 – ARC Linkage Grants
QUT topped the state for number of projects funded in the latest round of ARC Linkage grants, securing more than $4.35 million for 17 individual projects.
One of the projects is set to play a significant role in delivering future water security to Australia.
The Linkage Projects scheme encourages traditional research academics and organisations outside the higher education sector to develop long-term strategic research alliances.
Other projects to receive funding include:
- Development of reliability driven rural electricity supply
- Firm early development and performance (FEDP): A panel study
- Web service reputation management, and
- Improving child safety in cars
A full list of linkage projects proposals (PDF), summarising funding for QUT and partners starting 2007, is available here.
June 2007 – Engagement Project Teams
The QUT Engagement Committee has established six new cross-university project teams for 2007 to support and facilitate engagement outcomes.
The 2007 project teams include:
- Developing hard data sources to help ground claims – led by Dr Lawrence Stedman, Principal Policy Advisor
- Creating a doorway to potential partnerships – led by Bernie Murchison, Corporate Relations Manager
- Creating places for staff learning about engagement – led by Melissa Nugent, Senior Development Officer (Engagement)
- Examining ways to strengthen engagement activities in the promotion process – led by Human Resources (individual TBA)
Additional initiatives are underway to finetune the Incentive Funding Scheme and harness opportunities for developing engagement models through T&L large projects.
May 2007 – Engagement Innovation Grants
$200,000 of seed project funding for engagement was advertised in April of this year. 31 Applications were received from across the University. Successful projects will receive between $10,000 and $30,000 support funding for their engagement initiative, which will be made available in early July 2007.
Sue Savage (Assistant Dean Teaching and Learning, Built Environment & Engineering), Iyla Davies (Assistant Dean International and Community, Law Faculty) and Melissa Nugent (Senior Development Officer Engagement, International & Development) are assessing the applications.
For further information about QUT's engagement project support funding, please refer to the overview support funding document (PDF) and the 2007 Engagement Innovation Grant guidelines (PDF).
May 2007 – AUCEA update
The 4th Annual AUCEA Conference 2007, was hosted by Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs from 2–4 July. The conference’s dialogue centred on:
- Workable models for community engagement
- Best practice engaged teaching, learning and research
- Diverse approaches and activities for meeting distinctive needs of communities
- Systems for measuring economic, social and environmental outcomes.
November 2006 – QUT and BAC come up trumps at B-HERT Awards
QUT and Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) emerged as winners of the hotly contested award for best research and development collaboration at the recent Business/Higher Education Round Table Awards Dinner held in Melbourne on 14 November. The QUT and BAC partnership won for their project to turn Brisbane airport into an airport city. The B–HERT citation praises the project's symbiosis citing QUT as the R&D arm of BAC and the airport as a living laboratory for QUT research. For further information on the B-HERT awards please visit: http://www.bhert.com/
November 2006 – Eidos roundtable and report launch
QUT participated as a panel member at a recent Eidos Institute roundtable held in Brisbane on 20 November to discuss the Institute’s recent report on measuring community engagement.
October 2006 – Bayside Leg Club opening: A story of engagement in practice
QUT's role in the establishment of Queensland's newest branch of the Leg Club® was acknowledged during the opening of the Bayside Community Wound Service at Cleveland on Monday 2 October 2006.
The collaborative partnership comprising QUT's IHBI researchers, Spiritus Care Services (formerly St Luke's Nursing Service) and the Redlands Shire Council is responsible for the extension of the continuum of care to people with medical conditions affecting their legs, particularly ulcers, in Brisbane's bayside suburbs.
The Leg Club®, modelled on a concept developed in the United Kingdom, combines the clinical care of ulcers with social support to significantly improve the health of sufferers of leg ulcers, as uncovered by QUT researchers.
Find out more about the impact the Leg Club® is having as a community engagement initiative.
September 2006 – Achieving Engineering Excellence through Engagement
One of QUT's recent engagement success stories was recognised at the 2006 Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards where a joint submission by QUT, Powerlink, Energex and Ergon received a highly commended in the Reports, Procedures and Systems category. The partnership project was rewarded for its work in addressing the potential skills shortage in electrical power systems engineering.
August 2006 – Cheque in for Engagement Incentive Fund winners
This month the Development Office will distribute $150,000 in Engagement Incentive Funding. The Fund is a key initiative of QUT's Engagement Strategy that aims to promote and support collaborative activities to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for QUT and its partners.
One of the nine successful projects will enhance collaborative activity between QUT and the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland's Equipment Technology Services. Thirty thousand dollars will support this partnership as it develops a much needed mechanism to increase the production and availability of customised seating and wheelchairs for sufferers of Cerebral Palsy. This will have particular impact in rural and remote areas where access to this equipment is currently limited.
Professor Mark Pearcy (left) from the Faculty of Built
Environment and Engineering and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation,
and Mr Laurie Boyne (centre) from the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland receive
their cheque from Development Office staff member Ms Melissa Nugent (right).
Engagement resource – QUT’s Professor Arun Sharma co–writes B–HERT position paper
QUT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Commercialisation) Professor Arun Sharma has co–authored a B–HERT position paper – Universities' Third Mission: Communities Engagement (PDF) – on how community engagement could be valued and funded.