Media Release
July 7 2008
Whyalla seminar for international expert on business, unis and creative communities
Internationally
renowned UK speaker and senior university academic,
Professor James
Powell, will visit Whyalla to meet with local UniSA,
OneSteel and community
representatives as part of his Australian tour this month.
Pro Vice Chancellor for Enterprise and Regional Affairs at the University of Salford, Professor Powell is in Australia to provide the keynote address at a national conference hosted by the Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance (AUCEA) next week.
He will be visiting Whyalla on Monday 14 July to share his expertise with local industry and education representatives.
Director for UniSA’s Centre for Regional Engagement Professor Neil Otway says the visit will be a rare opportunity for people in Whyalla to hear a leading academic and researcher speak about how universities and communities can benefit from working together more collaboratively.
“Prof Powell is a leading academic in the fields of engineering research, education and science and his expertise, coupled with his genuine passion for improving relationships between industry and academia for their mutual benefit is inspiring,” Prof Otway said.
“It is a knowledge combination in which we here at the Centre for Regional Engagement are particularly interested.”
Prof Powell will also present a free public seminar in Whyalla.
“The seminar will give people insights into how better sharing of knowledge with business and community partners, can build the role of universities to become real drivers of creative change in developing a knowledge economy,” he said.
To demonstrate the process of community engagement Prof Powell will highlight key findings drawn from over 200 case studies, to identify the common skills that are needed to fertilise a novel idea and turn it into a research project that can benefit the broader community and ultimately, expand our global knowledge base.
“This is what universities are about - expanding the universal body of knowledge, but what Prof Powell will highlight is the way that communities and universities can collaborate more effectively to achieve this important objective,” Prof Otway said.
“The long term success for many of the exciting projects in regional South Australia will be determined by strong regional communities that are able to provide expertise and supporting services to underpin them.”
Prof Powell’s free public seminar titled, Universities Engaging Successfully with their Community, will be held in Room 5 at UniSA’s Whyalla Campus between 4-6pm on 14 July.
Anyone interested in attending the seminar in Whyalla should contact
UniSA on 8647 6016 to register.
Contacts for interviews
- Prof Neil Otway office (08) 8302 6005 email neil.otway@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
-
Mark Gorringe office (08) 8302 5143
email mark.gorringe@unisa.edu.au