From the chancellery
Dr Anna Ciccarelli,
Executive Director and Vice President: International and Development
July
is that time of the academic year when the University engages
international and transnational graduands and alumni through award
presentation ceremonies and alumni events. We visit Kuala Lumpur,
Singapore and Hong Kong and Taiwan.
This year more than 1100 graduands participated with 800 students in Hong Kong alone. As with all our graduation ceremonies, it is a time to celebrate a special rite of passage with family and friends as well as University staff.
This year Professor Robyn McDermott, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Division of Health Sciences, and Professor Michael Rowan, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, were two of our three occasional speakers. Each year we invite speakers to give the occasional address on a topic or issue relevant to the particular audience. Prof McDermott spoke of public health issues and the need to think differently. Prof Rowan gave a philosophical address, reflecting on graduation ceremonies as a significant rite of passage.
Our third speaker, Mr Simon Wong, Dean of the School of Continuing Education at our partner university in Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Baptist University, was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from UniSA in recognition of his contribution to lifelong learning and continuing education provision in Hong Kong. Dr Wong spoke powerfully of the importance of lifelong learning for the individual and for the development of a knowledge society.
Our alumni chapters in all four countries are alive and well, testimony to the connection most of our alumni feel for their university. The chapter presidents and committees run on camaraderie and voluntary labour.
All our alumni chapters have distinctive qualities, due in large part to the personalities of the presidents, but also shaped by their distinctive discipline affiliation. Clearly, the very nature of the MBA generates a passion for networking and organising. The MBA clubs are very strong and, dare I say, an enterprising segment of every chapter.
For three years now I have met a group of former masters students at the annual alumni event in Kuala Lumpur and caught up on what’s happened in their lives since the previous year; new jobs, promotions, marriages and yes, even divorces.
This year’s round was characterised not only by the award ceremonies and alumni events but also by celebrations of longstanding partnerships and new beginnings. We celebrated the 10th anniversary of our relationship with Hong Kong Baptist University, one of a number of international partners with whom we have enjoyed a ten-year relationship. The Vice Chancellor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taylors College in Kuala Lumpur to collaborate in the area of business and arts programs. As the Chair of the ATN, the Vice Chancellor signed a MOU with the International Strategic Technology Alliance (ISTA). This is an alliance coordinated by Hong Kong Polytechnic University and includes many prestigious Chinese universities with only three members external to the Peoples Republic of China. The ATN was honoured to be invited to join and will participate in the ISTA conference later this year.
The July offshore ceremonies and alumni events are a logistical and
organisational challenge for staff from Student and Academic Services; Marketing
and Development and the International Office. It is no small thing to coordinate
events at a distance and move a sizable group including the Vice Chancellor and
Chancellor. However, for many of our transnational graduands, it is the one
opportunity to participate in a symbolic and celebratory rite of passage with
the University. They and their families clearly appreciate our presence.