New research scholarship honours Jane Harper
A named annual research scholarship has been established to honour the late Associate Professor Jane Harper.
The Jane Harper Honours Research Scholarship will be awarded to the author of the highest ranking Bachelor of Education (Honours) thesis.
Jane Harper died in December after a prolonged illness. Her career at UniSA and its antecedent institutions spanned 40 years - 28 of them as Head of School.
At her 40th anniversary celebrations last year her colleagues highlighted her integrity as a leader and an outstanding administrator.
Speaking at the event, Head of the School of Education Professor Marie Brennan acknowledged Jane Harper’s prodigious knowledge of policies, processes, people and finances.
"Jane was able to work creatively within the boundaries of policy and practice but always managed to find the spaces within such boundaries to make things work," she said.
"She was admired, respected and loved by her colleagues. She built a strong sense of collegiality among staff and fostered a real sense of belonging to a team."
Among Jane Harper’s many achievements were the initiation of the design and implementation of external studies in the then College of Advanced Education sector in SA; the establishment of a student exchange program with Swedish universities; instigating the teaching of educational computing – the legacy of which has been the graduation of a large number of PhD students; and championing the employment of women in the tertiary sector.
The amount of the scholarship is still to be finalised but the first Jane Harper Scholarship will be awarded at the end of 2008 and presented to the first recipient at the annual UniSA Scholarships and Grants evening the following May. A library copy of the winning thesis will have a book plate pasted in the front to acknowledge the award.
Anyone wanting to contribute to the Jane Harper Honours Research Scholarship fund can contact Helen Black, Senior Development Officer (Fundraising and Special Projects), on +61 8 8302 0974 or by email at helen.black@unisa.edu.au