Page 1 Inside QUT, International Edition 1999
Colourful Festival of Unity
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QUT Central Administration 2 George Street Brisbane 4000 Telephone (07) 3864 2111 Registered by Australia Post – Publication No. QBF 4778
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Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • International Edition, 1999
Global
strategy planned
QUT Chancellor Dr Cherrell Hirst congratulates Kian Sing Chia after his graduation in Singapore in March 1999. See story Page 2.
Students from far afield warmly welcomed
QUT students were among 70 international students welcomed to Queensland by State Education Minister Dean Wells at a recent lunch at Parliament House. From left: Dennis Chan and Peggy Yeoh from International Student Services, Education Minister Dean Wells and exchange student Lauren McElwee.
This, the second international edition of Inside QUT, gives an insight into one of Australia’s largest and most successful universities.
With more than 30,000 students and 3,000 staff, QUT has more than 2,700 international students from 60 countries. Around three-quarters of QUT’s students are studying for bachelor degrees at one of the university’s three Brisbane campuses.
QUT can trace its history back a century and a half to the Brisbane School of Arts, and to well-known higher education institutions such as the Queensland Institute of Technology, the Brisbane College of Advanced Education, the Central Technical College and the Queensland Teachers’
Training College.
Alumni from QUT and its 13 predecessor institutions today number more than 100,000. Last year, some 7,000 students completed courses.
The university has eight faculties:
Arts, Built Environment and
Engineering, Business, Education, Health, Information Technology, Law and Science.
There are three dozen schools within those faculties.
While the Faculty of Education is the nation’s largest, QUT’s Business Faculty is not only the university’s largest – with more than 6,500 students – but also the State’s largest business faculty, and QUT’s Law Faculty is also one of the nation’s largest.
With a long and successful history of business and sponsorship arrangements with external private and public organisations, QUT benefits from a range of commercial consultancies, contracted research projects and cultural exchanges. It facilitates internships, co- operative education programs and on- site training and postgraduate courses.
Well known for its practical education and applied research, QUT was the winner of the inaugural University of the Year, 0awarded by the Good Universities Guide in 1993.
Vibrant university has experience and youth
QUT has accepted 15 new AusAID scholarship winners from Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim this year.
At a ceremony to mark the end of their intensive four-week academic preparation program, Deputy Vice- Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said the AusAID program was part of QUT’s important international links.
“Australia understands that in order to understand the world we need to reach out,” Professor Coaldrake said.
The undergraduate and postgraduate students are studying engineering, law or health degrees.
The AusAID academic program helps international students adapt to life in Brisbane and QUT.
Language and Learning Adviser to International Student Services Margaret Ketch said the students had chosen QUT because the courses met their needs and because of “word-of-mouth about the excellent teaching and support services here”.
International scholarship winners arrive
Top honour for dance legend
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World tour for new QUT show
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By Amanda O’Chee
QUT plans to strengthen its overseas links and boost the internationalisation of its curricula and research projects,
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake, in a paper prepared for the QUT’s Academic Board and Council, outlined the university’s priorities for internationalisation over the next three years.
QUT already has strong international links and a growing number of international students. Research projects and exchange programs with overseas institutions are flourishing and QUT holds graduation ceremonies in the home countries of many international students.
In his paper, Professor Coaldrake said the globalisation of knowledge and the workforce heightened the need for universities to strengthen ties with overseas partners and to prepare graduates for these new conditions.
“At a broad level, QUT must ensure that it reflects international perspectives
and standards across the full range of its teaching, research and service activities.
In one respect, the internationalisation of our broader teaching and learning strategies is part of our efforts to reflect the development of generic attributes in both domestic and international QUT graduates, namely those relating to ‘global citizenship’,” he said.
QUT’s main priorities are to:
• strengthen the recruitment of international students who provide a richer culture within QUT and the wider local community;
• continue developing an international perspective within curricula;
• continue fostering internationally- relevant attributes among graduates;
• undertake more research projects with international partners;
• establish closer international links through alumni and staff activities, as well as Study Abroad and other exchange programs; and
• boost applied research and service activities to selected countries.
Page 2 INSIDE QUT, International Edition 1999
From the Inside ... by David Hawke
A word from the Vice-Chancellor
World-class graduates
Student Guild’s colourful Festival of Unity
Vietnamese dancers Thanh Lich Nguyen (left) and Minh Ha Tran performed at a colourful cultural show at QUT Student Guild’s Festival of Unity, which is held annually to celebrate Brisbane’s rich multicultural flavour.
The Queensland Minister of Education, Dean Wells, joined QUT’s Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor in Singapore for the graduation of 300 Singaporean students earlier this year.
Mr Wells was the guest speaker at one of three ceremonies in Singapore.
Chancellor Dr Cherrell Hirst thanked Mr Wells for his attendance.
“It clearly demonstrates the significance of this international partnership to our Queensland government and to the community,” Dr Hirst said.
QUT had welcomed students from Singapore and other international countries since the late 1980s.
“Deciding to accept international students was one of the best decisions we ever made,” said Dr Hirst.
“The inclusion of students from other countries and cultures into our university community – especially since numbers have grown – has enriched our community and increased our understanding, and that of our students, of other cultures and beliefs,” she said.
QUT was very proud of its heritage and Singapore and Singaporeans played an important part in that heritage, she said.
“Since the late 1980s Singaporean students have been discovering that
Australia – and more particularly Brisbane and QUT – is an attractive study destination.
“Prior to that time, America and the United Kingdom had been the established destinations for international education.
“However, Australia’s proximity, its cost of living, its weather, its safety, and its excellent courses, academic standards and internationally recognised qualifications have made it a strong alternative option,” she said.
QUT graduation ceremonies were also held in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur in March.
Leading academics from Queensland University of Technology fly to Singapore in May to participate in a major seminar and exhibition demonstrating the university’s strengths.
QUT On Show Singapore will showcase courses to prospective students and educators at The Oriental Singapore on Saturday May 22 to Sunday May 23, explaining why the university is the largest provider of bachelor degree graduates into full-time employment in Australia
Presentations will be made by senior staff from Media & Journalism, Communication Design, and Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, as well as senior staff from the faculties of Business and Information Technology.
An informative program of seminars and displays about undergraduate and
On Show goes East
postgraduate courses will be held focusing on the Faculties of Arts, Built Environment and Engineering, Business, Health, Information Technology and Law.
QUT has a strong support service for international students and QUT On Show includes presentations by International Student Services director Graeme Baguley about adjusting to life at university.
A reception for QUT alumni will be held at The Oriental Singapore on Saturday May 22 from 6 to 7pm, hosted by QUT Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor John Corderoy. QUT on Show, which goes to Hong Kong in October, is being sponsored by Qantas/British Airways and Sta Travel.
A group of 17 German civil engineering students from the Fachhochschule Frankfurt (University of Applied Science in Frankfurt) spent a week at QUT recently, familiarising themselves with Australian building and engineering conditions and procedures. From left: Franz Josef Gorka, Professor Helmut Kohl, Tatjana Zirdum, Sasa Celia and Murat Cosgun.
German visitors on campus
Chancellor highlights QUT-Singapore links
As QUT this year celebrates the tenth anniversary of its foundation as a university, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the sort of institution that we have become.
One of the very important things that has happened over that ten years is the vast increase both in our numbers of international students and in our other international activities.
We now think of ourselves as an international university based in Australia rather than as an Australian university with international students.
A key part of our mission is to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills to function anywhere in the world.
And the vast reach of QUT alumni around the world suggests that we have been successful in doing just that – you will find QUT graduates in the senior ranks of industry, commerce and government in dozens of countries.
Organised groups of QUT alumni also exist in places like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan. As an international university, our staff as well as our students and alumni have an international focus.
Nearly all academic staff and a fair proportion of support staff have considerable international experience, while many have qualifications from both Australia and another country.
QUT has worked hard to build an international dimension to its reputation as a “university for the real world”. The result of that work has been our emergence as a truly international university producing graduates who are employable around the world.
Professor Dennis Gibson
Page 3 Inside QUT, International Edition 1999 Buildings, grounds and facilities are
being upgraded on all three QUT campuses in Brisbane in a number of major projects designed to improve amenities for students, staff and visitors.
At QUT’s Gardens Point Campus in the heart of Brisbane – which caters for around 25,000 students and staff each week day – extensive building and landscaping improvements are well underway.
The entrance to the university from George Street now features a stylish pedestrian mall with uninterrupted views of the adjacent City Botanic Gardens.
At the Parliament House end of the campus near the university’s front gate, is the new architecture precinct which was opened recently.
It features the brand new D Block – home to a range of design and architecture students – as well as historic F and A Blocks, which have been refurbished for use as studios, offices and teaching spaces.
Over at Kelvin Grove, QUT’s second- largest campus is undergoing big changes too. Projects include a landscaped courtyard being developed between A Block and R Block, which houses a new coffee shop, while the area between A Block and C Block is also being upgraded and the Community Building (C Block) is being refurbished.
Carseldine, QUT’s smallest and greenest campus, is the subject of a
$23million, five-year development plan which will see student numbers rise considerably. A new, purpose-built building is to be constructed with flexible teaching facilities.
In fact, across all three campuses, ease of access to classes and information is
Developments forge ahead
QUT Faculty of Arts students on the main drive at the Gardens Point campus situated next to the City Botanic Gardens and on the Brisbane River.
being addressed, with extensive use of wheelchair ramps and access points, flexible modes and times of delivery, and on-line opportunities.
One of the more visible initiatives to benefit students is the introduction of Australia’s first university information kiosks on all three campuses. Students can pay their fees, download exam results, receive personalised walking routes to lectures and access information via high-tech Information Stations.
To be trialled over 12 months, each
station is equipped with a touch-screen, as well as bar-code and magnetic smart- card readers, enabling students to securely access personal profiles, pay university fees, check their personalised timetables, and conduct cashless transactions via electronic funds transfer.
Timetables for local buses, ferries and trains will be accessible, while local and national businesses will join the new service by offering special student deals and discounts for pubs, clubs, computers, cars, shops and cinemas.
Thanks to a number of Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council initiatives, QUT staff and students will also have dramatically improved access to Gardens Point campus under plans for new light rail and bikeway networks for the city that will terminate at the campus’s doorstep.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Dennis Gibson said the initiatives would make QUT’s city campuses – Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove – among the most easily accessible by public transport in Australia.
Websites keep
graduates in touch
QUT conferred an honorary doctorate on Taiwanese dancing legend Tsai Jui- Yueh at the end of 1998.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson said the university was pleased to award its highest honour, a Doctor of the University, to Ms Tsai in recognition of her distinguished service to the community, to QUT, and to academic scholarship.
Ms Tsai founded the China Dance Arts Institute in 1953 to develop different dance styles in Taiwan, including western and modern works.
The institute became an important venue for international dance exchanges.
Ms Tsai is now retired and has been living in Brisbane since 1983. On a return visit to Taiwan in 1994, Ms Tsai was awarded the coveted Prize of Heritage by Taiwan.
The 1998 Academy of Arts’ annual Dance Collection was dedicated to Ms Tsai in recognition of her work.
Tsai Jui-Yueh honoured by QUT
Taiwanese dancing legend Tsai Jui-Hueh was awarded an honorary doctorate by QUT late last year.
By Noel Gentner
The number of international students at QUT looking for part-time employment slowed dramatically in 1999, according to Ely Stirrat at QUT’s International Student Services (ISS).
Ms Stirrat said she believed a better economic climate in South-East Asia was a major factor in the drop in students seeking casual employment.
She said last year there had been 200 students seeking part-time employment but only 20 had sought assistance in the first four months of 1999.
ISS has established a Job Club where
Help provided to find part-time jobs
students can register and receive personal attention and assistance.
“With the Job Club we can get together and work on job strategies,”
Ms Stirrat said.
“There are a number of places where assistance can be found: the QUT home page for employment, a careers website and office where students can obtain course-related work and then there is the Student Guild,” she said.
“Jobs at QUT are popular, and through the staff email I have been able to alert some MBA students about casual research positions that have become available.”
However, a recent change in Government policy has meant that students (on student visas) who arrived after December 1998 are no longer automatically granted permission to work in Australia.
For a fee of $A50 students can apply for a student visa with permission to work from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
“The regulations regarding permitted number of hours to work remain the same with a maximum of 20 hours part- time during a semester and full-time work permitted in the semester breaks,”
Ms Stirrat said.
More than 40 international students at QUT were recently rewarded for their academic achievements with merit prizes and scholarships.
Each year QUT offers a number of prizes and scholarships for students who are not permanent residents or citizens of Australia.
Students from South-East Asian countries were again well represented this year in the awards, along with students from Canada, Germany, Netherlands, India, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
The QUT Merit Prize for best Diploma Program graduate 1998 was made to Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance) student Geoffrey Yeo Zhi Kai of Singapore and the QUT Merit Prize for best Foundation program graduate 1998 was presented to Bachelor of Arts (Film and Television) student Debbie Wee Cheow Chuen, also of Singapore.
International
students scoop
many merit prizes
QUT Merit prizes are worth $A1,000, which go towards university fees. The awards are made by the deans of each faculty to students who have demonstrated particular academic merit in their QUT courses. No application by the student is required as the decisions are made on academic merit.
The Thiess Contractors’ Indonesian Scholarship which provides a bursary of
$A10,000 a year for two years for outstanding Civil or Mechanical Engineering Diploma graduates was presented to Deddy Suryana of Indonesia. External scholarships are facilitated by the QUT Foundation.
International Postgraduate Research Scholarships were awarded to Stefan Berleb (Germany), Adrian Gerard Barnett (United Kingdom) and Jayantha Pasdunkorale Arachchige (Sri Lanka), and Dhammika Priyantha Mahaarachchi (Sri Lanka).
Noel Gentner
Ways of streamlining the visa process for international students is being investigated by the Federal Government and QUT.
Earlier this year QUT was selected t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a F e d e r a l Government trial of Pre-Qualified Institutions (PQI) and succeeded with a bid to undertake the trial in India.
Plan slashes visa red tape
Associate Director of Admission and Information in Student Administration Helen Cook, said the trial aimed to prove that reputable institutions such as QUT were able to enrol bona fide Indian students without requiring them to undertake lengthy processing by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
QUT is developing innovative websites to keep international graduates in touch, wherever they happen to be working.
Manager of International Relations for QUT KieranO’Brien said QUT graduates were working in senior roles across the globe.
“Graduates are found everywhere and all you need to do is check out our Internet site and talk to a few graduates, whether they are in Brisbane, Europe, Asia, North or South America,” he said.
QUT actively keeps in touch with graduates through publications and newsletters. Now new websites are being development which integrate with the university’s sophisticated computer network.
From the QUT home page, people can link to a special alumni section and from there connect to their home countries. A Singapore website is already at an advanced stage of developed and sites for graduates from other countries are currently being constructed.
The new sites will flag coming events and list the email addresses of alumni.
Prospective students can contact graduates from a range of disciplines and ask them about their experiences.
Graduates who wish to keep in touch with QUT can forward their details to [email protected]. If you want your name added to an online alumni email directory, contact Laurel Bright at [email protected].
Page 4 INSIDE QUT, International Edition 1999
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Fun Run a calendar highlight for students and staff
Students and staff turn out annually for QUT’s annual 10km Fun Run. Last September, a record 632 people took part, raising $1,200 for Queensland Paralympians.
By Andrea Hammond
QUT staff and students have forged a unique overseas study program that includes a month-long, interdisciplinary trip to China working on building and design projects.
Some 21 students from three schools within the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering undertook the study trip in November and December 1998.
They are forerunners of what staff believe will be annual trips to China and continued collaboration between QUT and several universities, including Zhejiang University and the Suzhou Institute of Urban Construction and Environmental Protection.
The trip was led by Professor Helen Armstrong and Dr Richard Margerum from the School of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Surveying. John Sturgeon from the School of Construction Management also joined the trip to help supervise the students from the six disciplines of planning, landscape architecture, surveying, architecture, industrial design and property economics.
Study tour deepens
cultural understanding
Dr Margerum said the trip and the ongoing exchange with the Chinese universities had been the initiative of the Dean of the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering, Professor Weilin Chang.
The program had given students a unique opportunity to work with students from different QUT schools as well as Chinese students in a way that they would have to do as working professionals, Dr Margerum said.
“A lot of things that they get out of the trip in their discipline areas won’t necessarily be things that they haven’t learnt before,”
he said.
“But because the social, cultural and political system is so different in China, it’s more learning about how different approaches are used in different environments.”
The students completed work on two joint projects with Zhejiang University.
Three lecturers from Zhejiang University arrived in April to work at QUT for several months. A second interdisciplinary China study program is planned for Built Environment and Engineering students in November 1999.
This year marks the celebration of QUT’s 10th anniversary as a university and also 150 years since QUT’s earliest predecessor institution, the Brisbane School of Arts, was established.
QUT was created through the coming together of two institutions – the Queensland Institute of Technology and the Brisbane College of Advanced Education, each with long and significant histories which go back to the formal beginning of technical and teacher education in Queensland – and before that to the beginning of higher education in Queensland at the Brisbane School of Arts in 1849.
The merging of these two institutions in 1989 brought about the modern QUT – an institution with 13 predecessor institutions and a long and proud history of education in our state.
A special 10/150 committee, headed by Dean of Health Professor
Anniversary year
packed with events
Ken Bowman, is promoting this historic event.
“Apart from our usual graduations, the fun run, our popular Course and Careers Day and building openings, there will be a range of special events to mark our anniversary,” Professor Bowman said.
These, he said, included a world tour (with performances in Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States) as well as a Brisbane season for Louis Nowra’s play Cosi by Academy of the Arts students. Dance students will visit South Africa mid- year to perform Tension.
QUT’s Faculty of Business is organising an anniversary lecture as well as a technology exhibition to celebrate 50 years of business
education at QUT’s Gardens Point campus, while the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering will mount a sustainable development exhibition.
A history of QUT will be published and a photographic exhibition will be staged at the State Public Library in the city, and QUT’s own art museum is scheduled to open towards the end of the year.
Professor Bowman said an online calendar of events – at http://
www.qut.edu.au/pubs/ten_anniver/
ten_year_program.html – will be updated regularly.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson said it was important for students and staff to see and hear about the university’s celebrations throughout 1999 and, wherever possible, to participate in some way.
“The celebrations will demonstrate to students and staff the depth of history we have as an institution,”
Professor Gibson said.
Samsor Safi (left) and Trenton Shipley toured three countries earlier in 1999 with other Academy of Arts drama students, performing in Louis Nowra’s acclaimed comedy, Cosi. The production forms part of QUT’s 10/150 anniversary celebrations.
