2013 recipients

Entrepreneurship

Grant Petch UB Industry Skills Centre

Recommended for his exemplary efforts to consistently and continuously raise the University's profile at state, national and international level by creating strategic partnerships to broaden the University's service delivery and generate return on investment.

The award acknowledges Grant's exceptional ability to identify business opportunities to market, negotiate and secure the delivery of Automotive industry focused training programs at a national and international level.

Through Grants efforts, the University now delivers national training programs to high profile international companies including BMW, Cummins and Kenworth. Granthas also secured a project with Bursons Auto Parts for approximately 100 trainees across Victoria and managed the development of a Road Worthy Certificate program to deliver to automotive enterprises across the state.

Grant is a substantial contributor to the University's profile through his role as an International Chief Judge for Worldskills at a national and international level. Tim Taylor, the 2013 Automotive Gold Medallist for World Skills in Germany was trained and mentored by Grant and the Automotive team while Tim completed his apprenticeship studies at the University of Ballarat.

Innovation

Thea Burns UB Industry Skills Centre

Recommended for her outstanding achievement through the development and implementation of innovative hairdressing teaching and learning resources for our core 'cutting program.'

The award acknowledges the program's ability to significantly increase student learning outcomes by providing a more modern and cost effective quality tertiary educational experience that has inspired greater transfer of skills and student teacher engagement. The 3 book and instructional DVD resources encourage our students to succeed by increasing student confidence and ability to apply their skills sooner in the workplace.

Thea's development of this program has provided the University with a competitive advantage and demonstrates her strong ongoing commitment to responding to the needs of our students and encouraging them to succeed.

Leadership

Associate Professor Peter Martin School of Health Sciences

Recommended for his high standard of leadership displayed through his exceptional achievements to create and implement a more productive, integrated and positive team work environment within the School of Health Sciences.

The award acknowledges Peter's strong commitment to providing a high standard of service by ensuring his staff continuously strive for excellence and encouraging them to learn and develop as individuals and teams. Overall, Peter's positive encouragement has resulted in a more productive, integrated and positive work environment.

Peter demonstrates his commitment to the University's strategic priorities through the creation of a Distributed Leadership Model designed to foster professional respect,transparency, accountability within a framework of support and governance. The model has created a platform to encourage and support wider school involvement to address the University's strategic priorities in student load growth and strengthening our research productivity. The outcomes are continuing to yield positive results.

While Peter has been very influential in promoting and implementing a Distributed Leadership Model, Peter acknowledges his leadership success would not be without the commitment and support of his team to tackle such challenges.

Service

Jill Brown Industry Skills Centre

Jill has continuously and consistently exceeded expectations through her exceptional efforts to develop and maintain a user friendly, interesting, vibrant, accurate and visually engaging website for the UB Industry Skills Centre that has led to the successful promotion of Unistyle, Prospects and the Building and Construction area.

The award acknowledges her ability and strong commitment to effectively promote Industry Skills Centre programs by engaging the UB Community and visitors to the University's website.

This is demonstrated through Jill's creation of a 'Master class' thumbnail on the University's homepage which has substantially increased visitors to our website. The thumbnail was created as part of the Cookery Skills Centre's goal to increase engagement with the community by creating a series of public 'Master classes.' The improvement to the website has substantially contributed to the success of this project with students from as far and wide as Horsham, Bellarine, Melbourne and Daylesford hearing about the classes via the University's homepage.

Reconciliation

There were no nominations in the category of Reconciliation.

Special mention

The Committee also wishes to publicly acknowledge the outstanding achievements and dedication displayed in all the nominations that were received this year.

Associate Professor Lorraine Bennett Centre for Learning Innovation and Professional Practice (CLIPP)
For her high standard of leadership displayed through her strong and consistent commitment to promote lifelong learning and effective innovation in learning and teaching through her strong leadership skills and ability to lead change initiatives.
 
Helen Ryan The Business School
For her high standard of leadership displayed through her outstanding management skills that have largely contributed to the creation of 'The Business School' during the 'UB Blueprint' process. Helen has designed and led the complex integration of two large administrative teams to create a dynamic, customer focussed administration team within the new School.
 
Claire Rasmussen Industry Skills Centre
For her high standard of leadership displayed through her strong commitment to respond to the University's Learning and Teaching priorities in a complex tertiary environment. Claire is committed to ensuring her teachers and apprenticeship and leadership teams continuously strive for excellence to provide a high standard of quality in learning and teaching and raise the profile of VET in a tertiary environment.
 
Dr Richard Dazeley School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE)
For his high standard of leadership displayed through his ability to unify and provide growth within the School while preparing the University for a new era.

Richard demonstrates his strong leadership skills through his ability to provide exceptional guidance during an extended period of organisational structure and cultural change, pedagogical shifts in learning and teaching, and a new higher education governance and compliance framework.
 
'Crowdfunding for Research' Pilot (Scenari Aid) Project Team
Comprising: Janette Corcoran, Grant Meredith, Eammon Jones, Ian Knox and Marnie Nolton.
Recommended for their exceptional ability to create a strong engagement with the community through their creation of the University's first 'Crowdfunding for Research Campaign.' Crowdfunding is an internet-based form of micro-philanthropy or micro-financing which enables individuals and businesses to donate money to support projects that are of interest, importance or a potential benefit to them. The team achieved its fundraising target of $25,000 from over 190 individual donors worldwide.
 
Paul Feely Centre for eCommerce and Communications (CeCC)
For his exceptional ability to implement highly advanced innovations to strengthen the value and impact of the Sport and Recreational Spatial project and also the UB News and ATOM projects, to significantly increase the University's profile as a leading organisation in using advanced technologies and ICT strategies.
 
VET Quality Assurance process converted to Moodle Project Team
Comprising: Claire Rasmussen, Jo Dyer, Pam Woodward and Andrea Warr.
For their outstanding efforts to create and implement a new model approach that ensures our key contractual, regulatory and quality processes to be met. The integrated program delivery and teaching quality assurance system provides a robust, web accessible and central repository that captures and informs VET stakeholders around mandatory compliance and has improved and streamlined processes achieve efficiencies and transparency for UB stakeholders, with the desired outcome to improve the student experience by increasing the quality of the VET learning and teaching delivery.
 
Admissions Office (24 hour response process) Project Team
Comprising: Kathryn Murphy and Liana Skewes
For their outstanding efforts to implement a practice and associated business process which, for the first time, saw Higher Education program applicants receive a response to their application within 24 hours. The practice has improved the conversion rate of applicants becoming enrolled students and has increased communication and support to applicants as they make the transition to enrolment.
 
Fiona Hodder School of Education and Arts
For her outstanding efforts to implement a comprehensive, school-based re-organisation of the administration and technical team following the TAFE budget cuts and restructure. Her achievements have resulted in improved business processes, significant budget savings and an integrated approach to program management that has welded both TAFE and Higher Education and created a strong reinforcement of our commitment to a single identity.
 
Online Learning Programs UB Tec – UB College
Comprising: Andrew Orr and Ray Spiteri
For their exceptional efforts to develop and implement the UB Tec Online Learning Program which specifically supports our students with mental health issues as well as young mothers, to stay engaged with their education. The programs provide opportunities to gain secondary qualifications and provide pathways into higher level vocational training or tertiary courses. The program increased UB Tec enrolments for 2012 by 60%.
 
Stuart Birkin Automotive Skills Centre, Industry Skills Centre
For his exceptional efforts to create a proactive learning and assessment culture amongst apprentices and employers. Stuart's development of eLearning resources have enabled the Centre to flexibly engage new apprentices in training and ensured viable class sizes for a teacher centred approach.
 
Craig Cunningham Centre for Learning Innovation and Professional Practice (CLIPP)
For his exceptional level of service displayed through his commitment to improving business practices. Craig has played a key role in the creation of a Mid Term test Moodle shell which has become a central distribution point of mid-term tests to partners running programs from both the Business School and School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering.
 
Andrew Segrott Strategic Capital, Infrastructure and Projects (SCIP)
Andrew has consistently exceeded expectations in the area of program management through his ability to manage the successful implementation of a number of major capital projects while delivering a completely new communications system throughout the University.
 
SITE IT & Education Research (SIER) Team School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE)
Comprising: Sally Firmin, Kathleen Keogh, Grant Meredith, Philip Smith and Kylie Turville.
Recommended for their dedication to understanding and shaping the futures of SITE enrolled students. The team have collaborated and reported on a wide range of studies of pedagogical importance to UB which have shaped the way in which we teach, assess and approach students of all levels to create wider accessibility to our programs within a more competitive student market.
 
Jo-Anne Williams The Business School
Recommended for her exceptional level of customer service and support to the School particularly throughout a very demanding and often difficult change environment. Jo's outstanding level of commitment and support to the Dean has contributed to the successful expansion and globalisation of The Business School.
 
Annette Forbes School of Health Sciences
For her outstanding efforts and commitment to progressing the strategic plan for the improved recruitment and retention of Indigenous students in Nursing. Annette's efforts have enabled Nursing staff to integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural understandings and competencies within the nursing curriculum and enhance our graduates cultural sensitivity, better preparing them for employment.