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Immigration
history expert Professor Andrew Markus (right) has taken up a new role as the
inaugural Chair of Jewish Civilisation at Monash.
Professor Markus, who began his appointment last month, said he was looking forward to the challenge of taking the nine-year-old Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation through its second stage of development.
He believed the centre had great potential to contribute to the university's intellectual life and international vision, and would seek to develop postgraduate offerings in addition to the current undergraduate subjects in Hebrew and Yiddish language and Jewish history, philosophy, law and literature.
"There's a need to develop honours and graduate-level programs and more dynamic interaction with elements of the Jewish and wider Australian communities," he said.
According to Professor Markus, such development depended on the appointment of new academic staff, who would help the centre develop into an institution of research excellence in Jewish studies.
"We don't want to duplicate the work of overseas Jewish centres, so we'll identify the areas that can be further explored," he said.
"One possibility is to compare the Jewish communities of Australia, South Africa and the Americas, and consider how challenges were faced over time, including issues of identity and diversity within Jewish life."
The centre also aims to establish links with overseas institutions, develop a visiting scholars program and fund scholarships for local students interested in Jewish studies.
Professor Markus joined Monash as a history lecturer in 1984 and served in various senior management positions, including a period as head of the History department.
His research interests have focused on the history of immigrant groups, race relations and racial thought.
Professor Markus has been active in Holocaust education, and has spent the past three years as chair of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum and Research Centre's education committee. He previously served as deputy chair of Monash's Centre for Migrant and Intercultural Studies, and was also a staff representative on the University Council and Academic Board.
Faculty of Arts dean Professor Homer Le Grand said he was delighted with Professor Markus's appointment.
"He has the intellect, energy, vision - and above all, the commitment - to build on the foundations ably laid by his colleagues and the wider community," he said.
The centre's advisory committee chairman, Emeritus Professor Louis Waller, said the appointment of the first Chair of Jewish Civilisation was a great milestone in the development of the discipline.
"I'm sure this most important appointment will be very warmly welcomed in the university, the Melbourne Jewish community and beyond," he said.
Former director Professor Bernie Rechter headed the centre until the Chair of Jewish Civilisation was created this year.
Bringing job opportunities on campusA record number of companies took part in the recent Graduate Careers Fair run by the Monash Student Employment and Careers Service (MONSEACS). More than 100 companies offering employment in business, commerce, economics, arts, law, education, engineering, science, information technology and pharmacy took part in the fair. This included four international employers - mechanical engineers recruiter Cooper Cameron Australasia from Singapore, healthcare firm PT Darya-Varia Laboratoria Tbk from Indonesia, and Schlumberger Oilfield Pty Ltd, a provider of specialised services to the oil and gas industry with offices worldwide. Careers Fair coordinator Ms Gilda Moss said the annual two-day event at the Sports and Recreation Association attracted about 4000 students from all of Monash's Victorian campuses. "The fair was a great success. It was a good opportunity for students to find jobs or find information about their chosen careers," she said.
Monash graduates prepare for their next step. |
Almost
500 people attended events at four Monash campuses to celebrate International
Women's Day on 8 March.
At Gippsland campus, about 200 enjoyed a free buffet lunch and entertainment including a women's issues quiz, acrobatics and a comedy sketch.
The managing director of the Council for Equal Opportunity in Employment, Ms Rohan Squirchuk, entertained more than 100 staff at Clayton campus with a humorous account of her experiences as a wife, mother and pioneer in equal opportunity.
About 120 people gathered for lunch at Caulfield Racecourse, where Victorian College of the Arts deputy director and University Council member Ms Louise Adler (pictured) spoke about the inequality women still faced today, particularly when trying to reach the boardrooms of corporate Australia.
And at Peninsula campus, about 60 people heard sociology lecturer Ms Cathi Lewis's insights into the changes women have experienced in the workforce over the years, focusing on the Whitlam government's early years.
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Prominent sculptor visits MonashWorld-class Australian sculptor Kathy Temin has joined the Faculty of Art and Design for a two-month residency, after spending the past year in France. During her stay, she will teach second and third-year sculpture students, advise masters students and produce a work for exhibition in the Faculty Gallery at Caulfield campus in May. Ms Temin's work features animals and people in suburban or native settings to highlight the emotional life of humans. One of her works, 'Pet Corner', features two actors dressed in koala costumes enacting sleeping, eating and mating rituals in a habitat built from particle board and bamboo stalks. Her work has earned her several prestigious awards and residencies. Her most recent was the $50,000 Moet and Chandon Australian Art Fellowship in Paris. Ms Temin has also spent a year in the US under the PS1 International Studio Program in New York, sponsored by the Australia Council, which carried a $35,000 living stipend. She also won the Samstag Scholarship, which offered a $30,000 prize and course fees at Goldsmiths College in London. |
Mr Brian O'Mara, who worked at Monash University from 1986 to 1995, died aged 63.
Mr O'Mara started at Monash in April 1986 as deputy comptroller working closely with then general manager Mr Peter Wade.
His brief included management oversight to heads of branches and control of accounting, payroll and staff information procedures.
Following the mergers between Monash and the Chisholm and Gippsland institutes, Mr O'Mara's role changed to director of campus-based services at Caulfield and Peninsula campuses, with a management liaison role at Gippsland in 1993.
He dearly loved his campuses and took great pride in the grounds, sparing no effort to ensure they were perfectly maintained. Many people who knew him well described him as cheeky and affectionate by nature.
He retired from Monash in August 1995 but kept a strong interest in the progress of the campus.
The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law is hosting its inaugural lecture later this month.
European University Institute International Law Professor Philip Alston will deliver the lecture titled 'Human rights in regulating the global economy'.
He will argue that powerful bodies such as the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other multinational corporations should accept responsibility for human rights violations.
Professor Alston believes regulating the global economy and addressing worldwide social problems (including human rights violations) should be treated as related issues.
Professor Alston was chair of the United Nation's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee from 1991 to 1998.
He was also director of a major study on the Impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child from 1990 to 2000, sponsored by UNICEF.
The lecture will be held at 6.45 pm on Wednesday 28 March at the Alexander Theatre, Clayton. For further information, contact Ms Val Campbell on extn 54208.
Prominent Aboriginal Senator Aden Ridgeway will deliver the inaugural William Cooper lecture on 29 March.
Supported by the Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, Senator Ridgeway will speak about Aboriginal activist William Cooper, born in 1861, who founded the Australian Aborigines' League.
William Cooper worked tirelessly to raise awareness among the white community of Indigenous Australians' poor living conditions and was a passionate advocate of equal rights in education and employment.
'The legacy of William Cooper' will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Collins Street Baptist Church. For further inquiries, contact extn 54200.
Three senior staff from King's College London are visiting Monash University this week.
King's deputy principal Professor Barry Ife, who also heads the schools of Education, Humanities, Law, Physical Science and Engineering, is accompanied by college secretary and registrar Mr Harry Musselwhite and director of the Centre for Computing in the Humanities Mr Harold Short.
During their four-day visit, the visitors are meeting with senior academics and administrators at the Clayton and Caulfield campuses.
They are seeking a better understanding of how Monash runs, as well as looking for opportunities to develop closer ties between King's College and Monash.
Academics from both institutions are already undertaking reciprocal visits. Arrangements are also in place for an exchange of staff between Monash's Public Affairs Division and King's College's External Relations department.
For further information about the visit, contact Ms Corrie McKee on extn 52100 or email karel.reus@adm.monash.edu.au
A Monash Research Graduate School seminar to help researchers keep their projects on track will be held on 4 April.
The seminar aims to assist researchers to develop well-focused research proposals, prepare literature reviews, negotiate regular and structured meetings with supervisors, and form timeframes for completion.
The presenters will be Dr Denise Cuthbert (associate dean, Graduate Studies, Arts), Professor Terri Seddon (director, Research Degrees, Faculty of Education), and Dr Antonio Patti (associate dean, Graduate Studies, Faculty of Science).
The seminar will be held at 4 pm in lecture theatre S4, building 25, Clayton. To register, contact Ms Joanne Ligouris on extn 59976.
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