Media Release
August 15 2007
UniSA graduations honour academic success
More than 1200 graduands from all four divisions of the University of
South Australia will celebrate their academic success at graduation
ceremonies to be held on Thursday and Friday this week (August 16 and
17) at the Adelaide Festival Theatre.
Graduands will take centre stage to receive awards that recognise years
of study for qualifications ranging from Associate and Bachelor degrees,
Graduate Certificates and Diplomas, to more than 400 Masters degrees and
43 PhDs.
As part of the celebrations the University will recognise two high
profile Australians, who will be made Honorary Doctors of the University
for their contributions to biochemistry and water quality research -
Professor
Leanna Read, CEO and Managing Director of
TGR Biosciences Pty Ltd;
and
Professor Don Bursill, one of Australia’s most respected water
scientists.
In addition, recently retired Director of UniSA’s Flexible Learning
Centre, Professor Bruce King will be awarded Emeritus Professor for his
contribution to flexible learning; and Stephen Hains, City Manager for
the
City of Salisbury, will be awarded Fellow of the University for
supporting the University’s education goals for the Northern Adelaide
region.
Details on the graduation ceremonies are as follows:
Thursday August 16 2007 – 10.30am
Division of Health Sciences
Guest Speaker – Professor Leanna Read, CEO and Managing Director, TGR
Biosciences Pty Ltd
Prof Read is a founder of Adelaide biotechnology company, TGR
BioSciences, of which UniSA is a foundation shareholder, and has been
Managing Director and CEO since June 2001. A biochemist with more than
20 years’ experience in characterising bioactives in milk and other food
derived products, Prof Read serves on the Prime Minister’s Science,
Engineering and Innovation Council and the SA Government Economic
Development Board. She has been a Member of the Advisory Board of
UniSA’s Ian Wark Research
Institute since 1999, and holds an adjunct professorial appointment
at UniSA.
Thursday August 2007 – 3 pm
Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment
Guest Speaker Professor Don Bursill,
Australian Water Quality Centre
Prof Bursill came to UniSA in 1993 as Adjunct Research Professor in the
University’s SA Water Centre
for Water Science and Systems. Internationally acknowledged as one
of Australia’s most respected water scientists, Prof Bursill was
previously CEO of the CRC
for Water Quality and Treatment and Chief Scientist of the SA Water
Corporation. He has spent almost 40 years in the water industry with a
principal interest in water quality policy, planning, management and
treatment. Prof Bursill established the Australian Water Quality Centre
in SA, he is chairman of the National Health and Medical Research
Council Water Quality Advisory Committee and has been a member of the
International Water Association Program Committee since 1998. He holds
the highest honour of the Australian Water Association, the Peter Hughes
Award.
Friday August 17 2007 - 10.30am
Division of Business
Guest Speaker Mr Stephen Hains, City Manager, City of Salisbury
Stephen Hains has been City Manager of the City of Salisbury since 1991,
one of the largest local government bodies in SA with an annual budget
of around $80 million and a population of 120,000 residents. He has held
various positions in the SA Government including Chief Executive of the
Department of Business, Manufacturing and Trade, Chairman of the SA
Planning Commission, and Director of Planning in the Department of
Environment and Planning. Hains is a Fellow (and past National
President) of the Australian Planning Institute and of Local Government
Managers Australia. He has had a long and active role in supporting
UniSA, particularly in the development of the Mawson Lakes education
environment.
Friday August 17 2007 - 3 pm
Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences
Guest Speaker Professor Bruce King
Prof King recently retired as Director of UniSA’s
Flexible Learning Centre
after nine years in the role. He previously held the position of
Director, Distance Education at one of the University’s founding
institutions and has served the University for more than 25 years at a
senior level. Prof King developed an international reputation by
pioneering distance education as a field of study through international
conferences and consultancies, membership of editorial boards of three
international journals and the international advisory board of the
Centre for Research in Adult and Distance Learning at the Open
University of Hong Kong. Prof King’s drive to pioneer a curriculum
framework built around graduate qualities and flexible delivery has been
very important to UniSA’s positioning.
Media contact
- Geraldine Hinter office (08) 8302 0963 mobile 0417 861832 email geraldine.hinter@unisa.edu.au