International education expert wins Griffith alumni award

Deaf education expert Professor Greg Leigh has won the inaugural Griffith University Arts, Education & Law Alumni of the Year Award announced this week.

Professor Leigh is Director of the Centre for Research and Professional Education at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children in Sydney and Director of the Centre for Special Education and Disability Studies at the University of Newcastle.

He holds a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education from Griffith University, a Master of Science from Washington University and a PhD in special education from Monash University. Earlier this year the Deafness Foundation awarded Professor Leigh the Peter Howson Medal for “Outstanding lifetime contribution to the field of Deafness”.

Lawyer and Griffith University lecturer Kathryn Van Doore has won the Arts, Education & Law Young Alumnus of the Year Award.

Ms Van Doore, who holds a Bachelor of Laws/Arts and a Master of Laws from Griffith University, made headline news earlier this year when she helped rescue 14 Ugandan children from a corrupt orphanage.

The co-founder of the Forget Me Not Children’s Home played an integral role in closing the organisation down, working with police and local probation officers to remove the children from the defunct children’s home and employing field staff to manage resettlement and reunification with the children’s families. Her work will be the subject of a forthcoming episode of Australian Story.

Other alumni winners include:

– Honourable Andrew Fraser MP – Griffith Law School

– Mr Peter Hegedus – Queensland College of Art

– Mr Brett Dean – Queensland Conservatorium

– Ms Sarah Hyde – School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

– Professor Greg Leigh – School of Education and Professional Studies

– Ms Ginny Lowndes – School of Humanities

– Ms Bernadine Leon – School of Languages and Linguistics

Arts, Education & Law Dean (Academic) Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith said the awards program recognised the significant work undertaken by alumni.

“These awards recognise our former students’ outstanding success, and contributions to their profession, chosen field and to the community,’’ she said.