Australian aerial skier Danielle Scott (Bachelor of Communications) has won her maiden Freestyle Skiing World Cup aerials event and finished third overall in the World Rankings.
The Winter Olympian, Danielle achieved a perfect double full-full that earned her a score of 94.82 and her first career World Cup win at the premier event, in Moscow.
The win was also Danielle’s second podium of the season, and came on the heels of back-to-back disappointments at the previous aerials World Cup in Lake Placid, USA, where she finished both competitions outside of the top-10.
Danielle Scott, Sochi 2014
With the tour now over, Danielle finished third on the World Cup leader board.
Danielle was thrilled with the results following the tour.
“I’m feeling incredible. This is a feeling that money can’t buy. It’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into this and it’s finally paid off.”
Danielle Scott competing in the Freestyle Skiing Ladies’ Aerials Finals at The 2014 Winter Olympics Sochi, Russia.
which supports elite athletes as they balance study and training.
Griffith’s Sports College Manager Mr Duncan Free was delighted with Danielle’s win.
“It’s great to have a Winter Olympian like Danielle studying at Griffith. To see her achieve great results on the world stage, in a northern hemisphere dominated sport, is simply awesome.
“Travelling overseas as often as she does and achieving strong results both in the snow and at university, is a massive achievement in its own right.”
Congratulations go to Dr Shannon Brincat who was presented with the ISA Theory Section Best Paper Award 2015 at the International Studies Association (ISA) Conference held in New Orleans last month. The International Studies Association strives to connect globalscholars, practitioners and students in the field of International Studies.
Dr Brincat won the ISA Theory Section Best Paper Award 2015 for his co-authored paper ‘Dialectics for IR: Hegel and the Dao,’ (2014) with The New School’s Associate Professor, L.H.M Ling. In settling on this paper, the Award Committee stated that it demonstrated ‘an excellent representation of the goals of theory section in dialogue across different theoretical perspectives.’ The paper has been published in a special issue of the scholarly journal, Globalizations.
Griffith Asia Institute was well represented at the conference with Professor Renee Jeffery, Dr Luis Cabrera, Dr Wes Widmaier, Dr Christian Wirth and Dr Stephen McLoughlin also participating in the event.
Politicians everywhere tend to attract cynicism and inspire disillusionment. They are supposed to epitomize the promise of democratic government and yet invariably find themselves cast as the enemy of every virtue that system seeks to uphold.
In the Pacific, “politician” has become a byword for corruption, graft, and misconduct. This was not always the case–the independence generation is still remembered as strong leaders–but today’s leaders are commonly associated with malaise and despair. Once heroes of self-determination, politicians are now the targets of donor attempts to institute “good governance,” while Fiji’s 2006 coup was partly justified on the grounds that they needed “cleaning up.”
But who are these much-maligned figures? How did they come to arrive in politics? What is it like to be a politician? Why do they enter, stay, and leave? Drawing on more than 110 interviews and other published sources, including autobiographies and biographies,Being Politicalprovides a collective portrait of the region’s political elite. This is an insider account of political life in the Pacific as seen through the eyes of those who have done the job.
We learn that politics is a messy, unpredictable, and, at times, dirty business that nonetheless inspires service and sacrifice. We come to understand how being a politician has changed since independence and consider what this means for how we think about issues of corruption and misconduct. We find that politics is deeply embedded in the lives of individuals, families, and communities; an account that belies the common characterization of democracy in the Pacific as a “façade” or “foreign flower.”
Ultimately, this is a sympathetic counter-narrative to the populist critique. We come to know politicians as people with hopes and fears, pains and pleasures, vices and virtues. A reminder that politicians are human–neither saints nor sinners–is timely given the wave of cynicism and disaffection. As such, this book is a must read for all those who believe in the promise of representative government. —
Jack Corbett joined Griffith in 2014 as a Research Fellow. His research interests include political leadership and biography in the Pacific Islands, anti-politics and democratic disenchantment; democratization and development; the politics of small island states; development policy and administration; and interpretive research methodologies. Jack completed his PhD in 2012 at The Australian National University (ANU). His first book book, based on his dissertation, was published in 2015 with The University of Hawaii Press. Jack has a series of articles published or forthcoming with journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, The Pacific Review, Democratization, and Politics and Gender. Prior to his move to Griffith, Jack spent 18 months as a Postdoctoral Fellow at ANU where he taught Pacific politics. From 2008-2010 he worked as an Adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Forty years ago today, now Professor Emeritus David Pegg (School of Natural Sciences) delivered the first lecture at Griffith University.
In the pre-internet world of blackboards, pens and paper, the subject was mathematics, the location was Room 0.06 in the N25 Science 1 building at Nathan campus, and the time was 8.30am on March 3, 1975.
“The students, all part of the new School of Science, filed in and the first words I spoke after they settled down were: ‘First, here’s an exercise for you’,” recalls Professor Pegg.
(To learn more about that exercise, and its consequences, please see the accompanying video)
Professor Pegg says those first days of teaching were hectic, challenging and exciting.
“From the start it was apparent that Griffith wanted to be a new kind of university for a changing Australia,” he says.
“Griffith and Murdoch were the first fee-free universities in the country and there was a definite feeling that this was the beginning of a new era in tertiary education.”
Two days after Professor Pegg’s inaugural lecture, Griffith University’s official opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
“The first cohort of Griffith students was 451 strong. The student body was divided evenly between males and females and included five international students. Today we have more than 9000 international students from more than 130 different countries,” says Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor.
“The University started with a total of 87 staff of whom 42 were academics. One of these pioneering academics was David Pegg, who will tell you that things were very different back then, although innovation in teaching has been a constant in the ensuing 40 years of the University’s history.”
Professor Pegg retired in 2009, having seen Griffith expand to embrace five campuses and tens of thousands of students.
He retains fond memories of Griffith’s first student cohort and they keep in touch to this day. In fact, the 40 Year Foundation Science Student Reunion will be held at Nathan on March 14.
To acknowledge 40 years since the beginning of teaching at Griffith, Professor Pegg delivered a commemorative lecture at Nathan this morning (March 3).
Three Griffith University criminology students have been recognised by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for their work in contributing to last year’s successful G20 Summit.
In the presence of the Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, students Christine Carney, Kasey Swank and Taylor Reeve were presented with their awards at a ceremony at QPS Headquarters in Brisbane.
The third-year Criminology and Criminal Justice students completed a professional practice placement with the QPS in the lead-up to the G20 Summit in November 2014.
Inspector Rob McCall has been supervising QPS student placements from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Griffith University) for a number of years.
Student professional placements
As a Griffith University graduate himself Rob has been pleased with the calibre of those students on professional practice placement. Rob who at the time of G20 was the Acting Superintendent of Support Services for the G20 Group said:
“The professional practice placement for the three students occurred at an exceptional time for the QPS and the fact that all three students were then were able to enter the Volunteer in Policing Programme during the G20 event gave them a unique insight into the organisation during arguably the largest security operation in Australia’s history.”
Christine worked with liaison officers dealing with business groups, issues-motivated (protest) groups and community groups to explain the G20 process.
“The officers gave talks to the groups and explained the impacts of the G20, and safety and security issues,’’ Christine said.
Christine also attended meetings and surveyed the various groups to determine if the QPS’s external engagement strategy was effective.
She found that lessons learned from previous G20 meetings, especially in Toronto and the UK, improved negotiations with the groups in the lead-up the summit.
“The QPS approach was similar to the Swedish Dialogue Model where Swedish police work together with protest groups. The key message to protesters was ‘we understand you have a message you want to get out and we’re happy for that, if it’s safe and peaceful’.”
G20 volunteers
Christine, along with Canadian exchange students Taylor and Casey, also volunteered with the QPS during the G20, working to ensure the event’s smooth running.
“It was an amazing experience. From day one, we were part of the team. I felt like I contributed to the G20 and made a difference.”
Lecturer Dr Lyndel Bates said Professional Practice was a key course that enabled students to use what they learn at university in real workplace projects.
“Christine was an excellent student, who applied classroom theory to practice within a workplace. She contributed in a meaningful way to the QPS through her placement.
“The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is really appreciative of the opportunities that organisations such as the QPS provide our placement students,’’ Dr Bates said.
Taylor Reeve completed his placement with the G20 Command, while Kasey Swank did his with the Queensland Police Health and Recreation Association (QPHRA).
“I analysed the value of a QPS exercise program in preparation for the G20 and other major events. I really enjoyed my placement and as an international student, it was very beneficial,’’ Taylor said.
While working with QPHRA, Kasey helped design a dedicated physical conditioning and educational program for aspiring police officers.
“Moving overseas and working hard to receive the opportunity to experience the culture of policing in Australia has been amazing. Griffith has helped me grow and excel within the field of policing.”
Policing careers
When they graduate this year, Kasey and Taylor hope to become police officers either in Australia or Canada.
Their lecturer, Miria Bastock, said they applied themselves to a range of learning opportunities presented to them during their placement.
“This award recognises their ongoing commitment to being involved with policing and community activities above and beyond the requirements of their formal studies,’’ she said.
A team of Griffith University business students is a step closer to $US1 million and a meeting with former US President Bill Clinton after advancing to the regional finals of the sixth annual Hult Prize.
Hailing from the School of Government and International Relations in the Griffith Business School, the team comprises: Australian Postgraduate Award recipient Brad McConachie; Prime Minister’s Australia-Asia Endeavour Awardees Chris Eigeland and Janna Mallon; and New Colombo Plan ScholarEliseStephenson.
The Griffith team is one of 250 selected from more than 20,000 applications from 500 colleges and universities in 150 countries. Elise, Janna, Brad and Chris will contest the regional final in Shanghai on March 13-14. Other host cities are Boston, San Francisco, London and Dubai.
Team member Janna Mallon
The world’s largest student competition, the Hult Prize is partnered with President Clinton and his Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and is an innovative crowd-sourcing platform striving to solve the most pressing global social challenges. Student teams compete to secure $US1 million in start-up funding for a sustainable social venture.
The focus of the 2015 event is on building start-ups to provide sustainable and high quality early education solutions for a predicted 10 million children under the age of six and living in urban slums beyond 2020.
“Over the past few years we have worked together in Australia and our region on the topics of children and education,” says Elise Stephenson. “We are so excited to have this opportunity to compete with the best in the world and we are positive our solution will have great practical impact on communities.”
Founder and CEO of the Hult Prize Foundation, Mr Ahmad Ashkar, attributes the rapid growth of the Socially Responsible Investment sector to new demand created by the international marketplace.
“Servicing the world’s poorest people through profitable and sustainable enterprise is not just good for the world; it’s great business,” he says.
Says President Clinton: “The Hult Prize is about more than the solution to the problem; it’s about how the world has to work in the 21st century.”
Following the regional finals, the winning teams will move into a summer business incubator, where participants will receive mentorship, advisory and strategic planning as they create prototypes and prepare to launch their ventures.
The final will be hosted by President Clinton at CGI’s annual meeting in the US in September.
The formal opening of the Margaret Mittelheuser AMTradingRoom at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus has honoured one of life’s true pioneers.
A one-hour tribute, led by the Honourable Quentin Bryce AD CVO, revealed Dr Mittelheuser as an adventurer, a trailblazer, a role model and as someone who always wanted to know more.
“How perfect that the trading room is named after Margaret Mittelheuser,” Dame Quentin Bryce said during an address that reflected warmly on the triumphs of Margaret’s life.
“It is a living memory of a truly remarkable woman.”
Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor echoed those sentiments.
“She was a doyen of the stockbroking profession. By naming it after her, you know it will be a trading room of integrity,” he said.
“A blue chip standard guided Margaret through her personal and professional life.”
Dr Mittelheuser AM DUniv was the first woman to be registered as a stockbroker in Australia and one of the first in the world. An avid interest in figures and listed stocks led to a long and dynamic career in the stock-broking profession in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas from the mid-1950s.
She was conferred with the Degree of Doctor of the University by Griffith in 2006.
Dr Cathryn Mittelheuser AM, thanked Griffith University for acknowledging her sister by naming the world-class trading room in honour of her.
“She would be just quietly pleased,” she said.
Cathryn Mittelheuser AM recalled Margaret’s lifelong appetite for knowledge and her desire to “keep up to date” no matter where she was in the world.
During an evocative delivery, Quentin Bryce AD CVO highlighted Margaret’s “fierce intellect and forthright confidence”. She described her as “adventurous, curious and dauntless”.
“Her self-assurance was always there, quietly and modestly,” she said. “Margaret would be truly delighted to see this fantastic facility.”
Griffith University students of banking, finance and financial planning have been using the advanced trading room environment to access the Bloomberg Professional service since Griffith opened the doors of a new $38 million business building last August.
Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Professor Michael Powell, told the invited audience, including friends and family of Margaret Mittelheuser AM, that students and researchers at Griffith Business School now had access to “a treasure trove of financial data”.
Griffith School of Pharmacy’s innovative virtual learning environment has openedjust in time for the new students to be introduced to a whole new way of learning.
“This cutting edge facility is the future of technology-driven education and will provide students with a truly immersive virtual environment,” says Dr Gary Grant, Deputy Head Learning and Teaching from the School of Pharmacy.
The new teaching tool – which opened Tuesday 24 February – offers students a totally immersive and interactive experience enabling them to work in different environments including hospital and community pharmacy from anywhere in the world without ever having to leave the classroom.
“Students are able to completely control the pace of their learning and interact with virtual patients in more or less any environment that is relevant to their work-integrated learning needs,” says Dr Grant. One big advantage of the new technology will be to facilitate better student preparation for placements which will give both the student and their supervisor a better on-site experience.
In addition, the new technology is to be made available on portable devices allowing students to easily interact with this tool in any environment.
“This facility — which can be adapted for students from all health disciplines – will not only be a highlight for Griffith but will also showcase the fact that we are at the forefront of this type of education,” says Professor Andrew Davey, Head of School, Pharmacy.
Australia’s most comprehensive conservatoire has launched their 2015 Concert Season- marking the start of a stellar season for the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
This season is set to be a year quite unlike any which have gone before it, according to Director Professor Scott Harrison.
“This year we will present more premieres and more Australian works than ever before,” he says.
“We also have the privilege and honour of welcoming esteemed international conductor Johannes Fritzsch to our stage for a series of symphonic concerts and for our annual opera production where he will take the helm alongside playwright and director Michael Gow.”
“This season is a reflection of our extraordinary talent — both past and present — our dedication to artistic collaboration on a local and international scale, and our continuing role in the State’s cultural fabric,” he says.
A host of new series will be introduced during the 2015 season, such as Amazing Women to celebrate exceptional female composers and performers; and Alumni in Focus to bring back to Brisbane star-studded performers such as Grammy award-winner Tim Munro; London-based tenor Dominic Walsh, internationally renowned drummer/percussionist Joe Marchisella, and the award-wining Lyrebird Trio.
International Maestro Johannes Fritzsch will take to the Queensland Conservatorium Theatre stage during the 2015 Concert Season
In line with this season of “firsts”, the Musical Theatre department will also take Working,the 1978 Broadway musical, as a fully staged production on tour to Melbourne and Sydney. The triple-threat talents will also present almost 100 other performances locally, includingA Chorus Line, Blood Brothers, Rent, and Con2theCabaret.
The famed jazz department led by Steve Newcomb also features prominently throughout the season with four Music Gallery events; collaborations with Young Conservatorium; and guest performers such as music culture icons the Band of Frequencies for the Standing Waves concert in September.
The program also welcomes back one of Australia’s most diverse and intriguing groups Clocked Out (Vanessa Tomlinson and Erik Griswold), and sees the return of perennial favourite the Conservatorium Gala in November, bringing together the finest standout performances from throughout the year in a true celebration of musical excellence.
The Musical Theatre students will present almost 100 local performances this season, with a tour interstate.
It’s this incredible diversity that Professor Harrison says is a hallmark of the latest program and of the Conservatorium.
“With classical voice and instrumental, opera, the symphony orchestra, musical theatre, jazz, world music, new music, the Con Big Band, popular music and everything in between, we invite Brisbane to join with us in a year-long celebration of exuberant music-making,” he says.
This year’s program is curated by QCGU Deputy Director and Queensland Symphony Orchestra Associate Principal French Horn, Mr Peter Luff.
2015 Season Highlights:
29 May An Alpine Symphony with Johannes Fritzsch and the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, 7.30pm in the Conservatorium Theatre
Maestro Johannes Fritzsch conducts the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra in a program featuring Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony and Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor with soloist Georgia Ostenfeld.
16 — 21 August Hansel and Gretel: Conservatorium Opera School
Be lured by the famous fairy-tale adventure of Hansel and Gretel as opera students bring this musical treasure to life on the Conservatorium Theatre stage. This masterpiece will showcase our outstanding opera school and orchestral instrumentalists under the direction of international conductor Johannes Fritzsch and playwright and director Michael Gow.
3 September Alumni in Focus: Sila with Tim Munro, 5.00pm in the Foyer (free event)
Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Luther Adams’ new work Sila will be given its Australian premiere in this special performance directed by Grammy award winner Tim Munro. Inhabiting the hallways, courtyards and open spaces over three levels of the Conservatorium building, this seventy minute work, scored for eighty singers and orchestral musicians, will be a different sonic adventure for each audience member.
For more information on theConcert Calendar, visit www.conevents.com.au
Griffith University is a Principal Partner with the Brisbane Roar Football Club for its 2015 Asian Football Confederation Champions League campaign, which starts on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, 25 February 2015.
Griffith will hold the club’s prestigious Front of Shirt asset throughout the six-game, home-and-away AFC Champions League Group Stage.
The Roar’s matches against Asian opponents will be viewed by a potential audience of tens of millions across a region where Griffith University is admired as a pioneer of Asian studies.
As Australian Champions, Brisbane Roar will play three matches at Gold Coast Stadium at Robina and three in Asia over the next 10 weeks in what is the region’s most prestigious club football competition.
Brisbane Roar FC Managing Director Sean Dobson said the partnership was fitting as Griffith University is one of the most respected tertiary institutions in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Brisbane Roar are Australian champions with an ambition to become a powerhouse in Asian football,” Dobson said.
“Griffith University achievements in the region are an inspiration for us.”
PVC International Professor Sarah Todd
Griffith University Pro Vice Chancellor (International) Professor Sarah Todd warmly welcomed today’s announcement.
“Griffith University is very proud to be one of Australia’s foremost sporting universities with a long history of supporting high-level sports and sports performers,” Professor Todd said.
“This partnership provides further opportunity to do this onan international level and it is also avery visible way of Griffith signalling its deep engagement with Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Asia.
“I anticipate there will be high interest from within our student body, and I also fully expect to see the new Brisbane Roar kit, featuring Griffith’s logo, being worn with pride on all of our campuses.”
The Roar begins its campaign to be Asian Champions against Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan at Robina on Wednesday night (7.30pm kick-off).
Also in the Roar’s AFC Champions League Group G are two-time Asian champions Suwon Bluewings, from South Korea, and 2007 champions Urawa Red Diamonds, from Japan.
The Roar’s other Gold Coast games are against Suwon on Tuesday, March 17, and Urawa on Tuesday, May 5. Their away schedule is March 4 (Urawa), April 8 (Suwon) and April 21 (Beijing).
Tickets are available now through Ticketek. Ticket price includes free train travel to and from Robina. Gold Coast-based fans can also travel free to the game on Surfside bus routes, trains and the G-Link tram.
Jack Corbett joined Griffith in 2014 as a Research Fellow. His research interests include political leadership and biography in the Pacific Islands, anti-politics and democratic disenchantment; democratization and development; the politics of small island states; development policy and administration; and interpretive research methodologies. Jack completed his PhD in 2012 at The Australian National University (ANU). His first book book, based on his dissertation, was published in 2015 with The University of Hawaii Press. Jack has a series of articles published or forthcoming with journals such as Comparative Political Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, The Pacific Review, Democratization, and Politics and Gender. Prior to his move to Griffith, Jack spent 18 months as a Postdoctoral Fellow at ANU where he taught Pacific politics. From 2008-2010 he worked as an Adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
