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Milestones 2007–2009
2007
University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas received an Australia Day honour in January 2007. He became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “service to higher education, particularly through the development and administration of the University of the Sunshine Coast and to the establishment of educational links with China and Japan”.
The Innovation Centre staged Australia's first Enterprisers program for 72 students from 30 January to 2 February. This program was developed by the University of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to inspire young entrepreneurs. A second Enterprisers program was held at USC in September.
The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) commended USC in February for its significant achievements since inception. AUQA, an independent body auditing all Australian universities, released an extensive report that made special mention of USC’s commitment to the Sunshine Coast and its innovative programs aimed at enhancing students’ experiences at university.
John Dobson OAM, who had been a USC Council member since 1998, was appointed Chancellor in March, filling the role vacated by pastoralist Ian Kennedy AO who had served as Chancellor for nine years. Mr Dobson was formally installed as Chancellor by the Governor of Queensland, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, on 8 May.
A crowd of more than 300 people turned out for the official dedication of a 7m-tall sculpture, Pulse, at the USC Gallery forecourt on Thursday 5 April. The sculpture was built as part of the University's campus enhancement program under the USC Building Excellence fundraising campaign.
In May, two multi-million University buildings were officially opened. Queensland’s Minister for Education, Training and the Arts, Rod Welford, officially opened the A$12 million science building (Building H) on 1 May, while the Governor of Queensland, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, officially opened the A$13 million Chancellery building (Building C) on 8 May.
Australia Zoo owner Terri Irwin and the ABC’s Australian Story presenter Caroline Jones were among the honorary award recipients at the USC graduation ceremony on 18 May. Ms Jones became the University's first honorary Doctor of Letters, and renowned architect Harold Guida become an honorary Doctor of the University. Mrs Irwin became an Honorary Senior Fellow, along with Sunshine Coast Regional Organisation of Councils manager Graeme Pearce, APN News and Media Group Executive Editor Peter Owen, and Frayda Myers Cooper of the University of the Third Age.
Federal Education, Science and Training Minister Julie Bishop officially opened USC's impressive A$10 million indoor sports stadium on 19 July. The 3,705 square metre stadium is to be used for University and community sporting events – including basketball, netball, futsal, volleyball and badminton – and for University research and teaching.
Two USC lecturers received A$10,000 awards in August for their outstanding contributions to student learning. Cultural Studies senior lecturer Dr Karen Brooks and Marketing and Tourism lecturer Gayle Mayes each received citations from the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.
The University's efforts in encouraging local students to study overseas were honoured by the Queensland Government on 30 August. USC’s Global Opportunities (GO) program won a major award at the Celebrating International Education and Training Industry Showcase in Brisbane for promoting internationalisation.
The 2008 Good Universities Guide, released in October, described the University of the Sunshine Coast as a five-star performer.The Guide awarded top marks (five stars) for USC’s staff qualifications, teaching quality, and graduates’ satisfaction with the generic skills they gained while at the University.
Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser was among the keynote speakers at USC's annual State of the Region Conference in late October. The conference attracted hundreds of major decision-makers, researchers and strategists and focused on the planned amalgamation of councils on the Sunshine Coast.
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2008
USC welcomed its largest intake of 2,279 new students in February which brought the University’s total student population to 5,833.
Professor Evan Douglas became USC’s new Dean of the Faculty of Business in February. Professor Douglas was previously the Head of the Graduate School of Business at Queensland University of Technology for more than 10 years.
In March, USC was one of 99 organisations nationally, and one of only 10 in Queensland, that earned an Employer of Choice for Women citation. These citations are awarded annually by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) and USC has received over four consecutive years.
The University hosted the historic first public meeting of the amalgamated Sunshine Coast Regional Council on Thursday 3 April. The meeting featured new regional Mayor Bob Abbot and 12 councillors taking their oaths of office.
USC sport scientist Associate Professor Brendan Burkett was selected to attend the Federal Government’s 2020 Summit in Canberra in April. Dr Burkett was among 1,000 leading Australians chosen to debate and develop long-term options for the nation’s future. Two USC adjunct professors – Professor Ian Lowe and John Mendoza – also attended the summit.
Ian Kennedy AO, received an Honorary Doctorate for his lifetime of achievement as a Sunshine Coast business leader and for serving as USC’s Chancellor from 1997 to 2007. The award was presented at USC's Graduation Ceremony in April which also saw Cooroy businesswoman Martha Shepherd and former USC academics Associate Professor Karen Brooks and Dr Paul Corcoran become Honorary Senior Fellows.
In June, USC co-hosted and provided the venue for the biggest World Environment Day festival held in the region. About 3,500 people attended the festival that featured more than 100 exhibits. The free event was jointly organised by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, SEQ Catchments and USC.
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan officially opened USC's A$13.8 million Health and Sport Centre on Saturday 26 July. The five-storey centre has state-of-the-art testing and research laboratories, a gymnasium and purpose-built teaching spaces for a range of degrees and a public psychology clinic.
USC received high accolades from the 2009 Good Universities Guide that was released in August. The annual Guide awarded top marks (five stars) for USC’s staff qualifications, teaching quality, graduates’ satisfaction with their overall university experience, and their satisfaction with the generic skills gained while at university.
USC’s Head of School of Communication Associate Professor Stephen Lamble and Associate Lecturer Gill Cowden jointly received a $10,000 Australian Learning and Teaching Council award in August for their outstanding work in journalism education.
Queensland’s Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle officially opened the Business Accelerator at USC's Innovation Centre on 6 August. The Accelerator is set to house up to 20 established technology and knowledge-based businesses and professional service firms at a time.
A collaborative forestry project, led by the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), received almost A$1.9 million from the State Government in August. The Smart Forests Alliance Queensland (SFAQ) project will use world-leading biotechnology to speed up production of trees that are best able to absorb carbon from the air.
University of the Sunshine Coast business graduate Jonty Bush, 29, was named Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year for 2009 in November. Jonty received the award in recognition of her work as CEO of the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group.
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2009
USC business graduate Jonty Bush, 29, was named Young Australian of the Year 2009 for her courageous work in leading the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group. The national award, presented by the Prime Minister on Australia Day in January, followed Jonty’s naming as Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year 2009.
USC Arts graduate Laura Monaghan, 24, won the Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s Young Citizen of the Year 2009. Laura, who worked at The Smith Family’s Maroochydore branch, was recognised for her efforts to improve the community. Also at the Australia Day ceremony, USC Art and Design academic Dr Lisa Chandler received the council’s Creative Award.
A record intake of 2,453 new students for Semester 1 pushed the University’s total student population to more than 6,300 in February. That was a 7.6 percent rise on 2008. USC’s popularity jumped higher in July’s mid-year intake, when 1,500 students started Semester 2.
In March, USC established a Sustainability Research Centre at the Innovation Centre, where up to 40 researchers will work on projects with regional, national and global implications.
For the fifth year in a row, USC received a citation for being an Employer of Choice for Women. The University was one of only 12 organisations in Queensland to be awarded by the Federal Equal Opportunity For Women in the Workplace Agency.
More than 1,200 USC students graduated in April. At the annual ceremony, Honorary Senior Fellowships were presented to John Lockhart, the founding principal of Chancellor State College, and renowned Coast art collector Ken Hinds. Four students became the first in the world to receive a Master of Climate Change Adaptation.
USC Professor in Aquaculture Biotechnology Abigail Elizur and Associate Professor in Aquaculture Genetics Wayne Knibb helped achieve the world-first spawning of southern bluefin tuna in captivity in April. They were involved in the history-making project at the Clean Seas Tuna facility near Port Lincoln in South Australia.
In May, the University celebrated its first major fundraising campaign, Building Excellence, which attracted more than $5 million in community donations. A five-storey Health and Sport Centre was one of the results of the contributions by more than 270 groups and individuals over three years.
Public transport access to USC was boosted in June with the opening of a world-class bus interchange on campus. Queensland Transport Minister Rachel Nolan opened the three-platform $5.5million facility, the second biggest on the Coast after Sunshine Plaza.
In July, USC attained six Australian Learning and Teaching Council citations. The prestigious awards, each worth $10,000, went to academics Dr Ann Parkinson, Anna Potter and Dr Monte Wynder, plus Kylie Russell and Tegan McFarland of the Headstart program, Margot Reeh of the student mentoring program, and Global Opportunities co-ordinator Liani Eckard.
Athletes from USC won the “Spirit of the Games” award at the Northern University Games held on the Sunshine Coast in July. About 600 athletes from 10 universities took part in the four-day competitive and social event. More than 80 USC students went on to compete at the 2009 Australian University Games on the Gold Coast in October. Education student Nathan Katterns won gold in the longboard surfing event.
USC gained top marks for teaching quality, as the only public university in Queensland to gain five stars in that category in the 2010 Good Universities Guide released in August. USC also received five stars for its staff qualifications and for graduates’ satisfaction with generic skills developed at USC.
Professor Tim Smith, the director of USC’s Sustainability Research Centre, and his research partners in a major climate change adaptation project in Sydney won a prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prize in August. The team assessed the ability of Australia’s largest city to adapt to future climate conditions.
Senior Lecturer in Interactive Digital Media Dr Christian Jones won a Queensland Police Service gold award for crime prevention in September. He was part of a joint University and QPS partnership that created an online computer game to help children avoid abduction. The Being Safety Smart game was developed in response to the disappearance of Daniel Morcombe in 2003.
USC held its inaugural Sports Awards in November. Triathlete and Sport and Exercise Science student Chloe Turner was named the University’s first Sportsperson of the Year. She and gold-medal winning water polo player Billy Miller received “Full Blue” awards for sporting achievement.
After 16 years of guiding the University from planning to a thriving campus of 7,000 students, Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas AM announced in December that he would retire in 2010.
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