Celebrating Excellence

10 February 2006: Today we held our annual Celebration of Excellence at the University of Canberra event, the third in this enjoyable series that recognises colleagues for their special contributions.   It was also a chance to celebrate colleagues who during 2005 achieved recognised milestones in longlasting service to the University.   

I am very pleased that our incoming Chancellor Professor Ingrid Moses was able to join us and to have the opportunity to extend to her a warm welcome to the University.

Successes

I am delighted that the number and diversity of award finalists has been as great as ever. 2005 was a particularly good year for the University with major strides ahead, for example in national recognition for learning and teaching, new research endeavours and extending our engagement with the Region.  

2005 has been a year to be proud of and to encourage us for 2006.  

Its successes illustrate what can be done and should act as an incentive for all staff to maintain, if not enhance our levels of dedication and achievement.  

High calibre

As previously, Vice-Chancellor's Distinction Awards were presented in the areas of Teaching and Learning, and Enhancing and Contributing to the University and Regional Community.  

These are prestigious awards to selected individuals and small teams for very high calibre efforts, but they also recognise the University community as a whole for its commitment to fostering excellence.  

The Awards are for activities core to the University's purpose, which are necessarily interdependent such that excellence in any area would not be achievable in the absence of excellence in others.  

At the University of Canberra we continue to strive for national and international leadership, and we compete strongly in Teaching and Learning and in selected areas of Research.

Quality and ingenuity

Our best work, both in general and academic areas, is second to none.   It relies heavily on the quality and ingenuity of the staff directly involved and also depends on the quality of the work environment including the support others give.   

Because we are a very diverse community, as are people's roles, the values we honour and the things we do in order to get outstanding results, only some worthy achievements will stand out on their own at any particular moment.  

Others' efforts interact collegially, and sometimes less conspicuously to energise University life.   These provide the strong support culture that is an essential backdrop to individual specific achievements.  

Excellence

The kind of culture that enables pursuit of excellence in the University requires a good measure of overall cohesion and particularly, continuity.

These essential organisational values derive partly from sustained contributions over time by numerous other staff in their individual day-to-day roles.  

One tangible measure of these values is enduring, committed service to the university, and we choose 15 and 25 years as appropriate points for recognition.  

So our Celebration Day also provides the opportunity to recognise staff who achieved 25 and 15 years of loyal service to the University during 2005, and allow us to show our appreciation of their special knowledge, understanding and resilience that help bond us.

Celebrations

I remind all staff that we have yet to announce the successful candidates for the Vice-Chancellor's Distinction Awards for Creativity and Innovation in Research and Enterprise for 2005.  

This process is still under way and the award ceremony will take during the Celebration of Research event in April/May 2006. I look forward to these Celebrations, and I encourage you to participate.

Roger Dean, Vice-Chancellor.

Previous columns

New intelligences

Promoting University Autonomy and Academic Freedom of Speech: Part 2

Promoting University Autonomy and Academic Freedom of Speech: Part 1

Voluntary Student Unionism

Welcome

The powers of politics, the sophistication of the Senate

SCA Fees revisited

About the Vice-Chancellor

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Copyright © 2005 University of Canberra

Last Updated on August 1, 2005