Vice-Chancellor's Awards

Dr Domenico Caridi with Prof Peter Dawkins

The Vice-Chancellor's Awards scheme celebrates the outstanding service and work performance of Victoria University staff. The annual awards recognise the exceptional practice and outstanding contributions of individuals and teams to Victoria University and beyond. Awards and citations are given in the following categories:

• Outstanding Engagement
• Programs that Enhance Learning
• Excellence in Research and Research Training
• Excellence in Teaching and Learning
• Outstanding Service to Victoria University

View the award winners:

• Peak citation recipients

Career achievement awards

The Career Achievement Awards recognise staff who have made significant contributions and lasting commitments to excellence that have left a legacy on the University's practices and systems.

Awardees are recognised by their peers for their role in providing quality teaching, research, service and engagement.

Here are the recipients of the most recent awards, granted in 2012:

Prof Dorothy Buck with Prof Peter Dawkins

Professor Dorothy Bruck – Awarded for outstanding career performance and sustained contribution in the field of psychology.

Dr Robin McCormack – Recognised for a significant contribution to research in teaching practice and a successful career in education over four decades.

Teaching

Teaching awards recognise and reward the diverse contributions that individuals and teams make to facilitate high quality teaching within the University.

National award for mentor program

Dr John Hopkins and Peter Folino developed the mentor program

VU's Supply Chain Management Industry Mentor Program was awarded top marks at the 2012 Australian Supply Chain and Logistics Awards. Developed by Dr John Hopkins and Peter Folino, the voluntary program matches undergraduate and postgraduate supply chain management students with senior professionals in that industry. Students have the opportunity to broaden their industry knowledge, develop professional networks and increase their self-confidence.

VU lecturers awarded citations for student learning

Dr Thinh Nguyen, College of Engineering & Science, VU

Victoria University's Dr Thinh Nguyen and Ms Sally Webster were recognised for their achievements in the Office of Learning and Teaching Citations for outstanding contributions to student learning 2012. Dr Nguyen received a $10,000 Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) award for his inspired teaching that reduces the gap between theory and practice.

VU wins national awards for training provider

Victoria University has been named as Australia's Best Registered Travel Industry Training Institution at the 2012 Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) National Travel Industry Awards at a Gala Dinner held at The Westin, Sydney.

Take the dread out of your thesis

Ron Adams demystifies the thesis

A program that takes the dread out of writing a thesis scooped a prestigious national Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Award in 2010. Adjunct Professor Ron Adams won the national award for a Program that Enhances Student Learning. He was honoured for his program supporting postgraduate students, 'Demystifying the Thesis', now offered at other universities nationally and internationally.

Research

Research awards recognise and reward the diverse contributions that individuals and teams make to facilitate high quality research and research training within the University.

Asperger's Syndrome Research celebrated at Parliament House

Dale Linegar and Dr Stefan Schutt from Victoria University's Centre for Cultural Diversity and Wellbeing launched an initiative to train young people with Asperger's Syndrome to be computer programmers. The research was celebrated at Parliament House in August 2012.

Achievement of a lifetime in VET

Berwyn Clayton - VET Researcher of the Year 2011

Berwyn Clayton was awarded the National Centre for Vocational Education Research VET Researcher of the Year for 2011. The award recognised Clayton's outstanding lifelong contribution to research in Australia's vocational education and training sector (VET).

Sport and homophobia

Dr Caroline Symons with Todd Harper, CEO of Vic Health

Dr Caroline Symons from the College of Sport and Exercise Science was awarded VicHealth's Professor David Hill Award in recognition of her innovative research study, Come Out to Play – The Sports experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender(LGBT) people in Victoria University. This is the first research of its kind to identify barriers to participation in sports faced by LGBT Victorians.

Police and youth collaborate

Michele Grossman

The Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development undertook a community-based study, Don't Go There: Young People's Perspectives on Community Safety and Policing, jointly funded by Victoria University and Victoria Police. Researchers Michele Grossman and Jenny Sharples found that a collaborative approach by police working alongside young people reduces violence and crime. A consultative model, 'Listen and Learn', for police–youth community partnerships will be set up across Victoria.

Faculty research team awarded Australia-China Council grant

A Faculty of Business and Law research team have won a grant from the Australia-China Council for their project 'Barriers and Entry Modes Selection for Australian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Conducting Businesses with China.'

Engagement

Michael Agrotis and Cristyn Jenvey from VU Student Life

Engagement awards celebrate the diverse service contributions that individuals and teams make to the VU community (on and/or off campus).

VU wins best event award for Footscray volunteer program

Victoria University's Volunteer For You (V4U) program was awarded 'Best Event' at the Australian Association of Campus Activities (AACA) Campus Link Conference. This is a nationally recognised award for Victoria University's Student Life team who were up against all other universities, TAFEs and institutions in Australia.

Promoting traditional Aboriginal cookery

Karen Adams

A VicHealth-funded study by senior research fellow Karen Adams led to an Aboriginal television cooking series, a cookbook and the distribution of children's dinner plates depicting healthy food. Adams worked with Victoria's Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative to promote traditional cooking methods, improve access to healthy foods, and close the health gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Best links with business

VU won multiple Business/Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Awards in 2010. The awards recognise outstanding collaborations between business and higher education.

• Outstanding Collaboration with a Regional Focus: The Institute for Logistics and Supply Chain Management (ILSCM) was recognised for its partnership with Port of Melbourne and the Victorian Government's Department of Transport Essential Services Commission.
• Best Community Engagement Collaboration: won by VU's 'Connected Lives' pilot project, funded by The Victorian Health Commission (VicHealth) and supported by Telstra. The project aimed to improve the social connectedness and wellbeing of young Victorians living with multiple disadvantages.
• Honourable mention: VU International received an honourable mention for its role in establishing an innovative student safety program that promotes safe living to international students in Melbourne.