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Dedication and foresight attract excellence

The second vice-chancellor's Excellence and Diversity Luncheon for 2004 was held last week to acknowledge general and academic staff who have made significant and long-term contributions to the academic and general excellence of the university.

Back, left to right: Mrs Caroline Larkins, Associate Professor Paul Latimer, Mr Laurie Webb, Dr Parimal Roy, Professor Richard Larkins, Professor Margaret Clayton.
Front, left to right: Mr Roger Newham, Ms Kay Steel, Associate Professor Margot Story, Mr Ian Stewart.

The monthly lunches are designed to bring leading Monash staff together to discuss their roles at the university as well as workplace issues ranging from research challenges to balancing work and family.

Professor Larkins said the staff who attended the luncheon had each made valuable and noteworthy contributions that had strengthened the university's reputation as a place of quality teaching where access and equity to education are a priority.

Staff who attended the function were:

Associate Professor Margot Story, who began her Monash career as a pharmacologist but who has since expanded her role to include curriculum development within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences as well as chairing the Faculty Admissions and Equity and Access Committees.

Professor Margaret Clayton, who joined Monash in 1973 as a senior tutor in biological sciences researching the reproductive and evolutionary biology of marine algae. Professor Clayton has extensive involvement in university committees including the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Vice-Chancellor's Taskforce on the Advancement of Women and many academic selection committees.

Palaeontologist Professor Pat Vickers-Rich, who holds a personal chair in the School of Geosciences and is the foundation director of the Monash Science Centre. She is also involved in the Colors For Kids Project in Afghanistan, East Timor and Argentina. This project places basic science colouring books into refugee camps, hospitals and under-resourced schools in these and other countries.

Dr Parimal Roy, who is a senior lecturer in sociology at the School of Humanities, Communications and Social Sciences at the university's Gippsland campus. Dr Roy has been the coordinator of postgraduate research in the school since 1976 and supervises a number of masters and PhD students.

Mr Laurie Webb, who has worked at Monash and its antecedent bodies for 30 years, teaching mainly financial accounting and insolvencies. Since 1994, Mr Webb has led the Accounting International Study program, taking Monash students from all campuses to Asia, North America and Europe. He is also director of the international study programs for the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Associate Professor Paul Latimer, the former head of the Department of Business Law and Taxation, who researches and publishes widely in the areas of business law and securities regulation. Mr Latimer's annually published textbook, Australian Business Law, now in its 23rd edition, is widely prescribed in business law courses in Australian universities.

Ms Kay Steel, who has managed the university's Gippsland library since March 2001. She has a particular interest in providing library services to off-campus students and as a result has been an office bearer in the Off Campus Library Services Group of the Australian Library and Information Association since 1999.

Mr Robin Coventry, who has been at Monash some 30 years after spending more than 10 years in the US studying to PhD level and working in the areas of counselling, clinical and educational psychology. He is presently director of Community Services, responsible for the student services functions for Monash's Australian campuses.

Mr Ian Stewart, from the School of Biological Sciences, who organises second and third-year practical classes and also helps honours and postgraduate students develop research equipment in the Science faculty workshop. On the research side, Mr Stewart is studying microfossil fauna from the Stawell goldmine in western Victoria.

Mr Roger Newham, who started his Monash career in 1973 as senior technical officer in charge of the first-year chemistry Laboratories. He has since held a range of positions including business and resources manager in the Department of Chemistry, manager of Business and Client Services and deputy director of the Facilities and Services Division. Mr Newham is presently director of Protocol and Business Administration and deputy executive director of Marketing and Public Affairs.

"I was inspired and encouraged by the dedication these staff have shown to this university and their willingness to suggest ways we could improve into the future," Professor Larkins said.

The next vice-chancellor's Excellence and Diversity Luncheon will be held on 2 July.