Winter graduations attract 6000 people to UOW

15 Jul 2008 | Kate McIlwain

The University of Wollongong will play host to about 6000 people this week (16-18 July) when it conducts its winter graduation ceremonies. Six ceremonies will be held over three days. The expected attendance of -6000 comprises graduands along with their families and friends.

A sample of some graduating stories is below.

Wednesday July 16

* In the morning ceremony (9.45am) Sutherland Shire student Anna Maskiell will graduate with a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies with Distinction. Anna is a UOW Management Cadet who did her specialisation in the Study Abroad office and also went on exchange to the University of British Columbia during her degree.

* PhD student James Aston will graduate from the Faculty of Law. His thesis title is Regulating the Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Shipping and Other Vessel Based Activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area. He will be joined by his wife and children at the graduation ceremony.

* Kate Hansen will graduate with a Graduate Diploma in Arts. Kate has just returned from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico where she completed her diploma in Spanish through the Faculty of Arts. She was the first person to do this and has now been offered the International Student Coordinator position at UOW’s Study Abroad office.

* In the afternoon ceremony (2.30pm) a group of 20+ students from Assumption University, Thailand will be graduating with Master of International Business. These students have finished half the subjects for this degree in Thailand and came to UOW at the start of this year. This is the first group of Assumption University students to articulate into the Graduate School Business.

* Ian Gentle will be made a Fellow of the University. Ian is a respected sculptor and teacher who has won numerous awards including the Blake Prize for Religious Art in 1979. His association with the Illawarra region encompasses his long friendship with Bert Flugelman and Guy Warren who were once all neighbours on Jamberoo Mountain. Drinks in honour of Ian’s achievements will be held at the UOW Library after his ceremony at 5.00pm. There will be the opportunity for filming/photographs with Ian and his art works, which are hung in the Library foyer.

* Mehmet Adil will graduate with a PhD from the Faculty of Creative Arts, which focused on the national monuments of Northern Cyprus (Turkish Cypriot area) and a sculptural exhibition reflecting on and addressing contemporary art practice in the broader social, cultural and political contexts of interactive relationships between visual environments and the social world.

* Greg Hughes will receive the University Medal for the Faculty of Creative Arts.

* Ari Santoso Widodo Poespodihardjo will graduate with a PhD. His thesis, titled Sensationalism or Nationalism? Australian and Indonesian Newspaper Reports on East Timor Crisis in 1999, looked at how Australian and Indonesian newspapers presented the crisis in East Timor during and after the referendum in August 1999. He also looked at how this has affected relationships between Australia and Indonesia and the long-term impacts on the region.

Thursday July 17

* The School of Chemistry will have four international master students graduating. One student is from Columbia and four students are from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi students are the first of the cohort of Saudis studying at Wollongong to graduate. Ali Aldabahi (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Almoigli (Saudi Arabia), Tariq Al Talhi (Saudi Arabia) and Ivon Diaz-Garcia (Columbia) will be available for a group photo.

* Mark Freeman will graduate with a PhD from the Faculty of Informatics. Currently Mark is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Informatics. His thesis looks at the usability of online grocery systems to improve customer satisfaction. Throughout his degree, Mark has had the benefit of studying and teaching beside his wife, who is nearing completion of her PhD in Informatics.

Friday July 18

* Melanie Randle, a Research Fellow in the Faculty of Commerce, will graduate with a PhD. Her thesis, which she completed over three and a half years, focuses on finding alternative ways to attract volunteers. Melanie is currently involved in a research project that attracted a $480000 ARC grant, which is looking at new ways to attract successful foster parents. While completing her PhD Melanie had her third and fourth children. Her husband and four children will join her when she graduates on Friday afternoon.

* Matthew Pepper has undertaken his Commerce PhD in Supply Chain Management. He completed the degree last year after studying for it in the UK and Australia. His graduation last year was put on hold because it clashed with his wedding to wife Alison, which was held in the UK. Alison, who is a Faculty Librarian at UOW, will join her husband, now known to her amusement as Dr Pepper, at his graduation ceremony on Friday.

* Barry Partridge, 68, will be one of the oldest graduates from a doctoral degree in Australia when he graduates on Friday morning with a PhD that looks at discrimination and decision-making in the workplace. His study on 99 managers in six major Australian companies found that people are more likely to discriminate against older people, especially women, when considering them for promotion, training or employment.

Indigenous graduates

Three students from UOW’s Woolyungah Indigenous Centre will graduate at different ceremonies. Details on the individual students can be provided upon request.

Venue

All the ceremonies will be held at the University Hall, UniCentre.

Best photo/filming opportunity times

The morning ceremonies all begin at 9.45am and the afternoon ceremonies begin at 2.30pm. Photos/filming/interviews can be obtained during the half-hour before each of the ceremonies. Most of the graduates mentioned above will meet at a sign saying ‘Media Unit Meeting Point’ outside the University Hall near the carpark for a photograph prior to their ceremony. Graduation ceremonies usually last for about one and a half to two hours and photos/filming may be taken afterwards also.

Guest speakers will include Mr Frank Di Giorgio, the General Manager of the Executive and Parliamentary Division (Secretary, Executive Board) at the Commonwealth Treasury (Thursday 9.45am); Dr John Best, Vice President Technology Research and Development, Thales Australia Ltd (Friday 9.45am); and Mr Bruce Sandler, Principal Bulli High School (Wednesday 9.45am).

More details can be found at: http://www.uow.edu.au/student/graduation/index.html

Ceremonies

Wednesday – Arts, Education, Law, Creative Arts, Graduate School of Business.

Thursday – Commerce, Informatics, Science

Friday – Engineering, Health and Behavioural Sciences, Commerce

For further information: Contact Kate McIlwain on 0411 106 685, Bernie Goldie on 0412 454 124 or Nick Hartgerink (Thursday only) on 0418 424 085.