" The Division of Economic and Financial Studies has had a very successful year. Several of our academic staff have had their status as outstanding teachers recognised on the national stage, as well as within Macquarie University, while the scholarship of others has attracted substantial research grants," said Dean, Professor Ed Davis, AM. " Our reputation for research excellence is growing, and I congratulate staff who are contributing at the cutting-edge of their disciplines. I should proudly add that some staff have been recognised for teaching excellence on multiple occasions, which attests to their commitment and innovation."
Recent funding success:
Associate Professor Melanie Beresford, Department of Economics, is part of a team based at the University of Wollongong, that has won a research grant of $376,000 for 2007-10 for a study on the clothing industry in the Asia Pacific region;
Dr Fei Guo, Department of Business, has won an ARC Discovery grant for $237,000 for 2007-9 for a project exploring rural migrant labour in large Chinese cities;Macquarie University is the lead institution in collaboration with the University of Adelaide;
Dr Sean Turnell,Department of Economics, is part of a team based at ANU,awarded a grant for $335,000 for 2007-9 for a project exploring Burma’s health crisis;
Drs George Milunovich and Ron Ripple have received funding from the Climate Risk CORE (Concentration of Research Excellence) for the project- Analysing Market Efficiency and Price Discovery Across a Range of Carbon Trading Markets.
Teaching Excellence Awards:
Six EFS academic staff have received Macquarie University Excellence in Education Awards.
Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning - Sam Jebeile
Sam believes that effective learning and teaching requires a commitment to understanding both the theoretical aspects of pedagogy and the practical issues of implementing these ideas in the classroom. He likes to motivate and engage his students by carefully reflecting about pedagogy and adopting a problem solving approach to learning and teaching.
Sam attributes much of his success in enhancing student engagement to the rich experiences that he gained working with staff from the Centre for Professional Development at Macquarie University while completing the MEd (Higher Education) program. Sam has a passion for learning and teaching in all sectors He has received several awards for his services from the NSW Department of Education and Training and been commended on his teaching by CPA Australia. During 2005 he was involved in professional development programs for university teachers in Africa, SE Asia and the Middle East.
Outstanding Teaching Award - Dr Kim Hawtrey
Dr Hawtrey references rock star Sting who once said, ‘I had a very good music teacher, who inspired me to keep on learning after I finished school’. He too is convinced that teachers can make a huge difference, both here at Macquarie, and beyond. "One way learning seems to come alive is when students get the chance to engage with the wider community by publishing their work in the real world. When this is accompanied by the opportunity to critically reflect on their own learning - especially what they have learned about themselves - it can be a real eye-opener."
Outstanding Teaching Award - Professor Rod O'Donnell
Professor O'Donnell has recently beeen elected to the University Council as an Academic Staff Member.
Excellence in Education Team Award - Dawn Cable, Mary Dale, Elaine Evans, and NCELTR colleagues, for project "Language for Professional Communication in Accounting";
This award is a great honour that the University confers for student support and is only presented to programs that make outstanding contributions to the quality of student learning.
