The year in review – lifelong learning

January 2008

Alumni entrepreneurs Helen Jarman (BEc 1996), Lior Rauchberger (MBBS 1997) and Tim Morgan (BPharm 1992, BPharm(Hons) 1995, PhD 1999) at a 2007 Gearing for Success seminar

Along with the new Gearing for Success series, opportunities for lifelong learning were plentiful across all University faculties in 2007.

The Gearing for Success professional development series continued with a more targeted focus in 2007, attracting inspirational speakers to motivate under-35 graduates. Notable alumni who addressed attendees this year included Professor Susan Davis (MBBS 1980, PhD 1989), Dr Alan Finkel AM (BE 1976, PhD 1981) and a panel of young alumni entrepreneurs.

Faculty-organised professional development events in 2007 included the annual Great Law Week debate, won by a team of Monash law graduates including the Honourable Justice Lex Lasry QC (BJuris 1970, LLB 1972). The Faculty of Business and Economics held a variety of lifelong learning events for alumni including the Graduate School of Business’ climate change conference, the Corporate Law and Accountability Research Group’s business ethics seminars and the Marketing Department’s Monash Marketing for Excellence Awards.

From the Faculty of Arts, the School of Historical Studies hosted a variety of lectures and seminars of interest to alumni including a history tour of St Kilda in Melbourne, the ‘Return to Gallipoli’ presentation at the Shrine of Remembrance and the Institute for Public History’s Annual Lecture with Professor Bill Kent. The Monash European and EU Centre also held a number of seminars on the future of the European Union. This were held in addition to the Faculty’s inaugural Arts in Action festival and two Arts Public Lectures.

Last year, the Victorian College of Pharmacy introduced a series of workshops in rural areas of Victoria for alumni wanting to upgrade their skills. The Faculty Medical, Nursing and Health Sciences continued its successful Dean’s Public Lecture series in 2007 and hosted a seminar on the future of regenerative medicine with Professor Nadia Rosenthal, director of Monash’s new Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute.

Graduates were treated to several exhibitions at Monash last year including ‘Sigmund Freud’s Collection’ and the ‘Monash University Collection’, both at the Monash University Museum of Art. The Faculty of Art and Design’s student exhibition ‘The Bigger Picture’ proved successful as were the Faculty’s lunchtime art forums and glass art short courses.

Alumni from the Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management and MBA groups also held successful professional development events in 2007. The IEEM held an Industry Night and a seminar on the global automotive industry engineering while the MBA Alumni group hosted a leadership breakfast forum and a seminar on the future of Australia’s telecommunications industry.

In 2007, a Monash alumni survey concluded that graduates were most interested in lifelong learning opportunities relating to ‘career planning’, ‘leadership’ and ‘wealth management’. These will be the focus of the Alumni Relations program in 2008.