Update from the Director

More than 400 people attended 'Monash: The Outsider Who Ended A War'.

Welcome to the April edition of your Alumni eNews.

I lead this month with the exciting news that Monash is one of the top 100 universities in the world! It is the first time Monash has achieved a top 100 entry in the Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings - testament to our research and teaching impact as well as our alumni community.

In early February I was part of a Monash delegation to Indonesia. As part of the visit the University conferred an honorary degree on the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, alumnus His Excellency Professor Dr Boediono (MEc 1972).

I also had the opportunity to meet with several of you as well as attend meetings with government representatives about public health, sustainable development, education, and innovation and leadership. 

In March, Monash President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne and a small delegation of staff visited China and Hong Kong.  During the trip we welcomed more than 80 new graduates to the alumni community at a ceremony held in Shanghai.  The event was covered by the ABC.

The University also hosted combined events with the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Hong Kong.  As key note presenter at both, Professor Byrne spoke on Monash's partnerships with Asian institutions and their potential to support innovation, improve productivity and drive economic growth.

Thanks to our alumni for their generous hospitality during both visits.

I would like to extend our sincere thanks to alumnus Professor Roland Perry OAM who together with Professor Mary Finsterer, musicians Dr Kenji Fujimura, Isin Cakmakcioglu, Rachel Atkinson, Emma Charles and Amy Tcheupdjian, and actor, alumnus Dr Felix Nobis, presented our first Alumni Speaker Series event for 2013 about the life and achievements of Sir John Monash.

It was a wonderful event – entertaining, insightful and a great way to pay homage to a remarkable Australian. If you were unable to attend, the event is available to view in full via our YouTube Channel. Our next Alumni Speaker Series event is set for 29 May. Further details will be announced soon. Keep an eye on your email inbox, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, for your invite and more information.

Planning for our 20th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards is well underway. Nominations for this year’s awards close on 29 April so if you have been thinking of nominating an alumni colleague there is still time to get your submissions in!  We look forward to hearing from you and also bringing you a wonderful event later this year.

Finally this month, I wanted to let you know about our plans for National Volunteer Week which is coming up in May. Through stories, profiles and photos we will once again be taking the opportunity to celebrate our alumni volunteers and their commitment to the University as well as their communities. You can submit your own volunteer story and photos by emailing our team at monashalumni@monash.edu

Happy reading!

Lou