The University of the Sunshine Coast will celebrate the success of its latest national award-winning academics with a special Wall of Fame ceremony tomorrow (Thursday 24 November).

The event from 5pm will feature the unveiling of portraits of Lecturer in Social Work Dr Athena Lathouras and Lecturer in Accounting Ratna Paudyal, who recently received Australian Awards for University Teaching citations valued at $10,000 each.

Media are welcome to attend the Wall of Fame event in the USC Library.

The prestigious awards recognise outstanding contributions to student learning. Just over 100 were awarded nationally in September by Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham.

USC staff have gained 43 of these national citations since 2006. This year’s citations were:

Dr Athena Lathouras – for an inspiring community-development approach to education, taught with a passion for social justice, that enables social work students to become agents of change.

Ratna Paudyal – for collaborative, student-centred, dialogic teaching and pastoral care, that develops self-efficacy and social capital in business students, particularly underrepresented students, facilitating their transition to employment.

Tomorrow’s ceremony at USC will also include the presentation of the University’s annual Advance Awards.

These awards recognise staff who have contributed to advancing quality teaching, the student experience, or blended learning (the fusion of educational technologies and teaching in physical and virtual environments). The recipients are:

Advancing Quality Teaching – The Communication and Thought (COR109) program team, Dr Amy Clarke, the Current Directions in Psychology (PSY102) teaching team, Associate Professor Kelley Burton, Alistair Ward and Associate Professor Stephen Trueman.
Advancing the Student Experience – Dr Natasha Budd, Dr Gwynn MacCarrick, Dr Ann Parkinson and Dr Gabriel Conroy
Advancing the Blended Learning Environment – Sue Svensen, Sarah Burkhart and Donald Mackay.

Meanwhile, 12 USC staff this week received Higher Education Academy Fellowships that recognise those involved in leadership, teaching, and supporting learning. The recipients – Dr Graham Ashford, Caroline Cottman, Dr Gail Crimmins, Professor Cindy Davis, Professor Shelley Dole, Maxine Mitchell, Professor Rod McCulloch, Dr Greg Nash, Dr Florin Oprescu, Kylie Readman and Dr Christine Slade – will be honoured at tomorrow’s event.

— Terry Walsh