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A ustralian C atholic U niversity The Chronicle VOL. 3 NO. 1 APRIL, 1994 Historic awards in Catholic Education A group of twenty principals, at Queen of Angels Church, Thebarton. Back row: Associate Professor Jude Archbishop Leonard Faulkner was Butcher cfc, Dr Ross Keane, Dr deputy principals, and senior principal celebrant, assisted by Fr Rob Charles Burford (School of Education, teachers from metropolitan and Egar (Vicar-General) and Fr Tony Mount St Mary Campus), Sr Catherine country schools in South Densley. Clark (Chairperson, SA Commission for Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic Catholic Schools), Dr Paul Chesterton Australia graduated at an University, Professor Peter Drake, (Mount St Mary Campus), Mr Allan historic ceremony in Adelaide on presided at the Ceremony of Conferring Dooley (Director, Catholic Education of Awards, held at the Catholic Education Office, Adelaide), Professor Dan February 11. Centre, Thebarton. Stewart cfc OAM (Deputy Principal, The awards were the result of The ceremony was attended by seven NSW), Dr Jim Dwyer (Executive courses arising from a program senior academics of the University, the Officer, SAICTE). pioneered between the University and Chancellor of The Flinders University of Front row: Mrs Mary Emery the SA Institute for Catholic Teacher South Australia, the Chairperson of the (Chairperson, SA ICTE) Dr John Education. SA Commission for Catholic Schools, the McDonald, Professor Peter Drake, Eighteen teachers were awarded the Chairperson and members of the Council Archbishop Leonard Faulkner, Sr degree of Master of Education and four of the SA Institute for Catholic Teacher Deirdre Jordan (Chancellor, The received the Graduate Diploma in Education, and Directors and senior staff Flinders University of South Australia), Educational Studies. of Catholic Education offices in Adelaide Professor Michael Doyle (Dean, Faculty The ceremony commenced with Mass and Port Pirie. - Continued on page 2 of Education). S QMfUO From page 1; Vice-Chancellor's Column Historic Awards I was interested by an article last year in a new publication, University Public The Occasional Address following the Relations, written by Margaret Burke, Conferring of Awards was delivered by Director of Media and Public Relations at Dr John McDonald, former Director of the University of Adelaide, who is Catholic Education and former undertaking a study of the factors that Chancellor of the University of South influence university choice in Australia. Australia. In this country there is, even with our 36 members of the Unified National System, Dr McDonald emphasised that the nothing like the complexity of choice Catholic System has to ensure that its confronting a prospective student in the schools are not only demonstrably U.S.A. different from Government schools but The article largely deals with such a also make a significant contribution to student, Keirnan Graves, at George Mason the life of the whole community. High School in Fall Church, Virginia. Within 45 minutes drive of her home there He stressed that spiritual formation and are 12 universities. They are public and The results of the Committee's first the inculcation of religious values must private, large and small. Annual tuition efforts are now at hand and the be at the forefront of the education costs alone range from $5,000 to $22,000. government has responded by making a process, without any reduction of effort Keirnan faced a difficult choice, range of quality assurance grants to all in areas such as academic and physical especially as U.S. students are much more Australia's public universities. Australian development. inclined than Australian students to move Catholic University has been awarded a away from home for university education. sum of $300,000 for 1994. Dr McDonald thanked Australian She was receiving at one stage four to However, some of us may worry that the Catholic University for its "preparedness five college recruitment packages daily. It results of the Quality Assurance ranking, in to co-operate with the SA Institute for would not be unusual if she received such which we were in the sixth band together Catholic Teacher Education in the packages from 400 to 500 colleges because with seven other newer universities, will provision of courses in the extended of the high scores she received on her affect our appeal to prospective students. I campus mode." Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. certainly hope not, and in fact I think not. In all this confusion perhaps she will be If I were asked about the ranking by a "In all we today see the fruits of co influenced by the arguments of one of our prospective student my reply would be on operation which has extended across state "sister" institutions, Marymount these lines: "it would be surprising if a boundaries," concluded Dr McDonald. University, which is in walking distance. comparatively small, new university, with a Under its Charter, the role of the It stresses its "reasonable size "and the limited range of disciplines, only the Institute is "to enable the Church to fact that "you don't have to wait two weeks beginnings of research programs, and the ensure that teachers in Catholic schools to talk to your professor when you need problems (for administration and co are provided with opportunities for to". Those advantages seem to me to be the ordination of teaching) of eight campuses, appropriate education and formation in ones we should stress when we talk to were to achieve more in just three years". Catholic doctrine and life". potential students. Surely no one expected that we would be In Australia, prospective students do not ranked with universities two and three With no Catholic teachers college or have as many alternatives as Keirnan but times our size, with international research university in the local area, teachers in they must still find their way around a programs, and the benefits of many years Catholic schools had limited options for mass of competitive material emanating of experience and reputation. that level of appropriate education and from almost forty institutions of higher Whey then did we take part in the formation. education. Quality Assurance exercise, and spend so Qualtiy must be an important element in much staff time on it? The quick answer is, Some local offerings had served the choosing a university, but how is it shown, as our young children say, because Catholic teaching community well over and how is it ensured? everybody's doing it. There is, however, the past decade, particularly in the areas The Commonwealth government has another reason: it was, whatever the public of Biblical Studies and Religious lately taken a keen interest in these outcome, a most valuable exercise for us. Education. questions, doubtless because of the large We examined our academic conscience; However, the Institute ascertained that sums of taxpayers money ($4.4 billion in we identified areas with need for administrators in Catholic schools were 1993) which it spends on universities in improvement and will address them; we inadequately catered for. endeavouring to meet an enormous found pride in what we have achieved; we Discussion and negotiations with a demand for higher education. will profit, if only a little in financial terms, In coming to terms with quality a great deal in planning for a bright future. range of tertiary institutions throughout improvement and assurance, the And do not overlook the fact that we Australia culminated in an agreement Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee obtained the highest proportional grant in with Australian Catholic University to has adopted principles of quality the sixth band. offer education administration courses by improvement, and the Australian Whatever else, we too are "a reasonable extended campus mode. universities have individually co-operated size", and "you don't have to wait two The program commenced in 1991 with with the government in the establishment weeks to talk to your professor when you 28 students. Twenty-two students are of the committee for Quality Assurance in need to", and our campuses are friendly continuing in the course and 25 have High Education, in order to assess quality places. If Keirnan is still undecided, we enrolled for 1994. on a national basis. could take her. Page 2 — The Chronicle CHAIR IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP FUNDED Australian Catholic University Chan During his address, the Chancellor paid At the Founding Benefactors' cellor, Cardinal Edward Clancy AC, special tribute to the benefactors and Reception, from left: Dr Victor Couch, Archbishop of Sydney, announced the acknowledged, with gratitude, their gen Monsignor John Slowey, Cardinal establishment of a 'Chair in Education erous support. Edward Clancy ACy and Mr Gerald al Leadership' at the Founding Bene "Although the University receives the Gleeson. factors' Reception which was held at bulk of its funding from the Federal Gov MacKillop Campus on November 5, ernment, additional support is necessary 1993. and most welcome," said Cardinal Clan Melina wins Present at the reception were Professor cy. Peter Drake, Vice-Chancellor, Mr Gerald "As educational leadership is a pressing scholarship Gleeson, Chairman of the NSW Chapter, issue today, and an area of traditional Monsignor John Slowey, former Director excellence within Catholic education, the Australian Catholic University student of the first Catholic Teachers College, new Chair will provide a focus for the Melina Marchetta has been awarded a Sydney, the Honourable Mr Justice University's expertise." Varuna Writers' Centre scholarship. Mahoney, Chairman of Polding College Cardinal Clancy spoke of the Melina is one of a group of 14 writers Council until 1981, and Dr Victor Couch importance of the Chair in Educational to receive a scholarship for the first half Chairman of the Catholic College of Leadership for the status of Australian of 1994. Education Council, 1974-1980 and Catholic University. Located in Katoomba, in the Blue Chairman of Catholic College of "With the emphasis on quality of edu Mountains west of Sydney, Varuna Writ Education Sydney, 1981-1989.

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