May 2010 News on Campus @ Bond University


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WORLD BANK SHORTLISTS BOND TO LEAD THEIR GRADUATE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

Bond University is one of only three institutions globally to be shortlisted by the World Bank to host a new infrastructure program from 2011. 

Stanford University in the United States and Queen's University in Canada are the other two institutions selected by the prestigious organisation to submit tenders for the right to develop and lead the postgraduate program, which will focus heavily on private-public-partnerships (PPPs). Head of the School of Sustainable Development, Professor George Earl (pictured), together with Associate Professor of Infrastructure Michael Regan, prepared Bond University's submission to develop and host the post-graduate portal.


Professor Earl said Bond University's bid to host the portal is the culmination of more than two years of discussions with the World Bank. “From the World Bank's perspective, they want the people they lend money to, to have the necessary experience and knowledge in the areas of PPPs and infrastructure. There are only a handful of universities around the world operating in this space, and Bond is the only university in Australia with the expertise to run a program of this nature,” he said. “Our programs here at the Bond University Mirvac School of Sustainable Development are designed to be world's best practice in sustainability. To be recognised for our global leadership by such a prestigious organisation as the World Bank is very pleasing indeed,” Professor Earl said.

 

The World Bank will announce the winning submission at the end of May. If successful, Professor Earl and Associate Professor Regan will spend the remainder of the year developing the course content, with the offerings due to commence in January 2011. The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, providing low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management.

 


BONDIES TAKE ON WORLD'S BEST BUSINESS STRATEGISTS IN RUSSIA
Congratulations to the team of five talented Bondies on representing Australia in the world’s largest strategic management competition in Russia. Samuel Cochrane, Jack Stevens, Pieter Joubert, Chris Taylor and Jevan Hayward contested the Global Management Challenge (GMC) International Final in the Russian oil boom town of Khanty-Mansiysk on May 16-18.
While the undergraduate business students did not progress to the final rounds of the international competition, just being there representing their country was an admirable feat in itself.

They outperformed a field of 64 teams from around the country to win the National Final – and their place in the prestigious global competition – in Sydney in November last year. Their win served to strengthen Bond University’s reputation as the most successful Australian university in the GMC competition since it commenced here in 2007. Bond has been represented in all three national finals and contested the international final in Bucharest last year as Inaugural National Champions.


Team mentor Baden U’Ren, an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Bond University, said the students' success is testament to the emphasis placed on Global Strategy within the subject offerings at Bond. “We strive to deliver a cutting edge education with a global context, and we are very proud of the efforts of our students. Competitions such as the GMC provide students an outstanding forum in which to apply the skills learned in lectures to real-world scenarios," he said.


STUDENTS IMPRESS POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS AT ANNUAL CAREERS FAIR
Leading Australian employers have praised the calibre of Bond students and recent graduates following the University’s recent Careers Fair. The annual fair was held on March 26, presenting students with the opportunity to meet face-to-face with 36 potential employers eager to promote their organisation’s graduate and internship opportunities.

Kirsty Mitchell from the Career Development Centre said the feedback from employers involved in this year’s fair was very positive, with many commenting on the high quality of Bond University students and graduates.
“We’ve had a number of employers, including Macquarie Group and Credit Suisse, indicate that Bond has had among the highest number of applications to hires in previous years, meaning our students and graduates are up there with the best in Australia.
“As such, these employers are keen to return to campus to try and secure some of Australia’s brightest and best talent for their next graduate intake,” said Ms Mitchell.
Employers who took part this year included General Electric, National Australia Bank, Westpac, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Accenture, the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA), and the Defence Material Organisation.



BONDIES ON THE MOVE
Bondies featured this month include Andrew Nuerge (Alum 07), Gunnar Larson (Alum 05), Dr Trevor Wood (Alum 98) and Roger Fairest (Alum 94).

Andrew Nuerge (Alum 07)
Law Alumnus, Andrew Nuerge (pictured above), was recently admitted to the New York Bar in Albany, New York. After Andrew graduated, he moved to Kentucky and continued studying for 3 months. He is currently working at a Labor and Employment Law Firm in Cincinnati that involves undertaking major contract negotiations between labor Unions and Employers.

Gunnar Larson (Alum 05)
Gunnar Larson, Bond Alumnus and CEO of NetworkGlobal.TV, has announced his company will undergo a major expansion with dual launches of NetworkGlobal News and the Red Carpet Network.

NetworkGlobal.TV, an international conglomerate of upscale websites encompassing international news, entertainment, fitness, travel and other key subjects of interest, has launched two new websites; NetworkGlobal News, a global news project to share newsworthy events from around the world and the Red Carpet Network a premium entertainment channel covering red carpet events from New York to LA. The ambitious new projects were launched worldwide on February 26, 2010.

“NetworkGlobal was founded on the principal of creating the global standard for entertaining, dynamically information rich video media on the Internet. NetworkGlobal News and the Red Carpet Network are steps forward in meeting our evolving goals,” says Gunnar Larson, President and CEO of NetworkGlobal.tv INC.

Dr Trevor Wood (Alum 98)
Humanities graduate, Dr Trevor Wood, has left his position as Master of The Southport School Preparatory School in August 2009 after 22 years at TSS. He and his wife made his way via a rather protracted route to Hanoi, Vietnam, something along the lines of the proverbial Melbourne via Darwin jaunt.

March sees Trevor initiate a course aimed at teaching both trainee teachers and teachers how to teach Primary Mathematics in English. In a country eager to equip its population with English skills, the country's premier teacher training institution has taken a bold step by becoming the first university to expand the use of English across other core subjects for both pre-service and in-service teachers.

Whilst based on his teacher development projects on Bougainville, Trevor has written an extensive teaching text.

Roger Fairest (Alum 94)
After 13 years since finishing his degree at Bond, Bachelor of Commerce alumnus, Roger Fairest and his wife decided to take a trip from the heart of London to Darwin on a 27ft Sailing boat. This trip will take 3 years to get to Darwin the long way round.

It is a big change from a regularly paid job to taking on the risks and rewards of an enterprise. Their trip will begin on the 28th of March, weather allowing.


ROOKIE AFL STAR APPLIES SPORTS SCIENCE PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
Bachelor of Sports Science student Sean Yoshiura made headlines around the country recently when he became the first Japanese footballer selected for a national AFL team and, at just 18 years of age, one of the youngest rookies signed.

Sean was just about to sit his final biochemistry exam in December when he got the news that he’d been drafted as a rookie to the Brisbane Lions. “The rookie drafts were announced two hours before my exam,” he said. “I couldn’t talk to the media that day even though they kept calling because I needed to stay focused on my studies but it was a dream come true.

“I have wanted to play professional AFL since we moved to Australia when I was nine years old and I first saw football played on television.” A Collegiate Scholarship recipient and former School Captain of Ipswich Grammar, Sean is a passionate athlete who has broken records in the pool and on the track. At the age of 15, he was the Australian cross-country champion and he’s now set to achieve even more success on the football field.

“I chose to study Sports Science because I have always been interested in the body mechanics during sport,” said Sean. “I use the knowledge from my studies in my sports training and it will be even more relevant playing AFL at the top level, where I have a real understanding of what the coach is explaining during our training sessions.”

A high-achieving student, Sean has maintained outstanding grades whilst balancing a six-day-a-week training schedule and commuting to class from Brisbane. He admitted staying focused and finding that balance had been a challenge.

“The hardest part has been trying to stay on track,” he said. “I have to prioritise my schedule to allow for study, sport and social time. “The small classes at Bond have helped immensely because I get the opportunity to ask questions and participate in discussions and the teachers know all the students really well.”

Sean eventually hopes to study a Master of High Performance Science and use his sports expertise to introduce AFL to Asia. “My long-term goal is to become a talent scout and provide children with the same opportunities to get into sport that I have had. Initially I plan to start in Queensland and then look to Asia and even further abroad.”

Sean will be one step closer to his career goal of taking AFL to Asia when the Brisbane Lions play a friendly demonstration match against Melbourne Demons in China later this year.


On Friday 16 April, 2,000 of those students, teachers, parents and local residents stood united on Varsity College oval wearing anti-bullying wrist bands in demonstration for their support against cyber, physical, verbal, psychological and social bullying.

Bond University has partnered with Varsity College in the ‘One Goal, One Community: Moving beyond bullying and empowering for life’ initiative, with a goal to encourage community members to sign a pledge to commit to behaviours that will better society and put an end to bullying.

Led by a group of Bond business students and overseen by Associate Professor of Management Dr Amy Kenworthy (pictured above left), the project has attracted interest both in Australia, with several Gold Coast schools keen to run a similiar campaign, and globally, with Bentley University in the United States planning to replicate the model in September this year.


BOND BUSINESS SCHOOL SEMINAR - DATE CLAIMER!
The Bond Business School, Bond University in association with The Queensland Chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants presents the Inaugural BUSINESS LINKS Event “GLOBAL ASSAULT – WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO EXPAND YOUR MARKETPLACE” DEMYSTIFYING THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE by Professor Michael Harvey, joint appointment, University of Mississippi, Bond University Tuesday 22nd June 5:30pm – 7:00pm The seminar will be followed by drinks and light refreshments. Gregor Heiner Theatre, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine Bond University.

Michael Harvey was appointed Professor of International Business at Bond University in 2006. Equally, he holds the position of Distinguished Chair of Global Business at the University of Mississippi. Throughout his academic career he has received many awards acknowledging the high calibre of his research and quality of his teaching. In 2007 he was ranked as the 4th Most Productive International Business Researcher Globally out of 1,800 researchers during the decade 1996-2005. Attendance at the seminar is complimentary however registrations are essential. Please RSVP (acceptances only) to Debra Daly by Thursday 17th June.


The project is an initiative of the Malaysian Government’s Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation, working in conjunction with the Australian Business Centre. “The aim of the project is to develop a vibrant sports environment in Sarawak by encouraging greater participation in sport at all levels, improving social and health outcomes, and providing a wider range of opportunities for children to participate constructively in sport across the state,” said Dr Sotiriadou.

As a member of the appointed consultancy team, Dr Sotiriadou spent a week in Sarawak during February, touring the state to audit the current sporting associations and facilities. During her visit, she also attended the project launch, along with several Malaysian Government ministers and officials, and delivered a keynote address on high performance sport.

“Sarawak used to be very successful in sports at the state and national level,” said Dr Sotiriadou. “Our role is to investigate how they can regain their standing and re-emerge as the sporting powerhouse of Malaysia.”

With the completion of the audit and inception report, the next phase of the project will involve identifying future research needs for the long-term study which is targeted for complete implementation by 2020. “Changes in sport don’t take place overnight,” said Dr Sotiriadou. “Some of our recommendations may be implemented sooner than others, but sustainable improvement in sports systems such as this take time.”

Dr Sotiriadou will visit Kuala Lumpur in the coming months to meet with high performance managers and interview coaches and athletes.


BOND RUGBY HEARTBREAKER
Bond University returned to Friday night rugby after the holiday break during Orientation Week last week. The semester kicked off with a bang, with the new season kit and a capacity crowd in the grandstands to cheer the boy in blue and gold on. Bond came out firing from the kick off with aggression and purpose to their game. Beaudesert’s rapidly growing injury list was a testament to the physical nature of this game. All in all, Beaudesert lost five players to serious injury, keeping team medic Nicola Ying flat out.

Sustained pressure from the Bond forwards gave Kieran Farr the chance to convert an early penalty, adding to his already impressive season tally. An early mistake on our own line on the Bond try-line saw Beaudesert cross the line. Bond’s forwards responded with gusto, driving up midfield and giving Tawanda ‘The Beast’ Biti the chance to pick up and drive the ball over the line. This converted try, along with another penalty, saw Bond take a 13-5 lead into the break.

The intensity continued in the second half, with Bond absorbing continual punishment from an otherwise flat Beaudesert side. A penalty for Beaudesert early in the second half saw them bridge the gap. The sniff of victory gave the boys from out west a second wind, with 15 minutes of non-stop defence wearing down Bond. In the final minute, Beaudesert managed to pick and drive over the try-line, levelling the scores. A conversion sealed the deal for Beaudesert and broke the hearts of Bond.

Standout players were Jamie Lennox, Sam Jones, Tawands Biti, Greg Russell in his return from injury, and Kieran Farr. Bond take on bottom placed Coomera this week, needing nothing less than a win with a bonus point. Final score: Beaudesert (15) defeated Bond (13).

BOND THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA FOR SPORT - PER CAPITA CHAMPION FOR 2009

Last week, Bond was awarded the Australian University Sport (AUS) Overall Per Capita Champion for 2009. AUS looked at Bond’s results from all AUS sanctioned events last year, including Northern University Games (NUG), Australian University Games (AUG) and Winter Sports. Assistant BUIS Manager Shanon Zunker was presented with a perpetual shield and champions pennant, reflecting Bond’s achievements in sport over the past 12 months. This result reflects the hard work of all those involved in the administration of sport at Bond, as well as the hard hours of training put in by our athletes. Congratulations to all.


ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOLADES

TOM BORDA - PROFILE
As an endurance sport competitor and Master of Sports Management alumnus, Tom Borda has certainly found his dream job with a major US-based endurance sports media, marketing and event management conglomerate. Competitor Group Inc owns and operates 16 nationally branded marathon, cycling and triathlon events which attract over 150,000 professional and amateur participants. They also have a publishing division incorporating six magazine titles with a combined circulation of around 500,000 per month, as well as producing radio and television content.

As Regional Sales Representative based in Competitor’s Chicago offices, Tom’s role encompasses event sponsorship, exhibition space marketing and print and digital advertising sales across 14 states in the Midwest. And when it came to securing the job, Tom says that, during the interview process, his future boss was particularly impressed that he’d undertaken his Masters degree in Australia.

“I was actually born in Australia when my parents were working here but we moved back to the States when I was less than a year old,” says Tom. “We came back for holidays while I was growing up and I really love this country.”

“After finishing my undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, I decided to do my Masters in Australia where I could pursue my passion for sport. I found that Bond offered the best, most complete and most efficient option with the Master of Sports Management.” During his 12 months at Bond, Tom gained plenty of practical experience to enhance his higher level academic knowledge.

As a former elite athlete having represented Washington and Lee in golf and a competitor in the gruelling Ironman Triathlon, he was able to apply his personal experience to helping with the marketing, planning and sponsorship acquisition for BURC’s Corporate Golf Day at The Glades. He also secured industry placements with the Queensland Olympic Council in the countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and with the Australian Sports Commission where he served as an external consultant for their Active After-School Coaching program.

“The professional placements that are required by the Master of Sports Management program were a real highlight of my time at Bond,” he says. “I was also impressed by the interaction with professors and fellow students that comes from studying in small groups and the fact that I could take subjects from different Faculties such as Business and Law.”

In fact, Tom achieved Best of Class honours in one of his Business faculty subjects – Creativity and Innovation in Organisations – and was named on the Vice-Chancellor’s List for Academic Excellence in his final semester (072). “Bond is a very dynamic, entrepreneurial and engaging community where creative thinking, motivation and hard work are really encouraged,” he says.

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