Shirley Alexander, Michele Rumsey, Aunty Glendra Stubbs, and Leslie Loble were recognized for their achievements and contributions in the fields of education and technology, nursing and midwifery, and Indigenous leadership.
Professor Shirley Alexander
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students
Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for service to higher education, particularly for innovation in teaching and learning
Educational pioneer Shirley Alexander grew up in NSW country and was the first person in her family to attend university. She studied as a middle-aged student after initially coming to Sydney to train as a nurse. A Bachelor of Science, a Graduate Diploma in Education, and a Masters in Applied Statistics followed.
She joined UTS in 1992 and quickly established a reputation as an “early adopter” of technology in education. After serving as Director of IML and then Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Alexander was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education and Students in 2007, a position she still holds. She has influenced the practice of teaching and learning through her research, as a government advisor, on review boards for other institutions, and as a keynote speaker at national and international forums. The initiatives she pioneered are now the norm – from using technology to enhance learning to courses integrating design thinking and industrial projects for students.
Professor Alexander places the student experience at the center of everything she does and continues to read every student feedback form, considering every comment a student makes about their learning experience and acting on it. applicable. The reinvention of student learning at UTS – collaborative theaters equipped with cutting-edge technology replacing the massive lecture halls of yesteryear – owes much to his drive and dedication. The project was awarded an international award for blended learning.
Professor Alexander says: “While I am honored to receive this recognition, I am very aware that innovation is a team sport. I am very grateful to the many colleagues who have been involved in these innovations over many years. »
Michele Rumsey
Michele Rumsey is the founding director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development, established at UTS in 2008. She has played a significant role in the development and strengthening the regulation and education of health workers to achieve better health outcomes in Western countries. Pacific region.
Born in the UK, Rumsey fulfilled a childhood ambition when, at the age of 16, she embarked on what has become an ‘eclectic nursing career’ characterized by her passion and perseverance. . She is skilled in consulting, strategic planning, research, networking, negotiation and project management, and is able to work in a culturally appropriate manner, building trust and relationships with local healthcare workers. . Nurses represent three-quarters of the professional health workforce in the South and West Pacific, 95% are women and more than half are under 35 years old.
Some of the Collaborating Center’s current projects, carried out in partnership with nurses and midwives from across the Pacific region, include Pacific leadership programs and health workforce quality improvement programs with the WHO. A multi-million dollar Health Enhancement Education program with PNG’s National Department of Health, funded by the Australian Government, brought together senior health professionals from across the country for the first time. PNG.
“I’m very, very honored to receive this honor and it’s nice to be recognized in this way. It’s hard when the colleagues I work with are so overwhelmed every day, but it’s a way of putting highlighting the value of nursing and midwifery. Anything we can do to support nursing and for people to understand the value of nursing is really important,” she says.
Aunty Glendra Stubbs
Aunty Glendra Stubbs is a Wiradjuri woman whose mob hails from the Mudgee/Dubbo and Narrandera areas. His father once told him, “If you have a chance to make a difference for your mafia, you have to do everything you can.”
Aunty Glendra has done just that, working for over 40 years providing advice and practical assistance to trauma survivors, supporting families and solving out-of-home care issues.
As an Elder-in-Residence at UTS, she plays an important cultural, knowledge-sharing, mentoring and social role for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, aimed at improving Aboriginal student retention and success. . She represents the university through community engagement initiatives and contributes to the well-being of Indigenous staff and students.
In an interview shortly after her appointment in 2019, Auntie Glendra said, “I just want students to succeed and know they belong in the university. If I can help a student to complete their studies or support them in case of doubt or problem, then I am doing my job. As the pandemic disrupted student life, this support became increasingly important.
When news of her impending honor arrived, Aunt Glendra said she was at a loss for words.
“I always have words but not this time. I feel truly honored and humbled. again – our nations, our families and our communities. So I think this award is for all of us. We are now at a time when more than ever, the future holds the promise of Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaboration. -Indigenous, respecting the culture of others and all their ways of knowing, being and doing.
Leslie Loble
Paul Ramsay Foundation Scholar Leslie Loble joined UTS in 2021 as an Industry Professor. In collaboration with the Center for Social Justice and Inclusion and experts from across the university, Loble explores how education, essential to overcoming disadvantage, can more effectively develop and apply technology to improve achievement and outcomes. , and support and improve the work of their teachers and schools.
Loble has had a long career in education and spent 20 years with the New South Wales Department of Education, including as Deputy Chief Executive and Deputy Secretary. She has worked in teaching, early years and higher education in what is Australia’s largest and most diverse education sector.
