CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL TO REACH OUT TO LOCAL COMMUNITY

December, 2009

As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to assist less privileged children, the Singapore Campus of James Cook University Australia is holding up their annual Christmas Carnival on 12 December 2009.

This carnival will be a day of fun and activities and aims to raise funds for the benefit of two local centres: Child @ St 11 and Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centres.

Besides university students, staff and alumni, the attendees of the carnival will include members of the Sembawang Baptist Church, around 200 children from the two centres with their guardians, and local community residents.  The guest of honor of the event is Kebun Baru CCC Chairman Mr Tan Ah Pek.

Prior and during the event, the university will sell tickets to students and attendees at $10 per ticket with 10 $1 stubs which attendees can utilise for food, games and activities. The ticket also entitles them to a lucky draw. The proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to the mentioned beneficiaries after the event.

During the Christmas Carnival, there will be live performances by the university students. This is part of the university effort to encourage students to share their talent with others and get involve in charity activities. 

There will be a lot of carnival games and rides during the event for the children & adults to enjoy. Things likeBungee Run, Rodeo Bull, Bouncing Castle, Hi Striker, Maze Adventure, Human Foosball, Horse Carousel, and many more will all be there.   There will also be an arts and storytelling booth.

During the carnival, the university will be presenting $5,000 from its own funds to each of the two beneficiaries.

“Helping those families and young children in need is one way of giving back to the community”, said Dr. Dale Anderson. “We organized the carnival last year and we are very grateful to be able to do it again this year”, he added.
This carnival is open for public from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm at their campus on 600 Upper Thompson Road.

The Singapore Campus of James Cook University will continue to find ways to help more children and families in need.

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY GRADUATION - A GREAT CELEBRATION

October, 2009

The graduation ceremony held on 26th September was the largest one held by the Singapore Campus of James Cook University.

Chancellor, Lieutenant General John Grey AC gave the official welcome address to 1100 guest and graduates attending the ceremony at the Island Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

The graduates were from the Faculty of Law, Business and the Creative Arts, the Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences, and Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Degrees were awarded to 320 graduates in the following areas: Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Psychology, Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology, Master of Education, Master of Guidance and Counselling, Master of Business Administration, Master of Information Technology, and joint Master of Information Technology-Master of Business Administration.

There were also 6 students from Townsville and Brisbane campuses who join the convocation in Singapore.

There are a number of memorable moments at this year graduation. Eighty-one years old, Mr. Woon Sui Cheong who graduated for his Master of Guidance and Counselling received a special ovation from the attendees.

Nine graduands who have performed well during their studies received top student awards.  Interestingly, while they were one recipient for top student for each course, there were 3 awards given to Master of Guidance and Counselling graduates for their outstanding performance with the same GPA.

James Cook University also had the honour of having occasional address from His Excellency Mr Doug Chester, Australian High Commissioner to Singapore.

Ms Ja’naed Woods who received the top student award for Bachelor of Psychology with Honours gave some meaningful word on behalf of the graduates. She encouraged the graduates to appreciate the support of parents/family members, lecturers and fellow friends which lead them to the level they are today.

High Excellency Nguyen Trung Thanh, Ambassador, The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Singapore was one of the special guests attending this event.

The Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University Australia, Professor Sandra Harding gave the closing address at the ceremony and welcomed all the graduates to join the growing network of James Cook University Alumni.  “Keep the contacts and friendship you have made during your time as this will prove some of the most important relationship of your life”, she added.

After the ceremony, graduates and their family member happily took photographs to capture the special moments.  “We are very happy”, said a group of Business graduates who were posing for their best shot in their graduation robes.

The Singapore Campus of James Cook University will continue to focus on providing high quality Australian education and produce graduates who are ready for the work force.

Congratulations again to all graduates and look forward for the 2010 graduation ceremony.

MASTER OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING RENEWAL OF RECOGNITION

September, 2009

The Master of Guidance and Counselling course at the Singapore Campus of James Cook University has been re-accredited for a further 2 years by Singapore Association for Counselling (SAC).

The course remains fully recognised by SAC as a program that prepares individuals to be registered counsellors in Singapore.

This accreditation provides a concrete example of the commitment of James Cook University to provide high quality educational programs and develop educational and organisational leaders.

The Master of Guidance and Counselling degree equips students with the skills, confidence and knowledge to become professional counsellors in a variety of location and setting.

LECTURE AND STUDENTS' RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

August, 2009

The Singapore Campus of James Cook University Australia has recently been successful in having Ms. Aini Teoh’s a lecturer at the university, research paper published in an international peer-reviewed journal.

Her paper entitled “The Comparison between Active and Passive Types of Social Support: The Emotional Responses” will be published in the recent issue of the Journal of Applied Biobehavioural Research (JABR).

This article is based on the data reported in the postgraduate diploma theses of Chia Meng Swang Clara and Mohanraj Virasamy, two students which she supervises at the University.

“I am very happy that JABR is publishing our research. My two students are also equally happy,” said Ms. Teoh.

This research compares the effect of active and passive support on emotional changes.

“Active support is more explicit, with words of encouragement while passive support is more implicit (silent support) ”, said Ms. Teoh.

” Consistent with the hypothesis, the research shows that active support produced some positive outcomes. The passive support simply wasn’t as effective,” added Ms. Teoh.

This publication is an example of the quality of the research of the academic staff at the Singapore Campus.

“To have one's research published in an international peer-reviewed journal is the pinnacle of what it means to be a researcher,” said Tim Robert, Dean of Research at James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus.

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY RANKS WITH THE BEST

August, 2009

James Cook University has cemented its place as one of Queensland’s top universities according to the latest edition of the Good Universities Guide.

In a number of key areas, the University is equal with the best in Australia achieving a five-star rating.

James Cook University received five 5-star ratings matched only by one other Queensland public university, although the small private Bond University managed nine, down from its 10 last year.

Released today (August 11), the 2010 edition of the Guide in awarding star ratings to all Australian universities across a comprehensive range of measures, gave James Cook University its top rating in graduates getting a full time job, positive graduate outcomes, access by equity groups, indigenous participation, and gender balance.

According to the Guide, the University improved its performance across eight categories including student demand, student-staff ratio, credit for TAFE students, and cultural diversity.

The Guide noted that one of the major initiatives of the Australian Government regarding tertiary education was to improve access to higher education for young people who otherwise would not contemplate going to university.

Acting James Cook University Vice Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann said it was pleasing to note that in this area, the University received five stars in two of the categories and had improved its rating in the other two.

“We have a particular responsibility to provide a tertiary education to the youth of northern Queensland,” he said, “and this recognises our success across all equity groups.”

Professor Vann said the Guide had also pointed out that among Queensland’s regional universities, only James Cook University was comparable relative to the capital city universities in funding for research and research intensivity.

“James Cook University is committed to the twin pillars of a top university – that is teaching and learning to produce top class graduates, and world-leading research.

“It is why James Cook University is one of only two Queensland universities rated in the top five percent of the world’s tertiary institutions.”

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES

July, 2009

As part of its commitment towards publicising research outcomes, the Singapore Campus of James Cook University has launched a Public Lecture Series. This series features top academics specialising in various disciplines who will share the result of their research with other academics and member of the public. The aim is to create public awareness of the important issues in psychology, business and tourism,

The first lecture in the series was delivered on June 30 by Dr. Douglas Boer, the Associate Professor of Psychology from University of Waikato, New Zealand. He shared the importance of ecological validity in the risk assessment of violence. This presentation was useful for support workers, professional assessors, and those working with intellectual disabled clients.  They learnt about providing a client-specific risk profile that helps staff better manage a client’s challenging behaviour and safeguarding those who interact with them from potential violent incidents.

Future Lectures will include:

Public Lecture 2 – July 29, 2009:  What do Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dyslexia and Autism Have in Common?

This lecture will be presented by Professor Tim Roberts, BSc(Hons) PhD, Dean of Research at James Cook University Singapore Campus. Professor Roberts has published more than 100 papers and is an expert in the area of chronic pain, fatigue and autism. His group has made significant progress in understanding that these conditions have a common underlying biochemical pathology which relates to the metabolism of the sufferer being in a chronic catabolic state.

Public Lecture 3 – 19 August, 2009: New Views of Satisfaction and Loyalty

This session will be presented by Professor Philip Pearce BA, DipEd(Adel), DPhil(Oxf),Foundation Professor in Tourism, James Cook University Australia. Professor Pearce was the first Professor of Tourism in Australia and has held scholarships to the University of Oxford and Harvard University.

Tourism, sports and events businesses have always had to consider the satisfaction of their customers. These businesses are also pressured to think about the likelihood of repeat business to manage their long term sustainability.  In this session Professor Pearce will be sharing new way forward in thinking about loyalty and suggest new tools and cooperative efforts for a better customer satisfaction research and assessment process.  He will also share recent evidence in relation to questions such as Are we working with the wrong idea about satisfaction? Why a good day out is not like buying a soap? Why the measure has become the false master in satisfaction research?”

All lectures will be conducted from 7-8.30 pm at the Singapore Campus of James Cook University at 600 Upper Thompson Road. These events are open to the public.
 To attend email rsvp@jcu.edu.sg or call 96778868.

JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN SHINE YOUTH FESTIVAL

June, 2009

A group of students from James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus have participated in Shine Youth Mascot Parade on 27 June 2009. This parade is the key highlights for Shine Youth Festivals Launch Event at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

SHINE Youth Mascot Parade  is Asia’s first Mascot Parade fully organized by youth and brought together to wow audiences with the largest public showcase of movies, games, anime, cultural mascots along the heart of Orchard. This event was graced by the presence of Mr. Teo Ser Luck, Chairman of the National Youth Council and had close to 18,000 attendees in the full day extravaganza.

In the time slot allocated to them between 12.00 – 12.30pm, the students of the Singapore Campus have shared 4 (four) performances. This includes Poonam (an MBA candidate and the university’s Student Council VP for Publications  & Communications) who did a Manipuri dance. Xia Lu & Wang Hao who are currently taking business program who rendered a Mandarin song and also two song performances with his guitar from Sean Poh who is pursuing the Bachelor of Psychology course.  These students have also participated in the university’s Talent Show program a couple of weeks ago.

James Cook University’s students’ volunteers have also been involved in various part of the event including manning the registration booth and bag deposit counter. They have also helped out in marshalling during the parade.  “We had fun and it was great to be part of the event. It is a very good opportunity for us to share the talents that our University has and to reach out and network to others,” said Sean Poh, who did a song performance.

The university supports such event that nurtures the positive youth activism through different platform.  This kind of event provides exposure for the students to step out of their comfort zone and bond with their peers from other universities, poly, and junior colleges.  Besides external event, the Singapore Campus of James Cook University also organized a lot of in and off campus activities, for further details please visit http://www.jcu.edu.sg/Campus%20Activities.htm

FIRST TIME IN ASIA
THE BEST EDUCATION NETWORK THINK TANK CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN SINGAPORE

June, 2009

The Singapore Campus of James Cook University Australia hosted the BEST Education Network Think Tank IX conference on “The Importance of Values in Sustainable Tourism” between 15 and 18 June 2009 at its campus on Upper Thomson Road. The event was preceded by a full day symposium exploring the emerging trend of volunteer tourism.

This international event was held in Asia for the first time and brought together academics from all over the world. The previous two conferences were held in Turkey and the United States. 

Professor Gianna Moscardo from James Cook University, one of the top tourism academics in the world chaired the conference.  Attendees were top tourism scholars from across the world and academics from Australia the UK, the USA, Canada, Singapore, Austria, South Africa, and Japan.

“Cultural, social and historical values have in various ways shaped the concerns that drive how sustainability is interpreted and implemented in different destinations. To date the discussions have been dominated by Western values and traditions. The opportunity to meet in Singapore offers the potential to explore the diversity of cultural perspectives on sustainability and tourism.” said Prof Moscardo.

The Think Tank focused on the importance of values in understanding and implementing more sustainable practices in tourism. Key issues in sustainable tourism were also identified through industry forums and case studies.

“It was interesting to have the conference in Singapore as we can get a better understanding of Asian values”, said Dr. Pierre Benckendoff, one of the conference organisers. “This conference has a specific focus. We are hoping to develop a series of wiki pages online and share the results with others in the industry”, he added.

The 4 day conference was filled with interesting keynote address from experts in the tourism area, paper presentations, framing sessions, and field visits to the Singapore Zoo Night Safari and the Malay Heritage Centre.

The conference concluded with an award presentation for the most outstanding paper which was given to Dr. Heather Zeppel from James Cook University in Australia for her paper on Cultural values in sustainable tourism.

James Cook University is the home of some of the top tourism scholars in the world. This shows the strength of the university in this area.  The Singapore Campus offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in tourism which are utilised by the local tourism and hospitality industry as a means of upgrading the skills and knowledge of their staff

“It was great to have the BEST Education Network conference with international tourism education experts gathered at our Singapore Campus.  This seminar shows Singapore’s uniqueness in the tourism industry and our campus as one of the quality education providers in Asia. ” said Noel Richards, Campus Dean of James Cook University, Singapore Campus.

Keynote Address Dr. Pauline Sheldon,Professor of Tourism, School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii, USA

ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIST SHARED HOW SENSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES ARE CRUCIAL TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

May, 2009

Dr. William F. Laurance, a Senior Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama shared some critical sustainability issues that businesses need to focus on, in his public lecture held at James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus on Monday, May 11.

Dr. Laurance who focuses his research on the impact of intensive land-uses, highlighted some new and emerging threats to tropical ecosystems and their implication to business leaders.

“Industrial drivers of forest conversion-such as logging, large-scale soy and cattle farming, oil-palm plantations, and oil and gas development have escalated in importance in recent decades. These are buoyed by rapid globalization, economic growth, and rising standards of living in developing nation. In addition biofuels are likely to grow rapidly as a driver of future destruction,” he explained.

Dr. Laurance who has published five books and nearly 300 scientific and popular articles discussed the challenges the above threats pose for both environmentalist and business leaders. This raise questions to all business leaders. What is your take on the sustainability? What is your environmental policy?

He mentioned that no business can afford to ignore sustainable practices. These evolving threats are creating an urgent need for new research. He firmly believes that scientists must engage policy makers and the general public.

“Climate change has emerged as a potentially serious cause of change in the tropics. Little have been known on how this will affect tropical species at high and low elevations, or how this will interact with ongoing land-use change” said Dr. Laurance. There is also no clear idea of how climate change will affect tropical rain fall – a crucial deficit given the acute sensitivity of tropical forest to drought and fire.

He emphasized that all companies need to have sustainable practices in place and not to be “environmental-sinners”; it is essential to consider how your business will impact on other parts of the world. According to Dr. Laurance, every company needs to check their policies on carbon signatures and sustainable practices.

Professor Michael J. Kingsford, Head of School of Marine and Tropical Biology of James Cook University Australia who gave the closing remarks at this seminar added that it is well recognized that businesses must have robust environmental strategies to succeed in the 21st century.  “Chief Executive Officers have to consider carbon footprints, global climate change, and waste management developments. This could start from the small steps such as, does your paper and furniture come from areas with sustainable practice?”

JCU SINGAPORE REACH OUT TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

April, 2009

The CEO of James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus Dr. Dale Anderson presented a cheque to Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centres and Child@street11 on Thursday, 2 April 2009.

This is the sequel to the Christmas Carnival held at the Singapore Campus last year to raise funds for the two centres. The beneficiaries were 60 children from the needy families aged between 8 and 12 years old.

Previously the children from the two centres had visited the campus on 600 Upper Thompson road where they participated in fun carnival games along with JCU students. There were also dance performances by the students and a lucky draw to attract the public to get involved in the fund raising. The local MP, Mr. Inderjit Singh was the guest of honor for the event.
The carnival was part of the university’s commitment to extend the joy of the festive period to the less privileged children of the Kebun Baru constituency.

“We not only focus on providing quality education but we also try to encourage our students and staff to reach out to the local community.  Helping those families and young children in need is one way of giving back to the community” said Dr. Dale Anderson.

The Singapore Campus of James Cook University intends to make this charity event as an annual activity and will continue to find ways to help more children and families in need in the future.

NOBLE PEACE PRIZE WINNER SPOKE AT JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY AND NUS COLLABORATIVE PUBLIC LECTURE

March, 2009

James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus and National University of Singapore is proud to host a joint public lecture on Monday, 2 March 2009.

This lecture entitled “Systems at Peril: Climate Change, Agriculture and Biodiversity in Australia” was presented by Professor Chris Cocklin. He has previously been awarded a joint Noble Peace Prize with former US vice-president Al Gore in 2007 for his work as lead author in the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) report. Mr. Collin is the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation James Cook University Australia.

In his presentation, Professor Collin reflected on the interplay among three closely linked systems – climate, agriculture and biodiversity – in Australian context.

This exciting event was also supported by the Australian Government, Australian Education International – Singapore.

Research has always been an important factor for James Cook University Australia and an essential focus at their Singapore Campus. In addition, the university is building strategic alliances with other universities in Singapore. This collaborative project with National University of Singapore is another step in the process.