Agent-Newsletter

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ANU Agent Newsletter

Issue IV - September, 2009

Welcome to the bi-monthly update for ANU's agent representative network.

From the Vice-Chancellor's Desk

An Important Message Regarding Admissions and Payments

ANU Graduate Students Gather at Graduate Lounge

New Research School of Business

Publication Update: International Undergraduate Guide 2010

News: Collaboration Boosts Solar Capacity

Student Profile: Elaine Kanasewich

FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR'S DESK

"We’re always proud when one of our alumni returns to visit us on campus, particularly when that person is making a contribution to the betterment of the nation and its future.

So it was with pride we welcomed back the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in May to open the new building for the John Curtin School of Medical Research.

In his speech for that occasion, the self-described “country boy from Queensland” recalled how ANU had equipped him to speak Mandarin and to think about the nation’s place in the Asia-Pacific century."

An important message regarding admissions and payments

Admissions
Currently the Admissions Office is experiencing an unexpected increase in the number of applications and enquiries. We request and appreciate your kind understanding and patience if there are delays in responding to your emails and requests.

The turnaround time from application to offer for typical applications is currently around 6 to 8 weeks.

As a reminder, if you have lodged an application via the Agent Manager portal of our Online Application System, you can track the progress of the application through that portal and please avoid sending additional emails to the Admissions Office.

If there are fewer enquiries for the Admissions Office to handle, they can spend valuable time to process applications.

Payments
As indicated in the ANU offer and acceptance form, please pay fees deposits to the ANU by Credit Card payment or bank drafts only.

Please note that using Telegraphic Transfer for deposit payments to ANU will significantly slow the process for issue of an eCoE (up to 8 weeks). All such payments must be received and reconciled to the student’s account prior to an eCoE being authorised. As such, ANU strongly discourages the payment of deposits by Telegraphic Transfer.

ANU Graduate Students Gather at Graduate Lounge

The Australian National University's graduate students now have their own drop-in and meeting space on campus.

Graduate Lounge was officially launched by Prof. John Richards, Master, University House and Graduate House, at a ceremony on Friday 4 September.

Located next to the Fellows Café and Bar at University House, the Lounge offers a comfortable venue for graduate students to relax and socialise. The room is also available as a small meetings venue between the hours of 7am and 8pm, Monday to Friday.

The café and bar adjoining Graduate Lounge are open throughout the year. New students are invited to make Graduate Lounge a favourite spot to meet other graduate students across all disciplines. A range of social events will also be held in the Lounge.

Learn more >>

Postgraduate and Research Student Association (PARSA) >>

New Research School of Business

Australia's first Research School of Business will be created within the ANU College of Business and Economics.

The ANU Research School of Business will serve as a further testament to the position of ANU as one of the world’s leading research universities.

In recognition of the formation of the Research School, and to celebrate the University achieving the Times Higher Education Supplement ranking of 16th in the world for the third consecutive year, 16 new research positions will be created within the ANU College of Business & Economics.

Professor Keith Houghton, Dean of the ANU College of Business and Economics explained that the School will enable ANU researchers to address the big research questions that need to be resolved and provide a valuable contribution to business literature and thought.

“The ANU Research School of Business will allow researchers to focus on specific issues of importance to the Nation via a new and innovative approach to research within the ANU College of Business and Economics,” he said.

While greatly expanding the research capacity of the ANU College of Business and Economics, the Research School of Business will also provide a huge benefit for the overall learning environment of the College and the University as a whole.

Spotlight on psychology

Why do we see faces in clouds?

Probing the underlying mechanisms of face recognition is one of many exciting research fields in psychology at Australian National University.

The science of psychology explains human behaviour from the role of individual nerve cells through to the impact of the intricate psycho-social contexts in which all people function.
Strengths in research and teaching in psychology at ANU include clinical and health psychology, cognition and perception, and social and organisational psychology. Psychological scientists at ANU are amongst the world’s best.

For undergraduate students, completion of an Honours year in psychology is the first step towards attaining a professional qualification as a clinical psychologist. The Honours year deepens the knowledge of psychology theory and practice that students develop during the first three years of an undergraduate psychology program, and exposes students to theory and practice in psychological research. Honours programs in psychology are offered as a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Bachelor of Science (Honours) or Bachelor of Science (Psychology) (Honours), or as the final year of the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). Honours in psychology can also be done as part of the elite Bachelor of Philosophy program.

To gain professional recognition as a clinical psychologist, students must enrol in graduate programs. Graduate programs in psychology and clinical psychology include the Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Psychology (Clinical), and the Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology). These programs aim to develop clinical competencies and to encourage a critical approach to clinical practice, and include coursework, supervised clinical practice and original clinical research.

The Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies is a pathway to an Honours year program for students who have completed a degree in another area within the last 10 years that included a full first-year psychology course.

Accreditation
All programs fulfil the requirements of the Professional Registration Boards in all Australian states and territories. The Master of Clinical Psychology, Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) and Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) programs are accredited for full membership of the Australian Psychological Society. All clinical programs are also approved for membership of the College of Clinical Psychologists of the Australian Psychological Society though, as with all accredited postgraduate clinical programs, a further two years' of supervised clinical practice may be necessary to attain full membership.

International Students
Students who did not obtain their psychology pass degree in Australia or New Zealand are required to have their qualifications assessed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS). ANU is unable to offer entry to honours or graduate programs unless students provide an assessment letter from the APS.

For further information about psychology research and programs at ANU
E: enquiries.psychology@anu.edu.au
W: http://science.anu.edu.au/portals/psyc
http://psychology.anu.edu.au/

To contact the Australian Psychological Society, please visit their website:
W: www.psychology.org.au

Publication Update: International Undergraduate Guide 2010

For several years , ANU has produced a general undergraduate guide for all prospective students as well as the International Undergraduate Supplement, containing specific information for international candidates.

Responding to feedback from our agents and students, we have decided to produce a special International Undergraduate Guide, which will replace the two documents and contain all international-specific information and requirements.

The 2010 International Undergraduate Guide will be sent to your offices in the coming months and should replace the 2009 Undergraduate Guide and 2010 International Undergraduate Supplement.

In the meantime, you may use a PDF of the new guide, avaiable here.

News: Collaboration Boosts Solar Capacity

Solar cells will soon be able to provide efficient heating and power, and significantly cheaper, thanks to a joint project between researchers at ANU and Tianjian University in China.

The two and a half year project between the two universities will pioneer solar cells immersed in cooling fluid. This technique is expected to result in solar cells which result in up to 70 per cent efficient combined heat - and power - solar concentrators employing highly efficient and cost-effective solar cells.

Read more >>

Student Profile: Elaine Kanasewich (Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence)

Elaine Kanasewich always planned on doing her post-graduate studies outside of North America so that she could expand her global perspective and gain a better understanding of the “other side of the world” – the Asia-Pacific region. Hence there was no hesitation when she learned that she had been accepted to a Master program at ANU Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence (GSSD).

At the GSSD, Elaine benefited from a small group of dedicated and passionate lecturers, all of whom were at the top of their respective fields. The combination of lectures, coursework, and guest speakers from the military, intelligence and political sectors added to the depth of the program. The diversity of the class was also a significant factor, with a class of students representing all parts of the world. The small class sizes not only provided the perfect forum for fruitful discussions, but created the environment to make long-lasting friendships.

The benefits of graduating with a Master degree from the GSSD and the ANU were immense. Elaine was fortunate enough to obtain a highly sought after internship at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, with the Weapons of Mass Destruction/Nuclear Policy Directorate. The knowledge and insight she obtained through her studies at the GSSD made her highly successful in her tasks, rewarded by gaining the trust and respect of her managers who allowed her to contribute to defence policy planning.
After NATO, Elaine went to work for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Ttrade in Ottawa. There, she worked as the desk officer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), largely dealing with the repercussions of conflict in Europe, as well as treaty compliance issues.

She has since moved to Toronto where she is working in a NATO-affiliated think tank as a research analyst under contract by the Canadian Department of National Defence. Once again, her Master degree enabled her to win this position, in part because of the diversity her knowledge of the Asia-Pacific could bring to the organisation.

As a final testimony to the power of having a Master degree from one of the world’s top-ranking universities, Elaine has been able to successfully apply for permanent positions with the Canadian government that otherwise would have been out-of-reach. Elaine has no doubt that her degree not only kick-started her career, but accelerated its growth. Within the next few months, Elaine expects to return to Ottawa as a programme officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, or as a policy and procurement analyst with the Department of Defence.

Learn more >>