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Monday, 15 October 2012

Excitement is building on campus as our University prepares to celebrate our centenary.

And the sense of jubilation is heightened by the fact that on the eve of the celebrations – and in a single year – we vaulted 14 places in the Academic Ranking of World Universities to be ranked 96th internationally.

To be counted as one the world’s top 100 universities just a few months before the start of 2013 adds palpably to the festive atmosphere.

The first event to mark our centenary is, fittingly, a celebration for staff on Friday 14 December to recognise 100 years of input from our UWA community.

This occasion will acknowledge the important role you, our staff, have played in helping our University meet both the milestone of our 100th year and that of being recognised globally as an institution of great merit.

In February 2013, we hope our staff will register to attend another major event: The Alumni Weekend . As staff – even if you are not UWA graduates – you are part of our valued alumni community and you are warmly invited to be part of this three-day event to celebrate our centenary, reflect on the past and discover the excellence in research and learning that drives us into the future.

The start of the weekend on Friday 8 February will be a Centenary Welcome Cocktail party on Whitfeld Court, soon after the 2013 Perth International Arts Festival’s Welcome to Country on the Matilda Bay foreshore. The party will culminate with the first viewing of the spectacular filmic projection onto Winthrop Hall: LUMINOUSnight.

Throughout the weekend there will be exhibitions, lectures, a writers’ corner showcasing UWA authors, tours, walks, a cricket match between the Guild XI and the Vice-Chancellor’s XI and panel discussions.

Several projects will culminate over the weekend. Some of these have come about through years of planning and effort by staff and alumni. They include the unveiling of the Shaun Tan Sundial, the first public appearance of the Centenary plant and the launches of the Centenary history, Seek Wisdom , and the UWA Musical Treasures CD.

Another very important part of the celebrations throughout 2013 will be the UWA Gives Back project in which many staff and alumni will be involved. They will host a series of activities which engage school students, industry and communities in remote and rural WA. Many of these activities will involve our School of Indigenous Studies and the Aspire UWA program.

Through UWA Gives Back , we hope to promote educational opportunities for people in the regions, raise awareness about the regions here on campus, and position our University even more strongly as a place that continues to do our best for the State.

Our University was founded with that purpose in mind. A century later, we are still ‘there’ for all Western Australians.

Paul Johnson

Vice-Chancellor

Published in UWA News , 15 October 2012

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