Welcome from our Vice-Chancellor
There is no doubt that 2021 was a challenging year for the Deakin community. However, the stories demonstrate the incredible things we can build and nurture when we work together. This publication is a celebration of our donors and partners, and the life-changing outcomes made possible by their vision and generosity.
A powerful example of this is our landmark research into the nation’s understanding of the Holocaust, led by Associate Professor Steven Cooke. This work launched on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and was featured across a huge range of media outlets, sparking national conversation. This important project has a direct connection to Deakin’s founding Vice-Chancellor, illustrating how the pursuit of new knowledge crosses time and place, and benefits many, often in surprising ways.
In more transformative research, Professor Felice Jacka continues to lead as Director of Deakin’s Food and Mood Centre, the only research hub of its kind in the world. This growing community of scholars is discovering how nutrition and diet affect mental health and wellbeing, and the Centre is quickly becoming a research powerhouse. Philanthropy has made much of this possible.
I was moved by the personal story of Doug and Barbara Wilson, who have entrusted Deakin with a postgraduate nursing scholarship, in the memory of their late daughter, Anthea. Education shapes and connects lives, and this beautiful, enduring gift will do exactly that.
Former long-serving staff member Professor Lawry St Leger and Dr Pam St Leger have also supported a cause they are passionate about – in their case, nurturing the next generation of population health researchers. Both the Anthea Jane Wilson Scholarship and the St Leger Scholarship were awarded for the first time in 2021.
I was moved by the personal story of Doug and Barbara Wilson, who have entrusted Deakin with a postgraduate nursing scholarship, in the memory of their late daughter, Anthea. Education shapes and connects lives, and this beautiful, enduring gift will do exactly that. Former long-serving staff member Professor Lawry St Leger and Dr Pam St Leger have also supported a cause they are passionate about – in their case, nurturing the next generation of population health researchers. Both the Anthea Jane Wilson Scholarship and the St Leger Scholarship were awarded for the first time in 2021.
The University’s vision for 2030 acknowledges partnerships as the crucial element in all our work. Deakin’s School of Engineering is now in its 30th year and has been shaped by its industry partners and sponsors, who welcome our students and provide them with invaluable professional connections and experience. The NIKERI Institute, a national leader in the higher education of our First Peoples, has deep connections with the communities it serves – across the state and around the country.
On the sporting field too, it is relationships that allow Deakin to provide tailored support to the elite athletes who balance sporting success with their studies (including our Winter Olympics gold medallist in the moguls, Jakara Anthony!).
To each and every donor and partner, I offer my thanks. I look forward to expressing my gratitude in person at one of our upcoming donor and alumni events.
Professor Iain Martin
Vice-Chancellor