Deakin scoops pool at Victorian International Education Awards

Deakin University was the top performer among Victorian universities last night at the 2016 Victorian International Education Awards, taking home the prizes for International Education – University and for Excellence in Higher Education – English Language Training.

A Deakin student was also recognised by these prestigious awards, with Geelong-based PhD student Balaji Narayanaswamy taking home the International Student of the Year – Regional award.

The annual Victorian International Education Awards (VIEAs) are an initiative of the Victorian Government that reward outstanding achievement and excellence among students, education providers and other organisations involved in international education in the State of Victoria.

Deakin was presented the awards for Excellence in International Education – University at a ceremony at Melbourne’s Government House,

Last night’s win is the second time in three years that Deakin has been named the top university in Victoria for international education. In the citation accompanying the win, Deakin was praised for its commitment to engaging with international students overseas and for support for international students’ participation in campus life.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander said she was delighted with the honours and was particularly pleased for Mr Narayanaswamy’s recognition.

“Deakin is committed to supporting the communities we serve and our students are our largest community, so we are especially passionate about ensuring their successes,” Professor den Hollander said.

“To ensure our students can thrive in the classroom, we must provide them with an environment in which they feel engaged and connected to their peers and entire community.

“For six consecutive years, we have achieved the highest level of overall student satisfaction amongst Victorian universities, according to the Australian Graduate Survey, and it’s a recognition we take seriously.

“Deakin has grown from infancy as Victoria's first regional university built on bare paddocks at Waurn Ponds to Australia's eighth largest University, with over 50,000 students, four campuses and nearly 9,000 international students from 125 countries.

"We are proud of Mr Narayanaswamy, and also of the Deakin University English Language Institute (DUELI), which took out last night’s top prize for Excellence in Higher Education – English Language Training.

“The award acknowledged the thousands of students who have used DUELI as a pathway to a university degree and praised the Institute’s commitment to student wellbeing and satisfaction.”

Mr Narayanaswamy’s International Student of the Year – Regional award was given for outstanding success both in and out of the classroom.

Mr Narayanaswamy is a PhD student at Deakin’s Institute of Frontier Materials (IFM) at the Waurn Ponds campus. His research has focused on creating novel processes for developing steel alloys that will resist wear and abrasion when used in the high-intensity environment of mining and excavation.

After receiving the award on the same day he received confirmation of his PhD, Mr Narayanaswamy said he was grateful for the support he had received from Deakin and his supervisors at IFM.

“It’s a huge honour to be in Government House representing Deakin. And having come all the way from India to do my PhD, I would like to thank Deakin for giving me such an opportunity to represent Deakin and India in such a global forum,” he said.

Mr Narayanaswamy was joined as a finalist this year by two other PhD students from IFM, Andreas Kupke (also for the Regional Award) and Francois-Marie Alloux (a finalist in the Research student of the year category). Deakin student Elena Adams was a finalist for the Internationalisation Award.

Deakin also received a special commendation in the Partnership category for the University’s unique relationship with the humanitarian organisation Save the Children.

Professor den Hollander said the Deakin–Save the Children partnership had been key to developing unique courses that prepare humanitarian workers for leadership roles in providing disaster relief in the face of crisis.