Deakin law academic honoured with prestigious award

Deakin University senior lecturer Dr Claire Macken's vision for the economic, cultural and social future of Australia in 2020 has won her a prestigious 2010 Future Summit Australian Leadership Award.

Dr Macken will join Australia's business, government, academic and community leaders in Melbourne at the Future Summit at the end of this month to contribute to an Australian vision and national blueprint for the long-term planning of sustainable, productive, inclusive and liveable cities.

The Patron of the Future Summit is Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

This is the first of several national summits in which Dr Macken will be involved in over the next three years.

"It is such a privilege to be chosen to make a meaningful contribution to Australia's future through this award, and in the process interact with some of the nation's pre-eminent leaders," Dr Macken said.

"In particular, this award gives me the opportunity to promote a vision for Australia's higher education that I hope will benefit all students, including the seamless integration of general and professional skills within the curriculum, high-quality learning for tertiary students and an overall positive student experience.

"This complements the work I have already been involved in through Deakin's Higher Education Research Group (known as HERG), as well as initiatives related to the experience of first year students and through the Australian Learning Teaching Council (ALTC)."

The award is the latest in a long line of achievements for the Deakin University staff member. In 2009 Dr Macken was awarded an Australian National Award for Teaching Excellence (Early Career), presented at Parliament House in Canberra, as well as receiving an Australian Citation for University Teaching for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.

Dr Macken is the author of The Law Student's Survival Guide: 9 Steps to Law Study Success (2nd edition) (Thomsons Lawbook) and co-author of Legislation and Statutory Interpretation (2nd edition) Lexis Nexis (with Kath Hall).

Dr Macken's PhD investigated the compliance of Australian law with International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. She has published on this issue in the International Journal of Human Rights, the Criminal Law Journal, a 2010 book chapter and is currently writing a monograph for international publication with Routledge-Cavendish (UK). On this issue Dr Macken has also submitted to both the Victorian and Federal Parliaments on ASIO and provided opinion articles to both the ABC News and BBC.

This year she was appointed as Associate Head of School Teaching and Learning in the School of Law at Deakin University.

Deakin University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, said Dr Macken is among the next generation of Australian leaders.

"Claire has demonstrated an ability to engage in professional discussion regarding economically, socially and culturally important issues," she said.

"She has the capacity to communicate these ideas to peers and to the wider community in a manner that inspires, motivates and influences decision making.

"She is an inspirational lecturer who is admired by the many students who are fortunate enough to be taught by her."