As well as enabling core teaching and research programs and student scholarships across a range of disciplines, this generosity also positively impacts the wider community via initiatives like the , where refugees and asylum seekers develop their English-language communication skills, or our , which supports high school students in low socioeconomic schools in Western Sydney and rural and remote New South Wales to pursue tertiary education.
On Tuesday, 18 September 2018, we will celebrate Pave the Way, one of the biggest events on the University鈥檚 calendar when听our community unites to showcase our incredible achievements in research, education and community outreach programs and to raise funds for selected areas. We have chosen a few different projects to support at this year鈥檚 Pave the Way Faculty morning tea, one of which includes听, which is a 40-year commemoration of Sydney鈥檚 first Mardi Gras. Funds raised will support bursaries and scholarships, research projects, and community-focused activities for students interested in advancing gender and sexual equality, inclusion and diversity. This is a crowdfunding initiative so every amount large or small, counts. Please听听and see if you would like to participate.
Another project which is an important local initiative is the听.听Established in 2004 by the School of Education and Social Work, the broad aim of the Glebe听Community Development Project听was to improve the life opportunities of disadvantaged residents within Glebe and Camperdown, particularly those living in public housing. The Project works in partnership with local residents, community groups and the City of Sydney to build community capacity and increase social cohesion in the Glebe and Camperdown communities and you can support this important project听.
We continue to take our ideas to the people through initiatives like Raising the Bar and Outside the Square. This year, Raising the Bar will be held in Sydney on Wednesday, 17 October and a number of FASS academics will be sharing their research in wine bars across the city. will cut through the noise to make an evidence-based assessment of Australia鈥檚 immigration policy; will give insights into the surprising future of print magazines in our increasingly digital world and听 will take a philosophical approach to the pursuit of happiness.
Outside the Square continues to pack capacity crowds into the Old Rum Store to hear our expert panels of academics and alumni on issues of pressing contemporary importance. Our next session鈥斺溾濃攚ill be on Thursday, 13 September and we have lined up a sociologist, an urban planner and an economist to make some sense of Sydney鈥檚 crazy housing market. On Thursday, 11 October, we will bring together听a cybersecurity analyst, a media scholar and a white-hat hacker鈥斺溾濃攁nd really make you think about the possible consequences of your everyday online behaviors. Get some friends together and come along for a fun evening that will also make you smarter.
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
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