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As
a student at the
University
of
Melbourne
in the early 70s, Laura was involved in numerous multicultural movements
and initiatives both within the Italian community and in the community in
general, such as the Migrant Education Action Committee (MEAC). She was
active in the founding of ethnic radio in
Melbourne
and was Secretary of the 3ZZZ Ethnic Radio in 1975-6. Laura’s strong
links with the Italian community have been pivotal to her achievements,
and she has been active in the Italian community in varied capacities and
on numerous committees over the last 30 years.
Laura
Hougaz’s first academic appointment was as Lecturer in the
School
of
Languages
at
Griffith
University
in 1976, where she was one of two founding staff members of the Italian
Studies program. In 1980 she worked as an announcer and journalist for SBS
Radio in
Melbourne
. In 1981 Laura was appointed as Senior Lecturer at
Swinburne
University
and later, as Head of the Italian and European Studies Department.
For 27 years Laura was an outstanding and highly valued staff
member of
Swinburne
University
, greatly respected by the Italian community in
Melbourne
and around
Australia
, a serious, dedicated and passionate academic and teacher. She repeatedly
played a key strategic role within her discipline, driving curriculum
reform and innovation, including a shift from a languages focus to a more
European cultural and business perspective. She was responsible for the
creation of, and the new developments in the Italian Studies, European
Studies & International Business academic undergraduate degree
programs, as well as research and industry projects and activities at
Swinburne, in addition to having a complex network of international
alliances and relationships which provide opportunities and support for
international activities and projects. For many years, Laura was one of
the driving forces of the Faculty's internationalisation strategy and was
appointed Academic Manager of International Projects within the Faculty.
She made a notable contribution to the internationalisation of the
curriculum program of the Faculty and
Swinburne
University
and she was responsible for developing numerous student mobility programs,
including the Study Tour to the European Union, the Work Experience in
Europe Program, as well as student Exchange programs with Italian
universities. Her most significant and outstanding achievement has been
the creation and development of the offshore delivery ‘Treviso
International Study Program'.
In
recognition of her unique and outstanding contribution to Italian &
International Business Studies in
Australia
, Laura was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in
Internationalisation in 2006. Laura has been one of the most
entrepreneurial members of staff at
Swnburne
University
, having been instrumental in securing on-going connections with the
Italian business community and having a tremendous track record securing
funding for various causes, including scholarships for students who travel
to
Treviso
, student internships in European companies such as IVECO (
Italy
), Ciba (
Switzerland
), BenQ (
Germany
). Laura played a significant key role in securing a Cassamarca
Lectureship for the university in 2001, and half funding for a Lectureship
in Italian in perpetuity from the prestigeous Cassamarca Foundation (
Treviso
,
Italy
).
Laura
has delivered conference presentations in a number of countries including
Australia
, the
United Kingdom
,
Italy
and
Portugal
. She is currently undertaking her PhD research in the field of ethnic
entrepreneurship, identifying the contribution of Italian Australians to
the economy of
Victoria
. She has co-authored numerous publications including book chapters and
research articles, which have been published in academic journals and
refereed international conference proceedings in
Europe
.
In
2007 Laura Hougaz left
Swinburne
University
to take up a senior role with ACPET (Australian Council for Private
Education and Training), an Australia-wide association that represents
private education providers in both the vocational and higher education
sectors.
February
2008
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