In December 2019, Professor Penny Green and Dr Saskia Hufnagel travelled to Australia to establish new links with Group of Eight Universities, Australia’s oldest, consistently highest ranked worldwide and research-intensive universities.
In Melbourne, they met with Professor Sharon Pickering (Dean of Arts) and Professor Bryan Horrigan (Dean of the Faculty of Law) and his international team. Discussed were UG and PG student exchanges and staff visiting fellowship opportunities for collaborative research.
Apart from the traditional 1year/1 semester exchanges, Monash proposed furthermore a student study abroad short-term programme between 3 weeks to 3 months. These programmes involve staff from both universities developing complementary intensive modules that are taught in both countries jointly. Other options discussed were joint teaching programmes in Monash’s Prato and Malaysia campuses and QMUL’s Paris campus. The joint short-term study abroad programmes would be open to both students traveling to the other university and students in the home institution that do not join the group traveling to facilitate the international learning experience and exposure to external staff for all students. Modules would be limited to international and comparative legal topics.
Similar discussions on exchanges were conducted at the University of Adelaide, including the short-term joint teaching programmes and more traditional UG and PG student exchanges as well as visiting fellowships for staff.
At the University of Sydney, the visitors were warmly welcomed by Professor Simon Bronitt (Dean of Law) and his international team. Apart from student exchanges, engagement with the University of Sydney will also involve a special scholarship for an indigenous Australian student to come for a year/semester abroad to Queen Mary.
In Brisbane, Prof Green and Dr Hufnagel met with one of the current UG exchange students from QMUL Law who reported on an excellent study experience at the University of Queensland so far. They also met the Dean of Law, Patrick Parkinson, with whom they discussed current successes of and possible improvements to the existing exchange programme. The University of Queensland is furthermore supporting the plan to establish an indigenous exchange student scholarship with QM.
The trip ended with a visit to the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, which had recently agreed to a university wide exchange (UG) programme for 4 students, initiated by QM Law. The agreement is currently before the international board at QM. Prof Sally Wheeler, the Dean of ANU Law and her international team furthermore agreed to staff exchanges without the need for a more specific written agreement. The engagement trip will result in further opportunities for students and staff to visit the other institutions and collaborate on joint research projects.