Business rebrands at Avondale

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Ribbon cutting launches new school

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A new Centre for Executive and Not-For-Profit Development will provide research data and income for a rebranded school at Avondale College of Higher Education.

The chair of Avondale College Council, Dr Barry Oliver, opens Avondale Business School.
Credit: Linden Chuang.

Staff members in the Avondale Business School, which launched on April 30, will begin offering consultancy and professional development services in business, finance, governance, human resource management and marketing to not-for-profit entities. Income generated from the services will fund research, which staff members in the school may base on data they receive from the entities.

“It’s an idea whose time has come,” says lecturer Warrick Long, who will soon survey presidents, secretaries and treasurers of conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia to determine what services they want and need—his 26 years’ experience in church administration will also help. He is already consulting on a manual for treasurers with the North New South Wales Conference. “Church leaders, like any professionals, need to maintain their learning curve and improve their skills,” he says, “but no consultants or companies have the understanding of who we are as a church and how our system works.”

The school rebranded after most of the former staff, including dean Dr Keith Howson, who served at Avondale for almost 15 years, retired. The school is now part of the Faculty of Education, Business and Science. Dean Dr Peter Beamish acknowledged his former colleague—“it seemed as if everyone loved Keith”—and spoke of his enthusiasm for the new staff and their vision.

Warrick joins Elizabeth Mitchell, Sharelle Simmons and Erin Tiedeman as new lecturers this year. Peter Williams joined this past year. Even the school’s secretary, Elna Hale, is new. “For every end there is a beginning,” said head of school Dr Peter Morey during the launch. “We’re all keen to develop a learning community, where staff members, stakeholders and students feel comfortable interacting together.”