Issue 18. 17 November 2008 - UWA Staff - The University of Western ...

First year’s the hardest
First year engineering student Dominique Morgan met Jock Clough (left) and Roland Berndt,
head of engineering at Clough Limited, with Dean A/Professor Carolyn Oldham to hear all
about the new centre
It is not often that tales of failure
dominate the launch of a clever
initiative and a generous funding
partnership.
But at the announcement of the
Clough First Year Centre for
engineering students, successful
engineers admitted that failure is
common among engineering students,
with first year being particularly tough.
John Smith, CEO of Clough Limited,
who signed the partnership deal with
the Vice–Chancellor, Professor Alan
Robson, to help fund the centre, said
that in his year at Glasgow University,
only 50 per cent of the class made it
to graduation.
Nedlands MLA Bill Marmion, another
engineer, who has close links with
both UWA and the Clough family, said
that his father started first year
engineering with Harold Clough.
“I started engineering here at UWA the
year before Jock Clough, but he soon
caught up, when I failed a year,” he
said.
“Of the 277 students who started,
only 44 finished. It’s tough going, but
I commend Clough and UWA for this
new first year centre which I’m sure
will encourage high school students
to come to UWA and study
engineering.”
The Clough family has sold its
remaining stake in Clough Limited, but
they have put up 50 per cent of the
sponsorship, which includes three first
year engineering scholarships each
year for the next five years and prizes
for students who top their first year
units.
The centre will be open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, providing a
home base for students and another
step along the path from university to
the workplace.
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering
Computing and Mathematics,
Associate Professor Carolyn Oldham,
said the Clough centre, combined with
the Monadelphous Integrated Learning
Centre (also opening next year), would
create a very modern learning
environment.
“We wouldn’t be here today without
the vision and enthusiasm of Yola
Szymakowski, the Associate Dean
(first year), the quiet determination of
Mark Bush (former Dean) and the skills
of Quang Ly (faculty development
officer) in nurturing these relationships
with the industry,” A/Professor Oldham
said.
Professor Robson said the University
had enjoyed a long association with
Clough over more than 30 years.
“This relationship has involved the
establishment of the UWA Futures
Foundation for Oil and Gas Education
as well as funding for scholarships,
vacation employment, student prizes
and research projects,” he said.
Representatives from other big
engineering companies, Apache,
Chevron and Shell, witnessed the
signing. They are all working with UWA
to meet the huge demand for
engineers in WA.
Government-supported places have
increased by 180 during the past three
years, with 600 students enrolling in
first-year engineering at UWA this year.
The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 17 November 2008 3