Sydney University launches Anne Dunn memorial fund
The University of Sydney’s Media and Communications department has established a memorial fund in memory of journalism academic and broadcaster Anne Dunn.
The announcement:
In honour of the memory and achievements of journalism academic and broadcaster Associate Professor Anne Dunn (1950-2012), the University of Sydney’s Department of Media and Communications has established the Anne Dunn Memorial Fund.
Associate Professor Dunn was a highly respected and widely loved Australian journalism educator, media scholar and broadcast media professional whose commitment to teaching, research, and mentoring left an indelible mark on those around her. Anne passed away suddenly at the age of 62 on 1 July 2012, and many colleagues and students expressed great sadness at the news.
The Anne Dunn Memorial Fund will carry on her legacy nurturing excellence in media practice by offering student prizes and scholarships in areas she felt a special affinity for, including broadcast journalism, video production, radio broadcasting, critical media practice and honours study.
Among her many contributions to university and public life, Anne was a foundational staff member in the Department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney and president of the Journalism Education Association of Australia at the time of her passing. Before joining the University in 2001, she worked as a journalist with the ABC for 13 years across several roles.
Professor Catharine Lumby worked closely with Anne to establish the Media and Communications program at the University of Sydney. Lumby, now a Professor of Media at Macquarie University, said: “Associate Professor Anne Dunn was simply the most impressive person I have ever worked with: ethically attuned, intellectually astute, and always concerned with improving the way our students and colleagues learned, taught and researched.”
For Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Professor Stephen Garton, Associate Professor Dunn’s service as acting dean and pro-dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was invaluable and multifaceted.
“She was my ideal University citizen; a brilliant teacher committed to the interests of her students, a scholar of genuine insight who made a difference to how we understand the world, a great colleague and mentor who loved collaboration and ensuring that those around her thrived, and someone devoted to working collegially to ensure that the wider faculty and University could make a difference both inside and outside these halls of learning.”
Departmental colleague, Dr. Penny O’Donnell, said Associate Professor Dunn was the best kind of academic role model: “Anne was passionate about public service media, skilful in building research partnerships between media practitioners and media scholars, committed to raising Australian media standards, dedicated to teaching students to strive for media excellence, and always willing to take time out of her very, very busy schedule to listen and provide advice.”
Donations to the Anne Dunn Memorial Fund can be made at the University of Sydney website.
Source: Sydney University press release.
