Wyndham’s local economy and broader community will benefit from a new formal partnership between Wyndham City and Deakin University
On Tuesday, 28 November, Wyndham City Mayor Cr Peter Maynard, and Deakin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Wyndham Civic Centre.
Cr Maynard said that a strong partnership would deliver many new opportunities for Wyndham. “Council has been working with Deakin University, harnessing their expertise and research capabilities and collaborating on a range of issues affecting our communities,” Cr Maynard said.
“Over the last two years Deakin has sponsored our Wyndham Learning Festival and participated in the festival by conducting presentations on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject. In late 2016 they partnered with Council to research the local business community’s perceptions and published a trends report as a result. Since 2015 they have sponsored the Wyndham Art Gallery’s Contemporary Art Awards, which provides the winner with a grant to assist them in undertaking a Masters or PhD degree at the University,” he added.
Cr Maynard said there are many other ways the two can work together to create real results for Wyndham, and the signing of this MoU make this collaborative relationship official. “I can’t wait to see what we’re able to achieve together in the future,” he said.
Professor den Hollander said the MoU formalised an existing number of collaborative projects and points of engagement between Deakin and the City of Wyndham, which had evolved over time. “In the past few years our relationship has evolved to encompass a broad sphere including sustainability, urban planning, creative arts, early childhood service planning, and the development of programs that encourage healthy, connected lives,” Professor den Hollander said.
She added that examples included City of Wyndham support for Deakin research into the prevention of family violence in culturally and linguistically diverse communities, partnering together on the economic impact assessment for the Healthy Eating in the West project and building the capabilities of the early childhood education and care workforce.
“These are programs with the potential to benefit the communities we both serve economically and socially. I am delighted to be strengthening our partnership with the City of Wyndham through this MoU. When governments, universities and industry work together to push the boundaries, they form a powerful team capable of driving the innovation so important to the social and economic development of our communities,” she said.
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