New head for International House

New head for International House

The new head of International House wants more of his students to head for the bush.

"Some overseas students come here with a very strong work ethic, achieve what they want academically, and go again. While they make many friends along the way, some, perhaps, don't really ?engage' with what it means to be in Australia to an extent that would really benefit them," said Dr David Pear, who was previously Dean of Students at International House.

"I would, in particular, like to establish a program whereby our overseas members get to see more of Australia - and particularly the bush - than many of them do at the moment.

"They might see other major cities, but Australia is defined very strongly by its sense of rural culture, which they cannot experience in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne."

"I'd also like to raise the level of the cultural experiences of the students here, particularly in the arts. There is much that they can learn from one another by sharing their various expressions of cultural interest."

Dr Pear said other challenges at International House included balancing care between the specific needs of first-year undergraduate students and an increasing number of overseas postgraduates on taught masters courses or one-semester exchanges. International House would also focus on recruiting more students from South America and other currently under-represented countries.

Dr Pear said the strengths of International House lay in the fact that the college retained strong traditions yet remained socially flexible at the same time.

Dr Pear spent three years as academic coordinator for the Gatton College Halls of Residence and was previously an Australian Postgraduate Research Scholar in the University's Graduate School of Education (1992-95). He was senior research assistant in the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Music (1990-92) and a head of department at Braemar College, Victoria (1985-89).

Dr Pear graduated BD (Hons) from the University of Wales in 1979, PGCE from the University of Cambridge in 1980, TheolM from Melbourne College of Divinity in 1986, LTCL from Trinity College, London, in 1986, MEd from the University of Melbourne in 1990 and PhD from the University of Queensland in 1998.

For more information, contact Dr David Pear (telephone 3407 3300 or email d.pear@mailbox.uq.edu.au).
.