11 March 2008
An award-winning project to send valuable business and law textbooks to overseas universities will be run by Victoria University for a second time after a successful pilot last year.
The books are all recently published, but are now surplus to the academics and staff at VU's Faculty of Business and Law.
In 2007, some 200 textbooks were delivered by TNT Express to the libraries of four university sister schools in China: Liaoning University; Central University of Finance and Economics; Beijing Jiaotong University; and Boustead College. They are now used by both students and teachers to assist in learning, teaching and research.
This year VU will be joined by Australia Post to send a further 200 textbooks to a sister school in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and to Henan University in China.
The program was initiated by Robert Sims and Michelle Fong, senior lecturers in the Faculty, with strong support from other VU staff.
Michelle said: "Instead of letting these unwanted or surplus textbooks sit on shelves collecting dust or putting them in recycling bins, they have been transformed into valuable resources and revived sources of knowledge."
The textbook recycling project, which has been acknowledged by a citation for outstanding engagement by VU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elizabeth Harman, has also been integrated into the curriculum of VU students.
Students in Michelle's Asian Business Environment course are volunteering to help gather the donated textbooks and send them overseas. Michelle said the students learn about teamwork, and also develop an appreciation of social and community responsibilities through the project.
International Operations Manager at TNT Express, Bill Terzoglou, said the organisation was delighted to be involved in the project's pilot year.
"It is great to see our worldwide distribution network being used for community-focused initiatives like this", he said.
Further information about the textbook recycling program: Dr Michelle Fong, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Law, Victoria University (03) 9919-4507.
A photo of the group receiving their citation for outstanding engagement is available on request.
Media Contact: Andy Gash, Snr. Media Officer,
Marketing & Communications Department, Victoria University
Ph: (03) 9919 4950; mobile: 0411 255 900
