“Call for workers to rise up” James Cook U headlined a statement yesterday, but no the NTEU flag is not flying above the chancellery. Instead JCU researcher Teneale McGuckin surveyed office workers and found they think sitting all day is unhealthy.

The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education has published a new collection of case studies. The Curtin U based research programme presents work undertaken at universities across the country as part the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme.

“HEPPP has provided universities with the flexibility to develop bespoke equity programs which align with their institutional profile and strategic priorities. Put differently, there is no one best way to develop and implement a HEPPP program; instead, this publication is a celebration of the diversity of successful initiatives undertaken under the banner of HEPPP,” NCSEHE programme director Sue Trinidad and research fellow Nadine Zacharias write. It’s a great resource on equity achievements, one every opposition and crossbench senator and MP might find useful if MYEFO includes funding horrors for HEPPP.

Griffith U’s Nick Barter and Christopher Stevenson from Deakin U have a new MOOC via Future Learn, on research methods, launching Monday. The course presents the basics of research practise and demonstrates how they are the currency of policy. It’s basic training for anybody starting PhD study with subject-knowledge but less grasp of discipline-based investigation.

This is the first of five MOOCs on research methods Griffith and Deakin will run over the next 12 months. This is a great good for prospective students who need to know what they are getting into. It is also brilliant branding for the two universities – as a way of demonstrating credentials as caring about postgrads it is impossible to beat.

Sarah Walsh is Flinders University’s new marketing director. Ms Walsh joins from Brand South Australia where she was credited with the “I choose SA” campaign (“whenever you choose South Australian you are helping that company employ people”). She is a previous marketing research manager at the University of Adelaide.

UNSW is pleased to receive a three-D metal printer from GE, what with it being the only university outside the US to get one. The gift is part of a programme which GE hopes will create a pipeline of additive printing experts. They are printing off the same song book at HP, which announced it was gifting an additive printer to Swinburne U a couple of weeks back.

A new award will reward emerging and established political leaders who have significantly served the community by providing policy leadership. The $20 000 awards are provided by the McKinnon Foundation and the University of Melbourne. UniMelb VC Glyn Davis will chair the ministry-sized selection panel, which includes Julia Gillard and John Howard. The McKinnon Foundation is the creation of Sophie Oh and Grant Rule (co-founder of messaging service Message Media).

“The McKinnon Prize celebrates political leaders at all levels of government, recognising those who have driven positive change and sparking a national conversation about the role of politicians and our aspirations for leadership in Australia. We believe these inspirational leaders exist, and that now is the time to shine a light on what they are doing,” Professor Davis says.

But what to call the trophy? CMM reckons the Chester, for 21st president of the United States Chester Arthur, a machine politician who came accidentally to office and upset the establishment by supporting reform of his own power-base, the patronage-riddled civil service. President Arthur still has a rotten rep but what he did was great policy and brave politics –Arthur’s predecessor was assassinated by an aggrieved factional foot-soldier who wanted a job.

People unsettled by all the universities-NTEU kumbayaing in enterprise bargaining will be relieved to hear that the National Tertiary Education Union at Charles Sturt U is urging members to vote in favour of protected industrial action.

The 2017 Startup Muster survey reveals where entrepreneurs got their study starts. The top ten institutions (in descending order) are: UNSW, QUT, UTS, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, TAFE (no system specified), Curtin University, University of Melbourne, ANU and UWA.

While the University of Melbourne is investing in an innovation precinct, its heartland is way behind Sydney, which is where 39 per cent of start-up offices are. Melbourne (15 per cent) is level pegging with Brisbane (13 per cent).

Overall universities appear irrelevant in the start-up space, with just 6 per cent of respondents saying they work on a university campus and 3 per cent mentioning “an innovation-focused area in a university.”

The Griffith University professional staff awards for 2017 are announced:

Client service to students HEW 1-5:  Maureen Foley (Dentistry)

Client service to students HEW 6-10: Jennifer Dixon (Student Administration)

Client service to staff HEW 1-5: Sandra Quinell (Finance)

Client service to staff HEW 6-10: 16 nominees but no award made

Team client service to students: joint award to; Graduations Team – Alyson McGrath, Shona Baumanis, Rita Wockner, Christine Power and Griffith Business School Postgraduate Liaison Team – Leauarne Adams, Rachel Kearins, Jessica Yuen

Team client service to staff: Anatomy Technical & Administrative Team, School of Medical Science – Gino Cepon, Bevan Butcher, Theresa Gaynor, Leslie Edwards, Allison Holcombe

Outstanding streamlining achievement: Cash Management Transformation Team, Finance – Suganthi Sivasubramaniam, Nicholas Grant, Tanya Greig, Julie Fullerton, Matthew Clarke, Erica Billington, Debbie Foy, Angela Seeto, Carlos Cristiani, Shari Frew, Nicole Dunn

Outstanding innovations in service: Mail and Logistics , Pool Cars Project Team, Finance  – Fred Fleck, Paul Mumberson, Roy Trudgan, Wayne Reeves, Ben McGarry, Peter Meteyard, Peter Hafner, Shane Paton, Paul Karanikich, Grant Gallimore, Julius Price, Mohammed Hasim

Outstanding leadership in service: John Koutsellis, Finance