New Name for LFR from 1 August
The Faculty of Land and Food Resources is pleased to announce its change of name following University Council endorsement on July 14. The change was passed unanimously and has been welcomed by the University as LFR moves closer towards its adoption of the Melbourne Model.
From 1 August the faculty began to operate under its new name of:
Melbourne School of Land and Environment (MSLE)
For more information, see also:
As part of the University's move to the Melbourne Model, in September 2007 the University Council ratified a proposal to create a number of Graduate Schools. This decision provided an opportunity for the Faculty to create a new brand with a new name.
The change was given further impetus with the transfer from the Arts Faculty of Geography staff and the Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society (ACSIS); along with the inclusion of the Office for Environmental Programs, and the creation of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.
With our many and diverse stakeholders, it was important to coin an enduring name that reflects the traditions and future vision of the School.
Alumni, staff and industry were invited to contribute feedback through an online web survey late last year. Results of the survey showed that opinions were divided between those with an interest in a name that had an Agricultural link and those looking for an Environmental link. After further deliberation, the Dean decided on the name “Land and Environment”.
This name reflects our current associations to “Land and Food Resources” while connecting this to the strategic direction of linking the role of the land in agriculture, horticulture and forestry, with that of the impact on the environment in a changing climate. The name is strong, concise, and inclusive of the many diverse interests within the Faculty, including the recently added disciplines of Geography and ACSIS, and our association with OEP and the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. It further provides an emotional resonance for both Indigenous and immigrant Australians in acknowledging the impact the Land has on our current surroundings.
In conjunction with the adoption of a new faculty name, the current Schools have been redesignated to avoid obvious confusion and redundancy:
- Department of Agriculture and Food Systems
- Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science
- Department of Resource Management and Geography
Please note that while the faculty will be strongly promoting its graduate coursework offerings, it didn't want to limit its participation in undergraduate teaching by becoming only a Graduate School (hence the nomenclature of a “Melbourne School”, similar to other Melbourne Schools like Engineering, Design, and Law). MSLE will continue to operate as a faculty within the University, and will still be headed by a Dean and General Manager.
The impact on students will be minimal, although they are reminded to update any bookmarks they may have to the old LFR website (an automatic redirection will be put in place for a short time).
There will be an official public launch early in 2009, but in the meantime, the School is asking staff to assist us in a “soft launch” throughout semester 2, 2008, by spreading the news to their colleagues and industry and community contacts.
Other changes you will notice include updating websites and publications, in particular for promoting MSLE on Open Day. Postgraduate students have already started pronouncing the School “MuScLE”. We are not yet sure if this will catch on!
Staff can also assist our Marketing team in promoting the change by contributing to the list of Stakeholders that the faculty will contact to advise of the name change. Please contact Melanie Treherne (m.treherne@unimelb.edu.au), to pass on your industry and stakeholder contacts. We will be sending an announcement card to our stakeholders with details about the change shortly.