MURDOCH University marketing and the media program chair Duane Varan has been named a finalist in the 2000 Australian Awards for University Teaching.
One of 26 finalists, Dr Varan has been shortlisted for the economics, business and related studies category.
Dr Varan said his creed was to help cultivate “an environment conducive to releasing the limitless potentiality latent in human consciousness”.
“My goal, above all else, is to help students discover the deep treasures within and to empower them to develop skills and capacities that they may have not realised were there,” he said.
“This, in turn, often results in a new sense of self-confidence, empowering them to scale the ascending heights of excellence in all they aspire towards.
“In my contact with each and every student, I am constantly reminded of Rosenthal and Jacobson’s famous ‘pygmalion’ study in which teacher expectations shaped pupil intellectual development.
“Throughout my 14 years of teaching in higher education, I have learned that people are capable of rising to new heights – if only given the right encouragement and support.”
He said he did not teach because it was his job – “I teach because I believe it is what I do best, what I enjoy most and what I find most fulfilling”.
Dr Varan has been widely lauded for his advanced electronic and multimedia marketing unit created in 1997.
Within a single semester, students learn to apply their strategic marketing skills to new media environments using 2D and 3D animation, 3D modeling, CD-ROM authoring and interactive video production on DVD.
Dr Varan’s nomination was reinforced by effusive testimonials from professionals in the education and business sectors including Advertising Federation of Australia executive director Lesley Brydon, SBS Corporation managing director Nigel Milan, ACNielsen client service director Ian McDonald and Lowe Lintas Interactive (New York) vice president Maria Mandel.
