CQUniversity Mackay played host to representatives of the Engagement Australia board recently, with members from all over Australia spending two days in the region.

Engagement Australia (formerly Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance) is a not-for-profit organisation which brings together representatives from universities across Australia and the Asia Pacific to build better networks and partnerships with business, industry and community.

Visiting Mackay this week were the Engagement Australia board members from left, Executive Officer Dr Jan Strom, directors Dr Diana Whitton and Jacqui Martin and Deputy Chair Professor Pierre Viljoen. Board members and CQUniversity staff also took part in two days of workshops, discussing engagement activities and how to improve approaches to building relationships and connections with internal and external communities. 

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Community & Engagement at CQUniversity and Deputy Chair of the Engagement Australia board, Professor Pierre Viljoen gave members a demonstration of the innovative Engagement Database E-DNA.

E-DNA, which has been in operation since November last year, logs the engaged learning and teaching, research and innovation, and service activities conducted by staff members at CQUniversity. To date there are approximately 90 engagement activities logged on E-DNA.

The database enables the University to track and continue building relationships and partnerships with external organisations. It also allows staff members to flag opportunities for partnerships to be made by logging the activity through E-DNA.

During the workshops, CQUniversity staff members Dr Steven Pace, Dr Judith Brown and Steve Noakes demonstrated their unique approaches in representing CQUniversity through their engagement activities.

The workshops also gave Engagement Australia's Executive Officer Dr Jan Strom from Southern Cross University a chance to exhibit her online engagEnable program, which assists users in better planning and developing their engagement activities and techniques.  

CQUniversity Mackay has offered to host the annual 2014 Engagement Australia Conference, a forum that normally attracts 100 to 150 national and international engagement leaders, academics and practitioners.

For more information on Engagement Australia, visit http://www.aucea.org.au/.