It is with great delight that we advise some especially good news with regard to the Asia-Pacific Centre for Social Investment and Philanthropy at Swinburne Uni.

The Chair has been established through a generous grant provided by the Truby and Florence Williams Charitable Trust which is managed by ANZ Trustees. Not only is it the first such Chair in Australia but the 5 year position is only the 3rd funded Chair to have been secured by Swinburne University.

The task of finding exactly the right person to fill this very important role has begun. The position details are on the Swinburne Uni Recruitment website  www.swinburne.edu.au/jobs  and applications close on 25th Sep 2009.   

The APCSIP has come a long way since it first began life in 2001 as what has rightly been described as a pioneering venture, both within Australia and beyond. It has taken considerable time and effort to establish the educational and research programs and generate the industry and community respect it has today. The last few years have seen several significant milestones including the move across to the Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne's decision to develop APCSIP as a Research Centre and a substantial grant from the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation (Eldon & Anne Foote Trust) which has significantly improved the relevant library resources. The APCSIP has also joined together with the Business Schools at Melbourne Uni and UNSW to form the Centre for Social Investment. 

But, as Swinburne Philanthropy Alumni members, we can all feel especially excited and proud about this latest development which secures the Centre's future within the university and the wider community and which is sure to play a major role in shaping social investment and philanthropy in Australia. 

We'd like to acknowledge the leadership shown by the people at ANZ Trustees (especially Corrine Armour who we believe played a major role in making this happen). As Roberto Scenna, Managing Director of ANZ Trustees said “Leading the way in establishing this Chair will deliver further insights and create greater opportunities to build a philanthropically attuned society.” 

Our heartfelt congratulations go to the Centre's Founder and Director Dr Michael Liffman and also to all those who have worked hard and shared your vision and your belief in the value of establishing and growing the Centre to what it is today. 

Left to Right:

Diana Kervin (SPA President), Michael Liffman (Director APCSIP) and Corrine Armour (ANZ Trustees) at the Launch of the Truby and Florence Williams Chair of Social Investment and Philanthropy at Swinburne University.