Alice Springs lecturer rises to top of class 

 
 
Alice Springs campus nursing lecturer Robin Cross has been named in a list of the top 15 university lecturers in Australia

Alice Springs campus nursing lecturer Robin Cross has been named in a list of the top 15 university lecturers in Australia.

Mrs Cross was notified this week that she had placed eighth out of more than 4000 colleagues in the Australian Lecturer of the Year awards run by the online tertiary education portal UniJobs.

It is the highest finish by a CDU lecturer and the third year in a row that Mrs Cross has featured prominently, having finished second among CDU staff in each of the previous two years.

Mrs Cross said she was honoured by what was an “awesome compliment”.

“I work hard to ensure students enjoy their learning experience, but I cannot take all the kudos,” she said.

“It is the fun, energetic and passionate atmosphere and the supportive learning environment of CDU’s Alice Springs campus that students love.”

Organisers said that more than 70,000 votes were cast during the voting period from March to October last year.

Other Charles Darwin University staff to rate highly were Angela Sheedy, Dr Vinuthaa Murthy, Dr Greg Shaw, Cheryl Hunt, Trudi Hill, Joe Acker, Carol Thorogood, Dr Isabelle Lys and Dr Mary Morris.

The award was established in 2007 to commend the efforts of academic staff who go beyond the call of duty to enrich the lives of students and work colleagues.

In another index of excellence in the tertiary sector, Charles Darwin University has ranked seventh in UniJobs’ “Best University to Work For” poll.

CDU received a score of 7.956 based on the average score given by staff in response to ratings out of 10 in a series of categories that included workforce flexibility, individual attention, employee benefits, future focus, health and wellbeing, overall management, workplace safety and others.

Last year CDU was ranked number 306 in the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings - and 13th among Australian universities.