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Facilitating sociology teaching and research
Enhancing the professional development of TASA members

TASA Award for Distinguished Service to Australian Sociology

Description

This award is made to a TASA member who has demonstrated outstanding, significant and sustained service to Australian sociology over many years. While not necessarily a lifetime achievement award, candiates for the Distinguised Service Award would usually be nearing the end of their careers.

In this context, outstanding service may take the form of one or more of the following:

  • contribution to the teaching and scholarship of sociology in Australia
  • advancing international appreciation of sociology in Australia through research and publications
  • involvement as a recognised sociologist in the public arena; for example in policy development, administration, public debate or service to the community in a voluntary capacity

In all cases the quality of the service is the determining criterion, rather than the quantity alone.

Process

No more than one Award will be made each year, unless there are unusual and compelling reasons to make two Awards.

It is not necessary to make an Award every year, and it is to be expected that there will be many years when an Award is not made.

The Award will comprise an engraved plaque and certificate. Recipients will be invited to write an opinion piece about some aspect of their work for publication in Nexus, Journal of Sociology or Health Sociology Review, or any other journal TASA may sponsor at the time of the Award. A list of Award winners will be maintained on the TASA web site.

The Executive will call for nominations each year, with nominations closing 31 July. The Award will be presented at the TASA Conference in December. This time schedule may be altered in any year at the discretion of the Executive. Recipients shall be offered the same assistance as other TASA prize winners to enable them to attend the prize presentation.

The written nomination must be signed by five TASA members. Nominations must show how the nominee meets the selection criteria outlined above and must be accompanied by a focused curriculum vitae of the nominee and the names of three referees.

Nominations will be considered by the Executive as a whole. At its discretion the Executive may assign this task to a sub-committee chaired by the President or Vice-President, with the decision to be ratified by the whole Executive.

The Distinguised Service Award process will be covered by the TASA grievance procedures. Apart from this, the Executive’s decision is final and no correspondance will be entered into.

Recipients of the award:

  • Professor Raewyn Connell (2007)
  • Katy Richmond (2004)
  • Dr Cora Baldock (2000)
  • Emeritus Professor Lois Bryson (1996 - inaugural recipient)
  • Emertius Professor John Western (1996 - inaugural recipient)