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The inaugural Chair of English Australia (formerly known as the ELICOS Association), Christine Bundesen, was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List released yesterday "for service to international tertiary education through leadership roles in the field of English Language Teaching, to the development of quality assurance standards, and to professional organisations."
The purpose of the Order of Australia is to recognise, by national honour, those who have made outstanding contributions that benefit their communities, and ultimately our country. The second purpose of the Order of Australia is that it serves to define, encourage and reinforce community standards, national aspirations and ideals by acknowledging actions and achievement and thereby identifying role models at all levels and in all spheres of the community.
The current Chair of English Australia, Chris Wallis, congratulated Ms Bundesen on behalf of the Association's member colleges and everyone in the English language training community. “The award is wonderful news and much-appreciated recognition of our sector of international education, an important contributor to education and cultural exchange between Australia and the rest of the world. Christine Bundesen was one of the prime movers in the establishment and development of the Australian international education for overseas students industry which has grown in just 25 years to become one of the nation's largest exports. She has been both a pioneer and an exceptional leader of the English language training sector and international education as a whole both nationally and globally” Ms Wallis said.
Ms Bundesen helped establish the ELICOS Association in the 1980’s and was voted in as the inaugural Chair, a position she held for 12 years. She played a significant role in establishing the legislative and regulatory framework for Australian international education and still plays a key role on the Board of English Australia.
Her first appointment in international education was as a tutor in the first English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students Centre at the University of Queensland in 1982. She has remained with that University being appointed as Director of the Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education in 1996. Since then she has built the Institute into one of the foremost education providers in its field.
In 2001 Ms Bundesen was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal for 'contributing to the overseas student visa programs and the teaching of English', and in 2005 she was awarded a medal by the Danang People's Committee of Vietnam in recognition of her extensive educational development work in Vietnam.
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