Thursday 17 November 2011

Melbourne Free University: call for courses and a coordinator

Hi there,

2011 is coming to a close and here at the MFU we're looking for people interested in coordinating courses next year, as well as a new Communications Coordinator.
If you are interested in becoming more involved in the MFU, please read the info below, and please send us your brief proposal/application by Thursday 1 December.  Please be aware that while we'll endeavour to accommodate as many new courses as possible, we may be restrained by scheduling limitations.

Call for course proposals and coordinators
If you and your colleagues or friends would like to share your research or work with a wide audience, or if you are passionate about a topic and feel that you could organise a course to open conversations on it in our community, being a coordinator at the MFU may just be the job for you.

Coordinators are crucial to the development of the MFU as they allow us to broaden the space for learning that we are creating by offering more courses on a broader range of topics.

Coordination at the MFU is easy: You focus on the content, we take care of the admin.

A coordinator is expected to:

  • develop and organise a 6 week course (NB. This format is not set in stone - please indicate if you'd prefer a different format to the 6 week courses);
  • have all course details (inc. speakers, topics, dates) confirmed 3 weeks before the course starts;
  • keep in touch with the speakers throughout the course and make sure they know when, where, and how the lecture will take place;
  • be present at each lecture to moderate, or organise someone else to; and
  • moderate the sessions and provide an open environment for learning and discussion, in line with the MFU's principles.
The MFU will provide you with:
  • admin support;
  • a venue;
  • advertising;
  • recording equipment and support; and
  • general advice and guidance.
Before launching a new course, the MFU may encourage you to organise a special session on your topic of interest to gage the community's response, and to allow you to 'test run' your ideas, especially if we haven't run similar courses in the past.

MFU courses generally run for 6 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Clifton Hill and Brunswick East.  Term 1 courses will begin late-February and Term 2 courses will begin late-April.

If you would like to become a coordinator at the MFU, please send us a proposal, including a brief outline of the issues you'd cover in your course, potential speakers/organisations you would invite to speak, which term would suit you best next year, and a little info about yourself (including whether you've been to any MFU sessions) by Thursday 1 December 2011. 

Position available: Communications Coordinator (volunteer)

The MFU needs a new Communications Coordinator to drive and oversee the MFU’s communications and PR efforts,  with a view to expanding the visibility of the MFU in the community.  This will involve a time commitment of approx. 2-5 hours per fortnight, and the position will be overseen by the convenors of the MFU, who will provide support and guidance as required.

The main objective of this role is to raise the MFU's profile in the community, advertise courses, and attract people to participate in MFU sessions.  This will involve 
  • reviewing the advertising opportunities (community and other) available to the MFU, and overseeing the advertisement of our courses in such places, including radio, newspapers, magazines and community notices; and 
  • identifying and contacting groups, organisations and networks with whom the MFU can work to advertise our courses to a wider community.
The ideal applicant will have some experience in communications/ public relations, the ability to communicate with people of diverse backgrounds, and the ability to identify opportunities to raise the MFU’s profile in the community.  We will provide the new Coordinator with a list of existing media contacts.

To apply, please submit a brief letter outlining your relevant experience, skills, and reasons for your interest in the MFU, along with a CV, to melbournefreeuniversity@gmail.org by Thursday 1 December, 2011.

Please share this email with anyone you think might be interested.  

Many thanks, and we look forward to hearing your proposals!

Best wishes, 
the MFU

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Melbourne Free University
www.melbournefreeuniversity.org

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