203 Letter from Leanne White
At the end of 2020 I retired from the academic world. It was time to hang up the teaching boots.
I had an association with Victoria University (VU) and its former institutions for almost 40 years. My father also worked at Footscray Technical School in the 1940s. I was an undergraduate student and was presented the inaugural E. A. Mollard Student of the Year Award in the early 1980s. Later that decade, I worked at Western Institute in both a public relations and teaching capacity. l was a postgraduate student and casual lecturer in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, I returned to VU as a full-time academic.
During my time at VU, I taught on almost every campus and a few overseas ones as well. Overseas teaching opportunities included Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China. Overseas conferences in Scotland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Turkey were also a highlight.
Like many academics with a long history of service, I had the privilege of working with some wonderful colleagues and incredible students from undergraduate level to doctoral candidates. The research journey was highly rewarding too. As I outlined in further detail in the chapter, I have edited or co-edited six research books and published more than 60 book chapters and academic journal articles.
Over the decades of lecturing, I taught with chalk, felt pen, an overhead projector, a data projector, a document camera, a computer and via Zoom. On my final day of work, I handed back the university keys just metres away from where I had enrolled as an undergraduate student almost 40 years prior! It was a true moment of coming full circle.
Working and studying at VU was a long and relatively enjoyable ride. My quieter life now involves more travel and more time to smell the roses. Other assorted workplaces over the last four decades have included: Monash University (part-time in the early 1990s and full-time from 1996 until 2004), Deakin University (briefly in the 1990s), RMIT University (part-time in the early 1990s), Melbourne College of Textiles (very briefly in the 1990s), the City of Footscray (briefly in the late 1980s) and my very first full-time teaching stint – Bacchus Marsh High School (briefly in the 1980s).
A special thanks to my husband for being an integral part of much of the long journey. I bent his ear far too regularly. However, his sage advice was always absolutely invaluable.
As my chapter was quite formal and detailed, I will keep this letter brief. What follows are my top ten tips.
- Develop a Strong Brand
Market yourself in a consistent manner in all settings. Image is everything. Select a photograph that you like and use it in all forms of online presence. I have used this photograph over the last decade (refer Figure 1). Consistency is the key if you want people to remember you. Ensure that you have some key research themes as part of your personal brand.
- Upload Publications
Ensure that interested researchers can e