Community involvement

We sponsor many community arts events including the Shepparton Festival, Shepparton Art Museum’s EduLAB program and the annual Furphy Literary Award.

Shepparton Festival

We are a long-standing partner of the Shepparton Festival and the festival is an important part of our engagement with Shepparton and the surrounding community.  Every March, the festival provides a diverse range of cultural and artistic experiences to the Goulburn Valley Region. It also provides opportunities for our students to complete internships and get involved in festival events.

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM)

We are the Shepparton Art Museum's (SAM) education partner and sponsor their annual EduLAB program. The program offers students and teachers the opportunity to work with an artist-in-residence to create an immersive installation in SAM’s exhibition space.

Furphy Literary Award

We are a proud sponsor of the Furphy Literary Award which is a new national short story prize with a $15,000 first prize, making it the richest prize for a short story in Australia. Two of our academics, award-winning historian author and broadcaster Professor Clare  Wright and playwright and author Dr Marg Hickey are on the judging panel.

Public lectures

Our long-standing partnerships with the Furphy family and the Fairley Foundation deliver annual free public lectures bring nationally acclaimed speakers to the Shepparton community.

John Furphy Memorial Lecture

The John Furphy Memorial Lecture is a free public lecture held each year at our campus. John Furphy (1842-1920) was a Shepparton engineer and businessman whose name has entered the Australian language. The company he founded still operates in Shepparton today.

Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation Lecture

The Sir Andrew and Lady Fairley Foundation Lecture is a free public lecture held annually at our campus. Sir Andrew Walker Fairley (1884-1965) was a local businessman and the first mayor of the Shepparton.