As we launch into T1 thank you to all of you who make our courses such a success, and ensure quality experiences for our students.

Unit Coordinators: Atrium is key to retention success

I am grateful to the Heads of School, Heads of Department, and Course Coordinators who were able to attend the two recent presentations, one from me and Nathan on enrolments, load, and Atrium, and the other on retention presented by Richard Dobek who is the interim Executive principal for Student Experience. He advised that UNE is obliged to report annually on support measures to students – part of refinements to the Job Ready Graduates legislation. Unit coordinators: please use Atrium to look at the student profile in your unit and to communicate with students about their challenges, and refer them to services. If you are unable or unwilling to do this please keep a note about every referral you make, and provide a list of these to the course coordinator at the end of each trimester.

Atrium grew out of HASSE led by Dr Martin Schmude and Professor Brenda Wolodko with funding from HEPPP. Marty was at Richard’s presentation and shared a few highlights. One aspect I am keen to improve is to increase the current 50% Atrium participation across HASSE, especially since Marty told us Law has 90% participation. We can meet that!

Changes to course and unit fees for 2025

I was recently sent an update on government fee contributions for 2025. It is astonishing that our students in Arts and Humanities are already paying the highest student contribution and yet from 2025 their annual contribution if full-time increases $699 more than this year, but for students in other disciplines the increase is from $182 to $367 per annum. This fee structure continues to be part of a pernicious, undermining policy of both the former Coalition and now Labor governments. It is perverse that our students already pay $2,000 per unit in the lower supported bands such as Arts and Humanities, while the government contributes only $160 per unit in these disciplines. Contrast this with Science where $1,160 is paid by the student per unit, and the government contribution is $2,380. I think of it as a strange social experiment with possibly unintended consequences. Students are advised by this funding structure that they are studying in low value disciplines, and so have to pay for their studies almost in entirety and government is no doubt surprised that so far they demonstrate the wish to do so. It leads to wondering why the government would continue to pay any support for the “higher value” degrees since students already demonstrate they are prepared to pay $2,000 per unit.

The Universities Accord

The final Accord report dropped on Sunday 25th of February. Minister Clare was interviewed that morning on ABC Insiders. I am suspending commentary for now. Pleanty here (abc.net.au) –  and here (the Guardian). 

Professional staff are back!

It is great to have your professional staff “back home” even though most did not leave the building. The centralised services model implemented through Time for Change restructure is now wound back so that our professional staff in HASSE are administered and supported through the faculty and school structure. It is still being nuanced and a new org chart is coming our way soon.

Courtyard care E11

I was really touched recently to find how much love there is for the E11 courtyard. There is currently a shade plan being developed. The courtyard pine tree is an assessed fire risk. It will be removed and replaced with a mature tree. In the meantime I have set up a Teams group to discuss ideas for the courtyard. Please contact Eilish to have your name added.