As we come onto campus during these colder months I hope you will enjoy a steaming coffee from Café Life and sooner than later a lunch or so at the ‘Stro. There are many reasons to be grateful for our chilly climes, especially when observing the European heatwave currently underway.

The interim Universities Accord report has landed

The Australian Universities Accord interim Report has been tabled: https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord/resources/accord-interim-report

Minister Clare outlined the main features at the National Press Club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83ZquZWQNO0

The government committed to immediately deliver on the five priority actions:

Priority Action 1: Create further Regional University Centres (RUCs) and establish a similar concept for suburban/metropolitan locations.

Priority Action 2: Cease the 50% pass rule [as per Job Ready Graduates] given its poor equity impacts, and require increased reporting on student progress.

Priority Action 3: Ensure that all First Nations students are eligible for a funded place at university, by extending demand driven funding to metropolitan First Nations students.

Priority Action 4: Provide funding certainty, through the extension of the Higher Education Continuity Guarantee into 2024 and 2025, to minimise the risk of unnecessary structural adjustment to the sector.

Priority Action 5: Through National Cabinet, immediately engage with state and territory governments and universities to improve university governance, particularly focusing on:  

• universities being good employers 
• student and staff safety  
• membership of governing bodies, including ensuring additional involvement of people with expertise in the business of universities. 

Personally, I was disappointed there was no more emphasis on dismantling the funding structure of the Jobs Ready Graduate Scheme (JRG) which creates funding bands to incentivise students to study in the areas of national need rather than Arts and Humanities. This has hurt many students in HASSE financially, and impacted our enrolment growth. At the same time, I understand that the legislation to support JRG is robust and will be difficult to unpick quickly. We will celebrate the abolishing of the 50% pass rule.  

One novel prospect in the Accord is the proposal to establish a National Regional University with each current regional university functioning as a campus within the larger organisation. I am keen to see how this might be enacted, and the extent to which UNE might be a willing future partner in this scheme. 

The Review considers there is merit taking this work forward, with the potential to establish a new National Regional University (NRU) which could have regional universities opt in to become part of the NRU. (p.120)

Everyone in HASSE will work together in E11 soon

Bringing the Faculty together in the one building is intended to deliver significant benefits including increased opportunities for cross disciplinary interaction and collaboration, improved staff and HDR experience through increased vibrancy and functionality of the workspace, as well as operational efficiencies.

I would like to thank the staff of HASSE for their continued efforts and support to date in preparing for and managing this change. I appreciate that staff relocation is potentially disruptive so your ongoing patience is appreciated.  If you have any questions please email dean-hasse@une.edu.au

New VC and CEO Professor Chris Moran

How delightful to welcome a new Vice Chancellor to UNE. Chris is keen on growth, and wholly committed to working with everyone to improve our experiences of work and development. I like his encouragement for everyone to come back on campus to create a lively atmosphere, which I hope those of you who do not have a working remotely approval and are based at Armidale campus will heed. I also appreciate that with regards the recent Ernst and Young report on staff wellbeing he is committed to kindness in every area, holding everyone accountable for their behaviour towards others, not just those who have management responsibilities. He consistently expressed his wish that we all help him to make UNE better, whatever role we hold.

August graduation

Please register for the August graduation. It is mandatory to register your attendance by the hard deadline of 7 August 2023 using the following form. The occasional guest speaker is Commissioner Karen Webb whom I had the privilege to meet one on one in Sydney earlier this year. I was delighted to nominate her to speak, and to learn she accepted the invitation.