By Professor Simon Evans, Acting Vice-Chancellor

A university is, in every sense, only as good as its people. We know UNE’s people are very good indeed. And we now have fresh objective evidence that we can point to.

UNE’s recent recognition – your recognition – is more fully detailed here, but the highlights:

• UNE has now earned Good University Guide’s highest award for student satisfaction for 17 straight years. No other university comes close to this record.
• This week I was also delighted to acknowledge recognition from independent ratings agency Canstar Blue. UNE excelled in the agency’s surveys of students. UNE is the only university out of 28 to be awarded five stars by Canstar Blue for Quality of Education received, Teaching Staff and Learning Resources.

These awards come via students. They represent a “thank you” from the University’s diverse student cohort to all those who have helped them through the challenges of university study.

In the most direct sense, that means UNE’s academic staff, who in most cases are the strongest link between student and institution. Our lecturers have obviously maintained their historic role as supportive teachers while dealing with the multiple challenges surfacing in their own lives over the past few years.

But teachers do not work in a vacuum. From the student’s first contact with the University, through to graduation, they are supported directly and indirectly by hundreds of people working in collaboration.

Everyone in this community therefore has a share in these awards, because UNE is nothing unless it works effectively as a community.

The awards recognise that the time you invest here – even the inevitable days of frustration – carries an impact. Your work ripples out into the lives of others, often profoundly changing those lives.

Our students have no regular means of saying “thank you” to most of the people who make up this community, but these awards are a form of gratitude.

To which I would add my own thank-you to you all – for the past effort represented by these awards, and in anticipation of the ongoing commitment to our institution and our students, evidenced by these awards.

Image: Jeremy Cheetham, Canstar Blue’s National Client Manager, presents the organisation’s ‘Most Satisfied Students’ award to UNE Acting VC, Professor Simon Evans.