| After the hustle and bustle of graduation, the Armidale campus fell quiet this week – those staff remaining were very much focused on completing critical year end tasks.
Much of my week was dominated by teleconferences with key University partners and advisory groups, as well as interactions through developing conversations around our evolving campus plans. We must relocate our current Sydney operations following a notice that our facilities will be enveloped by the light rail extension plans through Parramatta. As our Tamworth offerings expand to support the city growth plans, we are seeking to create a model of engagement with major employment sectors to align with the precinct plans they are promoting. It is exciting to see our New England Virtual Health Network emerge as a key part of this conversation. Another key element will be the expanding envelope of the Smart Region Incubator in the region and the linkages being made with Moree and Taree. These blueprint discussions are also significant in terms of their impact on master planning across our Armidale campus, decisions about possibly locating some departments in the town centre and the forward development of our digital campus.
The final SET meeting of the year focused on advancing our Strategic Taskforce activities as well as considering how best to progress the work needed to implement the new Enterprise Agreements for Professional and Academic Staff if they are supported once put to vote. After a long period of negotiation, it is very pleasing to see proposals being offered for final approval. I know from speaking with colleagues across the campus and with union members that all are committed to the constructive resolution of bargaining so that we can move forward. |
