Last post for 2008

Dear Colleagues,

My last post for 2008. Last time, I commented on the challenges, activities and achievements of the year and promised that, this time, I’d look forward.

So, what are some of the ‘big ticket’ items for 2009?

The first is to work on the activities that we have already identified for the year. These are found in the University Plan (http://cms.jcu.edu.au/idc/groups/auth/documents/corporate_plan/jcuprd_025575.pdf) with Faculties and Divisions having derived their own priorities and agendas in this context, as agreed in October.

As part of our action for 2009, I highlighted three priorities:
student demand and retention, collaboration across boundaries, and building community. Each of these will receive particular attention during 2009, with faculties and Divisions already identifying how they will do this.

The above covers our core responsibilities of teaching, research and engagement. But there are some other issues that demand our attention next year too.

As I mentioned at the last staff forum, the only truly unique thing that we can do, that no one else can do, is to confer a JCU degree. Our degree needs to mean something. It should be distinctive as well as of high quality. So next year we will forge on with the work on the curriculum refresh, aided by almost $3m gratefully received from the Federal Government for this purpose. In a complementary way, we need to focus on the JCU student experience; what that is, how it is distinctive and how we can make this a valuable academic and personal experience.

We will continue to pursue improvements in light of the 2007 Climate Survey, preliminary to another survey to be conducted in late 2009. This happens at the Faculty/School, Division/Office level – as results were highly variable across the University.

The quality agenda will receive renewed attention with Kari Arbouin taking over the lead role in this area. We will have organizational unit reviews – two per year – at Faculty and Divisional level, with FLBCA and University Services to be reviewed during the year. There will also be a new approach to quality monitoring and enhancement of academic programs/courses starting in the first quarter of 2009. Faculties have been asked to prepare for delivery of a Faculty Academic Programs Report that will identify all courses offered by the Faculty and review their critical stats, CEQ/GDS outcomes, subjects established and disestablished and more. I’m sure these data are already reviewed on an annual basis within faculties, but to capture these in a Program Report and have this aired at Education Committee/Academic Board and VCAC as well as within faculties at faculty boards will enable lessons learned to be shared and decisions made about courses based on relevant, comparable data.

We will have some of our ‘tropical leader’ appointments being taken up from early 2009. There will be a focus on enhancing research competitiveness and a good look at the architecture of our approach to research support and activity.

We continue with our push as Australia’s University for the Tropics, through tropical leaders, the curriculum refresh, establishment of the Cairns Institute (with $5m assistance from the Federal Government – thank you), building ATSIP, commencement of the new Queensland Tropical Health Alliance infrastructure and the Biosecurity Institute (all three supported by the Queensland Government through Smart State, Innovation Funds and DPI&F - thank you), Discovery Rise and pursuit of capital monies to fund Zona Tropical. In keeping with this fresh and vital portrayal of who we are and what we do, we need to refresh the presentation of our University. The current turquoise block logo is dated, not meaningful outside of Queensland and, at a practical level, difficult to reproduce on our collateral. I think it is important to maintain the connection with our crest and colours – but our logo needs a revamp.

In other activities, we will look to developing a systematic strategic alliance with other universities and institutes around the tropical agenda. This is not something that can be rushed and we will wish to build on current relationships to make progress on this.

Alumni and engagement activities will continue to develop, with the positive outcomes for 2008 serving as the platform for 2009. We are planning a universities in regional Australia symposium and a very special, high level event – linked to Q150 (Queensland’s 150th birthday celebration) – exploring the critical issues of the tropical world.

Returning to our own operations for a moment, a new Staff Study Assistance program will be commenced in 2009, providing for payment of fees for staff who are undertaking approved study at JCU. Enterprise bargaining will continue and we are looking to trial a cohort approach to junior academic staff recruitment. The idea is to collect vacancies across the University and advertise them as a group. We can then welcome a cohort of new staff, providing them as a group with access to assistance to aid their settling in and other services, such as seminars on writing to get published, approaches to research and the like.

Of course, we will also be managing the outcomes of the Government White papers linked to the Cutler and Bradley Reviews. These are both good review reports and we will look to play a positive role in helping to inform how the final outcomes are shaped.

It is a challenging time to be a University in Australia – but we are in a strong position because of the work we have done over many years - and in 2008 - and because of our distinctiveness. It is a good time to be us.

Thank you for all your hard work and your positive contributions during the year. It has been a busy and rewarding year.

I hope you have a chance to have a break over the summer. I look forward to working with you during what is sure to be an even busier 2009.

Cheers,
Sandra