Dear colleagues,
I hope that your holiday break was enjoyable, and that you have returned to work refreshed and ready to begin the new year. As the world of higher education continues to evolve quickly, this year promises to be full of opportunity and challenge. Increasingly, we find that universities need to be clear about their aspirations and what they plan to deliver to their stakeholders and society at large. Society urges us to do our very best to earn their trust as we prepare well-educated citizens for an unpredictable world and tackle the real problems of today and tomorrow.
Our purpose to serve and engage is increasingly emboldened as we launch into a new academic year. Already we have seen changes in the University’s Executive and senior leadership. Though the departures announced are losses to our community, they are also opportunities to grow and redouble our commitment to excellence. With the array of talent and commitment to these ideals pervading the Macquarie community, I look forward to our work together as 2016 rolls out.
A culture of transformative learning in a research-enriched environment.
At the end of last year, the Learning and Teaching Strategic Framework was announced after extensive consultation.This document captures the spirit of our mission to serve and engage our students, and sets out the ways that we will do so.
The Framework lays out clear goals for the year, including, among many:
the development of a holistic student engagement plan – based upon the student lifecycle mapping exercise – incorporating significant milestones and targeted support services. I am particularly interested in how we support our students for success in their academic pursuits
the clear elaboration of our future approach to digital course delivery and its integration with traditional learning
deeper consideration of the connection between our education programs and the future employability of our students.
The reorganisation of support for learning and teaching is designed to focus resources in the faculties who are the ultimate stewards of the learning and teaching mission.
We have a unique opportunity to distinguish ourselves in a relatively homogenous Australian sector through the development of a truly distinctive learning and teaching experience, and the groundwork for this will be laid in 2016.
An accelerating and impactful performance in discovery.
Research, and particularly collaborative research, is very much at the forefront of the public conversation. Our recent successes in the ERA assessment, the ARC Future Fellows and the HERDC results show us what can be achieved when we put our plans into action.In the first year of the activation of the the Research Framework we saw:
a 19 per cent increase in external research funding from across the spectrum
members of our academic community appointed to positions of national and international prominence
five future fellowships awarded to Macquarie University academics
the highest increase in Higher Degree Research completions in the country.
Looking ahead, the government is signaling an increase in emphasis on collaboration with industry and the impact of those partnerships. This represents both challenge and opportunity; at the same time we must not waver from the traditional measures of research excellence, for much of our ascendant international reputation is derived from those. This year, we will work to support:
the continued growth of our research activity, funding, output and impact, with particular emphasis on quality
the introduction of a new research management information system to better support our research enterprise
increased corporate engagement in research activity in line with the government’s Innovation Agenda.
Aligning the nature and size of the University.
This year, just as last year, we face the reality of a new equilibrium of demand for domestic places as the impact of the government policy of uncapping places settles. This means heightened competition for all universities which does and should sharpen our focus on the quality and effectiveness of our programs as well as the need for differentiation.
After a lean year in 2015, there are early indications that our international student numbers will return to growth. The prior reliance on large numbers of students from one country into a small number of programs in one faculty is evolving in a carefully planned manner to a more sustainable model. This year we will further increase our diversity, with broader appeal in more international markets to a greater range of courses and programs of study.
The appointment of the new Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Tim Beresford, brings substantial insight and expertise into the University, particularly on matters international, and accordingly the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) will be disestablished. The reporting line for Macquarie International into the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor will be permanent.
Creating an innovation nexus where Macquarie and our partners contribute solutions to the world and develop lasting partnerships.
Innovation has become the word of the year with recent shifts in government policy. We will continue to invest in relationships with industry and corporate partners where we can add mutual value to one another’s mission: strengthening our bonds with Optus, welcoming the RIDBC to the Hearing Hub and deepening our connections with health and pharmaceutical companies through the Academic Health Sciences Centre.
This year, we will:
establish a true ‘innovation district’ with our University at its heart in partnership with significant enterprises in the Macquarie Park
strengthen our relationship with Cochlear as a leading partner in the hearing domain
continue to align our physical environment with our corporate engagement goals, developing an accessible campus, integrated with the local business and residential communities
capture the momentum built in the closing stages of 2015 towards the development of a University incubator for entrepreneurial students and staff
develop our economic assets to increase diversification of income and provide flexibility to invest in research, teaching and partnerships that provide mutual value
activate and strengthen our networks to empower advocates and friends of the university to better promote our potential and encourage collaboration domestically and internationally
continue to foster the academic convergence of the Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre, with stronger articulation and integration of the teaching, research and clinical excellence.
Emboldening Macquarie University’s recognition and international presence.
Success on its own is not enough for greatness: we must also be seen to be successful. Ours is a world-class university. External parties increasingly look to a variety of national and international rankings for substantiation of our excellence. Internally, our staff and students also deserve transparency in how we perform in the work place and classrooms against other institutions. This year we embark upon focused work to improve our standing in rankings, beginning with the collection and reporting of data across the University.
This year:
a series of projects will begin to collate, analyse and report on our activities across the University.
we will continue to expand international enrolment through direct entry and MUIC.
Externally, improvements in our rankings will in turn improve our domestic and international enrolments both in terms of numbers and academic quality, and increase investments from research and other funding organisations. Internally, the collation of data will permit us to plan more effectively and proactively with a heightened visibility of performance in an increasingly competitive world. This work will also allow us to shine a light on the many examples of success we already enjoy in performance of both academic and professional staff across the university.
The centralisation of marketing functions will be completed in 2016. The need for a well coordinated approach to telling the incredible story of this university to all stakeholders, future students/families and the public at large has never been clearer. The reorganized approach to marketing and communications will facilitate this. I urge us all to have an eye towards how we can tell the story of our work in a way that is not only good for our local work and discipline but also accelerates the recognition Macquarie far and wide.
Developing a vibrant and sustainable campus, clearly at the centre of a rapidly changing neighbourhood in the international, cosmopolitan city of Sydney.
This 21st Century University needs a 21st Century campus. In 2016, we will:
continue the staged major renovations of older buildings on campus – E7A will be completed; detailed planning for W6A will occur to enable decant and its complete refurbishment to begin once E7A has been reoccupied.
develop comprehensive plans for the staged redevelopment of the central courtyard.
continue the refurbishment of academic spaces.
plan for a new home for the Law School.
Underpinning all this, the wayfinding campus signage project, when coupled with the new Herring Road entrance, will transform the way we think about our campus. Street names, building addresses and clear campus navigation will change us from a utilitarian collection of buildings into a community of residents and colleagues with a greater sense of place and presence.
The development of our campus will be done, as ever, with great respect for and in partnership with the traditional custodians of this land. This year we will we will work to improve our relations with our Indigenous colleagues and students with a renewed and visionary strategy. In so doing, we will strengthen our commitment to one another and to the sustainable and long term future of our campus and its communities.
Improving those aspects of our support services to realise this aspiration and vision.
None of this work can be completed without the support of the staff and community of the University. We will seek to improve opportunities for each of us to learn and grow through personal and professional development.
Across the University, the budget process will provide three-year certainty for planning and funding decisions, and greater transparency. Resources for learning and teaching and research will remain the first priority. Lean and RIE exercises will seek to improve processes and the student experience.
There will be significant investment in systems and processes that support staff to perform, including:
the implementation of the UniForum benchmarking exercise on campus, to provide data and insight into our operations over the long term, and help inform strategic decisions in the future.
development and staged rollout of plans for implementing new information systems to support our work in research, student administration and finance
continuation of efforts to streamline business processes to improve, efficiency and effectiveness.
As we launch into a new year, I welcome you back and thank you in advance for your dedication to this remarkable institution. The ascent of Macquarie University to greater recognition and eminence is real and on-track. The commitment to our ideals of service and engagement, combined with dedication to excellence in all we do – not to settle for what is doable but only what is best – will sustain our continued progress.
Let us continue the work we have begun.
SBD