Closing out 2009 - and on to 2010
Dear Colleagues,
My last post for the year. I wrote last time that I would do some 'year in review' this time as well as focus on 2010. However, as I began thinking about it, I decided that I would instead focus on the coming year as I addressed 2009 fairly comprehensively at this month's Staff Forum. If you missed it, a copy of that presentation is at www.jcu.edu.au/vc/staff/staff_forums.
2010 is going to be a great year. We have some important events planned for the University and the broader community.
It is our 40th birthday on 20 April 2010. The week starting the 20th will feature a number of events on campus in Townsville and Cairns as well as at our other sites (see www.jcu.edu.au/forty ). The official birthday kick-off will be a terrific occasion where a slim volume history of the University will be launched and a number of prominent JCU alumni and staff will be recognized.
But we are not waiting until that date to recognize our anniversary. Orientation will be a different type of event in 2010, with an evening welcome early in the week, recalling the first 'University' orientation in 1970. It will be an occasion to which staff, new students, their parents, partners, supporters, continuing students and others will be invited and aims to welcome new students in particular to our scholarly community.
During the year, there will be other opportunities to recognize the history of the University and, most particularly, 50 years worth of contribution by staff and students, 40 years worth as JCU and the first 10 years as the University College of Townsville, then part of The University of Queensland. For example, we are planning a 'Back to JCU' day for alumni later in the year; we are hosting the 60th Anniversary Fulbright Symposium; the Australian Festival of Chamber Music turns 20 and we will be doing something with them to mark both birthdays, particularly noting JCU's involvement, through then Vice Chancellor Prof Ray Golding, in the instigation of the festival. Please see the website for more on our anniversary.
Of course, 2010 won't be just about our birthday. It will be an important year for our regular activity of teaching/learning and research.
In addition to undertaking our teaching and research, there will be a lot going on in respect of both these activities - at JCU and nationally.
In terms of teaching and learning, the new JCU Teaching and Learning Academy has been launched and will become more visibly present in our community as it develops. This is one of the most important developments in our community for 2010 and heralds a new approach to teaching and learning for us and a new opportunity to enhance T&L at JCU. This initiative is being led by Andy Vann. The curriculum refresh continues, I am keen to press our engagement with teaching and learning technologies so that we digital immigrants can better interact with the many digital natives who are our students. We have important work to do preparing for the new demand-driven model of student recruitment/engagement, starting 2012. 'The student experience' is set to loom large for us and for all universities.
The 2010 research agenda is huge. Next year, the Federal Government's new approach to analyzing and rewarding research and innovation gains traction. There is ERA (excellence in research in Australia), SRE (sustainable research excellence), JRE (joint research engagement), Collaborative Research Networks on the Government (and therefore on our) agenda. We know we will be required to look to establish the costs of our research activity in order to participate in Government funding for research.
Internally, we are looking at better understanding and supporting research institutes and centres at JCU. Research training will loom large on the national agenda and for us as well. We need to turn our minds to a different way of training research students, perhaps exploring cohort approaches. Australia is simply not producing enough PhDs. All this, while seeking to maintain and grow our research productivity as an institution.
As usual, I have established three priorities for the year, in addition to our usual work. Faculties and Divisions are orienting some of their activity to address these three. For 2010 the priority headings are:
A scholarly community
Creating pathways: fostering success
Sustainability
The business side of the University will also be extremely busy in 2010. We have our Strategic Intent and a robust University Plan. The Budget has been approved and targets set. The University is in investment mode and we have a large capital development agenda (physical and virtual) for next year, and the coming years. We will do some more work in locking in a medium- to long-term approach to planning for capital development. We have more to do in workforce planning and development, as well as risk management. Change management processes will be improved and service delivery and systems improved - and bedded down.
Next year will also involve preparation for our 2011 AQUA/TEQSA audit; the development of our University Compact with the Federal Government and getting ready for performance funding. We will have two more organization unit reviews - the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences and Teaching and Learning - as well the Ci upgrade for StudentOne. We will also be actively participating in seeking to assist with shaping the implementation of the Government's change agenda, including lodging responses to a number of Government issues papers, including those to do with participation targets, performance funding and indicators, regional loadings and international research collaboration (these are just the ones we have to hand right now for next year).
Of course, we will be working on issues revealed by the 2009 Staff Opinion Survey. You'll recall from my final Staff Forum for 2009, the University level data show a general improvement in staff satisfaction since 2007. That is a pleasing result, but we know that there are problem areas, staff have made these plain, so there is nothing to be complacent about. We also know that these data will have great variation and texture at School/Office and Faculty/Division level. The drilled-down data, including staff comments, will be available in early 2010, when work will start on unpacking these and looking to get right what is wrong.
You will see evidence of our investment-mode, capital program on our campuses in 2010: so much happening by way of new buildings, refurbishments and moves. And I'm glad to be able to say that signage and way-finding on the Douglas campus will be rectified early in the year.
Our international activities and engagement agenda continue to thrive. Not only students and scholars, but also our engagements with partners, the Fulbright 60th, the follow-up Torrid Zone symposium and continued work on the Coral Triangle Initiative. JCU Singapore continues to grow, serving as JCU's physical presence in Asia.
All that in 2010, but that isn't all. Many of us will simply be getting on with the day-to-day, whatever that particularly means for each and every one of us, as well as deal with growing JCU's long term strength and positioning in a changing higher education environment. I'm glad that ours is a strong University with a solid future. It is so very much worth the effort.
So it will be another busy year ahead - nothing surer - but it will also be a very good one.
My final blog words for 2009 are simply this - many, many thanks for your work this year. It has been a busy one, with all its triumphs and disappointments, its pleasures and frustrations. I think we will all benefit from a break.
All the best to you and to yours for a peaceful and joyous Christmas and New Year. Here's hoping that we all can come back refreshed in the New Year. Look forward to working with you then.
Cheers,
Sandra
Posted at 02:25PM Dec 23, 2009 in General |
