UCA Meetings with: TEQSA; Office of the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP; and Universities Australia
Strategic Planning, the Value Proposition and other projects
Collegiate Way International Conference 2021, University of Otago
Membership Matters
UCA Forum: Union, University & Schools Club, Sydney - Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 October.
Invitation: Graduate Residences Network, University House, ANU on 12-13 June
UCA Mentoring & Professional Peer Supervision
Australian Women's Leadership Symposiums - attendance discount
Career Opportunities
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Several weeks have passed since the last UCA newsletter was distributed to members. In that time the academic year has commenced and colleges around the country have welcomed new members, welcomed returning members, completed training progress and have settled down into the annual cycle of activities. I hope that it has been a smooth start to the year in your College and that you are seeing the benefit of the training programs which were introduced this year.
It is timely that I take this opportunity to report to you on the work being done by the UCA Executive in recent weeks.
Strategic meetings
Members of the Executive are aware of the importance of establishing and maintaining strong relationships with key individuals and organisations whose work and decisions impact on the context in which colleges function. To this end, the following meetings have been organised:
TEQSA: Rose Alwyn and I met with Anthony McClaren and Dr Jen Drysdale in early March. The purpose of the meeting was to brief them on the Respectful Relations Framework developed by UCA during 2018. They were impressed by the Framework and indicated that it represented leading practice. We undertook to keep in contact with TEQSA on a regular basis.
Dr Lauren Power (Policy Adviser to the Hon Tanya Pliberseck MP): Rose Alwyn, Wayne Erickson and I met with Dr Power at Parliament House on 13 March. We were able to provide her with information about work being done by individual colleges and by the Association, to articulate our intent to provide members with access to leading practice and to detail our association with relevant organisations. Of significant interest to us was the information she provided about a proposed taskforce, should Labor win government, to be established with the purpose of ensuring the accountability of universities for sexual assault and harassment on university campuses. The taskforce would be supported by TEQSA and would be established for three years with a report to be published at the end of that time. UCA expressed a willingness to engage in the process, hopefully as a member of the stakeholders’ reference group which will be established to support the taskforce.
Dr Renee Hamilton (Universities Australia): Our conversation with Dr Hamilton was wide ranging and covered topics such as the development of a new SASH survey and Universities Australia work with Our Watch as it strives to improve workplace standards in terms of gender equity, enterprise agreements and senior leadership appointments. We also raised with her our goal to professionalise the association and ways of further enhancing the relationship between UCA and UA.
Strategic planning, the Value Proposition and other projects
The Executive continues to work on developing a new strategic plan and the value proposition, both of which are taking shape. These remain works in progress. We plan to conduct a limited consultation on the value proposition before the end of May.
When the Executive met recently in Adelaide, we spent one session of our discussion considering the professionalisation of the Association. It is a complex topic and there is much to consider with matters such as staffing, location, impact on annual subscriptions etc to be considered. This is an important matter and the decisions to be made on this matter are critical to the future of the Association. We are currently undertaking an assessment of membership possibilities together with possible budgetary implications and will include the outcomes of this research in our final proposal.
Collegiate Way International
Wayne Erickson and I attended the third CWI conference at Rice University in Houston in February. Delegates to the conference represented colleges and universities in England, Singapore, Macao, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. Much of the attention of the conference was dedicated to consideration of college culture, enhancing inclusion, addressing incidents of sexual assault and harassment in college (and university) communities and the marketisation of university education.
The next CWI conference will be held at the University of Otago, most probably towards the end of January 2021. Feedback is currently being sought on likely dates. We will advise the dates as soon as they are confirmed so that you can mark them in your calendar.
Barbara Green
President
Membership Matters
UCA 2019 Forum
The UCA Forum will be held at the Union, University & Schools Club, Sydney, during the universities' common week, from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th October. Forum conveners, Bill Peirson (New College, UNSW) and Wayne Erickson (St Andrew's College, USyd) are organising topics and speakers and further information will be provided in early May.
Invitation: Graduate Residences Network:
There will be a gathering of Heads of Graduate Residences at University House ANU to discuss forming a Graduate Residences Network that will focus on issues related to the support and care of postgraduate students. Anyone who has not been contacted at this stage and who would like to attend and/or be included in discussions is warmly encouraged to contact Dr Ian Walker, Head of Toad Hall, ANU (ian.walker@anu.edu.au 0437 289 560).
UCA Mentoring & Professional Peer Supervision
UCA has administered a mentoring program for a number of years which has traditionally involved a newly appointed, less experienced Head learning and gaining new perspectives from a more experienced member of UCA. However, there is no reason why this program cannot be extended to include a professional peer to peer support network whereby Heads of Colleges & Halls doing similar work or with similar experiences could provide advice and support.to one another and discuss, for example, how to manage work issues, challenges, business strategies etc. Should you wish to participate in such a program, please register your interest with Deborah Pugh at Email:executiveofficer@universitycollegesaustralia.edu.au or phone: O434 400 653
Australian Women's Leadership Symposiums
The Australian Women's Leadership Symposiums are a national series of events focused on the experiences of women leaders in the contemporary workforce. Taking place in every state and territory capital between May and August, the Symposiums are an unparalleled gathering of the best and brightest female talent. Keynote speakers include Tina Arena AM, Ita Buttrose AO OBE, Clare Bowditch, Michelle Cowan, The Right Hon Dame Jenny Shipley, Jacqui Lambie, Jessica Rowe and many, many more.
The symposiums will feature a range of presentations, panel discussions and interactive sessions covering a range of topics, including:
- To change or to disappear: 3 strategies as a leader to survive in an ever-changing business environment
- Breaking the competency trap and developing adaptive leadership
- Womenkind: Unlocking the power of women supporting women
- Let’s talk about non-traditional roles
- Lessons learnt in the world of politics
- Be heard and remembered: How to use your stories to influence effective change in the workplace
An attendance discount of 25% is currently available by entering code ANSY19 at the time of booking (available until each symposium sells out). For more information and to book: www.wla.edu.au/symposium
Career Opportunities:
Business Manager, St Mark's College, Adelaide. Applications close: Monday 15 April, 2019
Business Manager Part time (0.7-0.8 FTE negotiable) Janet Clarke Hall, The University of Melbourne. Applications close: Wednesday 24 April, 2019
