Dear Members,
Our Forum coordinators, Bill Peirson, Joanna Rosewell and Wayne Erickson, are pleased to provide a draft Program as at 31 July and subject to additions here Please find all registration costs here. The final Program, registration page and a list of accommodation options at various price points will be available in mid-August.
Note: We will once again hold sessions for recently appointed Heads and all Deputies on the Wednesday afternoon and this will followed by an official Dinner for all registrants at The Women's College within The University of Sydney. This year, Dr Michael Spence AC, Vice Chancellor of The University of Sydney has accepted our invitation to speak on the topic of the future of universities and colleges. Members of the Executive believe that his address will be of interest to a broader audience than senior college staff. As such we extend a warm invitation to your Board Chair to join us on 2 October. A formal invitation will be sent to all Heads of Colleges and Halls to follow this e-news,
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GST UPDATE:
Peter McDonald has recently been in contact with me and has provided information about the status of the current ATO GST Tool which is currently used by a number of colleges around the country.
The current Tool, which is certified to operate under Microsoft Excel 10, is authorised for use by the ATO until 31 December 2021 however Microsoft’s support for Excel 10 will terminate on 13 October 2020.
I have scheduled a meeting with Peter while he is in Melbourne on 5 August to discuss issues relevant to status of the GST Tool, its use by colleges, its value to colleges and how best to deal with the ATO on this matter.
I understand the importance of the GST Tool and undertake to keep you informed of any developments as they become known to us.
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2019 ASSOCIATION SURVEY
Thanks to all members, both Heads and Deputies, who completed the recent 2019 UCA Survey. I am very grateful to those of you who took time from your busy schedules to respond to the survey and to provide your views on possible future directions for the Association.
More will be said about the results of the survey at the forthcoming Sydney Forum, but of particular interest to members of the Executive were the issues identified as being of most interest, suggested areas for research, possible changes to the fee structure and organisational structure of the Association and the degree to which the Association provides value for money.
The most frequently mentioned areas of interest included:
- Student support for issues such as mental health
- Strategic planning
- Respectful relations
- Student engagement
- Academic programs
Areas for future research that were mentioned in a number of responses were:
- The value of college membership
- The future of colleges in an increasingly competitive market
- Alcohol and drugs
- Pastoral support
- Benchmarking
We received a number of very constructive comments about possible changes to the fee structure and organisational structure of the Association, together with concerns about the possible impact of such changes.
The Executive is working through the quantitative and qualitative results of the survey and will report on and respond to these in Sydney. We look forward to sharing our thoughts with you.
With best wishes,
Barbara Green
President
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FOR INFORMATION:
Executive Officer, Deborah Pugh will be on leave from August 2 to August 11 and will be checking emails intermittently.
President, Barbara Green will be overseas from August 11 to September 19.
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