VC’s corner
campusreview.com.au
All photos: CQU
Adapt and deliver
CQUniversity’s new vice-chancellor
shares his leadership philosophy
and vision for the future.
Nick Klomp interviewed by Kate Prendergast
I
n February this year, Professor Nick Klomp
was appointed vice-chancellor of
CQUniversity. He has travelled north for
the role, previously serving as the deputy
vice-chancellor (academic) at the University
of Canberra. He is also a former dean of
the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt
University – a university he served for 20
years – and an internationally recognised
researcher in applied ecology and
environmental science.
Campus Review spoke with Klomp about
his new executive tenure at CQUniversity
and his vision for the future.
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CR: What do you see as the strengths of your
new university home?
NK: Our people are our number one
strength – our staff, students, alumni and
communities. They are people who want to
create change and do things differently.
Second to that is the university’s power
of place. CQUniversity is the only university
with a campus presence in every mainland
state of Australia. This allows us to work
with communities across the country and
to deliver outcomes that directly benefit
communities and industry.
I think this is what really sets CQUniversity
apart from every other university in Australia.
It gives us an enormous strategic advantage
and allows us to connect with community
and industry on a much deeper level.
What is your strategic vision of change for
CQU, both in the short and long term?
Our biggest opportunity lies in the
expansion of what we already do well:
engagement, collaborative research, social
innovation, inclusion and outreach. By
embedding social innovation principles
across everything we do, we provide a huge
opportunity for our students to gain skills
and knowledge that will give them a unique
advantage when it comes to seeking
employment after graduation.
I also think we are in a great position to
grow the vocational education side of the
business and progress the development of
more seamless articulations between all
levels of education.
I fully expect CQUniversity to continue its
impressive growth in research quality and
impact. We sit on the doorstep of some
of this nation’s greatest natural, social and
economic wonders: agriculture, tourism,
mining and processing; the emerging
northern Australia story; the World
Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and its
diverse inland catchments; the marching
population growth of our regional centres;