campusreview . com . au policy & reform
We ’ re further along in the research side than we are in some of our teaching areas . What we ’ re looking at is a curriculum refresh – not for the whole curriculum , but for the elements that we think might define a key graduate going forward to ensure they continue to be prepared for the real world .
It ’ s not just about areas where we ’ ve traditionally been strong , like work integrated learning , or ensuring that we have industry professionals or placements , but thinking beyond that into what the real world needs going into the future .
We ’ re not planning to redo everything in our refresh of the strategy . The vision , the university for the real world , the commitment to aspiration , inclusion , Indigenous Australians . Our essence is a technology university . They ’ re all givens . Most of the work will be in the curriculum and also in engagement , and who we partner with to deliver on that vision .
To what extent do you believe it ’ s important that QUT has a distinctive strategy compared with those of your Australian competitors ? QUT is actually quite different in a number of ways to other Australian universities . The strategy that Peter Coaldrake and others followed in how we positioned ourselves in terms of the balance of our undergraduates , our graduates , and our international cohort is different . It was at times viewed as being conservative , but it ’ s clearly put us in a good position going forward . That ’ s in terms of our international profile and the mix of that international profile versus domestic students .
We ’ re serving a different community here in Queensland to other states . Queensland ’ s huge , and ensuring that we get access and provide access to the best possible opportunities for the whole of Queensland , not just the Southeast , is critical .
That ’ s challenging , because of the tyranny of distance and the cost of moving to the city . So , that ’ s a difference . But also , really , I think leveraging that engagement with the real world , with the business community , with industry , with the practitioners has been a key feature of QUT in the past , and it needs that difference . That sort of practical , pragmatic difference that QUT approaches things with , it ’ s got to be a key part of what we do going forward .
We ’ re not radically different to other universities , and Australian universities have many characteristics in common , but we need to continue to leverage our strengths .
How well do you feel the staff , the students and your fellow leaders are adapting to the way QUT is being shaped for its next phase ? I ’ m probably not the best judge of that . But , we did some really challenging things last year to move quickly on the structural side . That obviously felt very different to change that had happened here in the past , which has typically moved a bit more slowly . But , of course , we were responding to quite rapidly changing circumstances . We were building on those very strong foundations of the paths laid by Dennis Gibson and Peter Coaldrake . To have a 30-year-old university that had only had two vice chancellors has meant that we ’ ve been able to follow a very strong and good trajectory without chopping and changing . The example of the commitment to the real world is an example of that .
I think where we have made the biggest change was to move away from the institute model of research , and wind those two institutes into the faculties , and then to create five faculties from that . I think that was unexpected , probably . Given that I had said when I arrived that restructuring faculties wasn ’ t my preferred option , I think there was a sense in some of the faculties that they wouldn ’ t be subject to that kind of restructure . But unfortunately , when you look at how to deliver services in the most efficient way , having five roughly equally sized faculties makes a huge difference in how you can manage and facilitate support across the university .
I think there ’ s the loss of identity for some of the faculties that have merged into the larger faculties . Then there ’ s just the personal , challenging cost of losing colleagues who ’ ve either taken options to leave the university or had positions made redundant or contracts not renewed , and that ’ s awful .
So , we ’ ve got to ensure that we continue to show the kind of care that we should , and continue to show as an institution for those who have left us , and those who stayed with us , and who are still suffering some level of angst because of the change and how quickly it happened .
Where is QUT up to with regard to issues of sexism and incivility , and what are you doing to address those cultural issues ? Incivility in particular makes it difficult for us to attract leaders into key roles as heads of school and deans . We ’ ve got to ensure that we ’ re supporting and backing those who we ’ re asking to take those roles on . That ’ s a particular interest of mine . In relation to sexism and sexual harassment , I ’ ve been very clear about my commitment to gender equality , and also to ensuring that we want to make our workplace safe for all our staff and students , and that involves being safe from sexual harassment and sexism .
We need to ensure that we have appropriate means for people to feel safe to report . That ’ s one of the reasons we ’ ve introduced an external complaints line to ensure that staff do feel that they can report incidences of inappropriate behaviour without fearing about their job security . That ’ s a key thing . The other is really cultural in terms of ensuring that we have good balance of both genders across all areas of the university , and that our universities reflect the broader society , not just in terms of gender , but also in terms of cultural diversity .
What steps are you taking as a leader of your university to develop the culture to be as fit as it can be to face the challenges of the future ? We ’ ve got a range of strategies , both within QUT , and I think we also need to look at it as a sector . Some of that ’ s around developing our own leaders , rather than outsourcing it to others . The second is looking at the rewards and incentives , and what do we actually reward in terms of promotion and leadership ? I ’ ve talked about the idea of rewarding mentorship and those that support others . That ’ s really important in terms of developing the next generation and improving our culture . Then there ’ s the capacity for people to feel safe , either through reporting or speaking up and so on . That ’ s got two parts to it . One is about creating a culture where people feel empowered to read the report or comment on poor behaviour .
But the second aspect to that is job insecurity . So , fundamentally , asking why am I afraid to speak out ? Because I ’ m worried about my job . What ’ s it going to do to my contract if I ’ m a sessional , if I ’ m on a limited term position ? So , I think we have to work in a clever way to address the job insecurities in our sector while still retaining the kind of flexibility that we need to respond to changes in the market or changes in funding .
That ’ s really complicated , and it ’ s hard . The more secure you are , the more able you are to feel that you can speak up or speak out . So , we ’ ve got to look at all those aspects of our culture . ■
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