VC ’ s corner campusreview . com . au using the technology that we have available to augment and assist , but the technology will not be driving what we are doing . The human needs of our student population will be driving what we ’ re doing .
Students do like to have access to recorded lectures . They can go over what they ’ ve heard , fill in the blanks , things that they ’ ve missed . They can use it for revision . You can use it if you ’ re sick . You can use it if your children are sick and you can ’ t be there . But the message could not have been clearer from the moment I set foot on this campus that the students want face to face learning .
Do you think the pandemic has led to a shift in the perception of higher education in society ? Well , I ’ m hopeful . One of the things that we saw in the heart of the pandemic was the importance of research . Many of the respected and trusted sources of information that led New Zealand and Australia through the pandemic came from university expertise in public health , in vaccinations , in viruses . I think one of the upsides of the pandemic was that the community was bathed in knowledge over a long period of time that was brought to them by the individuals who were actually generating that new knowledge through research .
I ’ m really hopeful that the pandemic has strengthened the public ’ s confidence in the public university system and really underscored the value of some of the research that we do here , and that goes not only for Curtin , but for universities around Australia and , other parts of the world .
I also think we ’ ve got a responsibility as universities to open our doors to the public , and one of the things we ’ re working really hard on is to make our campus very porous . Exchange is one way of bringing people on campus to say that this is a place for everyone : it ’ s not an elitist organisation . We work really hard to recruit the best and the brightest , but we work equally hard to recruit first in family , kids from regional and remote areas , Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander students .
I was the first person in my family to go to university . I know what the value of the university education is for the future .
Where do you see Curtin in , say , five years ’ time ? I think one of Curtin ’ s big strengths , and it is a strength that I ’ m only beginning to understand , is its global footprint . I think Curtin is probably Australia ’ s most global university . I think we probably have the largest number of well-developed campuses outside of Australia . So , part of our strategic plan will be thinking about how we can create a truly global university .
We ’ ve got a massive footprint here in Australia , and then we have campuses in Dubai , Mauritius , Malaysia and Singapore . We need to do a better job of integrating those five campuses so whether students come to Curtin Malaysia , Singapore , Dubai or Bentley , they actually get a truly global education .
That will involve integrating the curriculum , pulling examples , for example , in a business course from not only Australian business , but regional business , for example , what is Islamic banking about and how can we use our Dubai campus in order to teach students about that ? We really want to build our global offerings for students .
I think in five years ’ time you will find that your average Curtin student will be a much better global citizen because they will have had the opportunity either to study in one of the five campuses that are outside of their home area , or they will have the opportunity to study alongside people from those countries , whether it ’ s virtually or sitting side by side in the classroom , and they will be exposed to content that is truly global . I think that ’ s really what the world needs right now . We need to move away from any sense of parochialism and think about the world as a whole , and Curtin is really in a great position to do that .
I think in five years ’ time you will see that a Curtin graduate will not only be highly employable here in Australia , but potentially highly employable in many other parts of the world because of the experiences that they ’ ve had here .
Another thing you will see is that Curtin is actually a remarkably sustainable university . The new Design and Built Environment building , for example , is a six Green Star building . We ’ ve been able to reduce our carbon footprint substantially , but it ’ s just been a matter of business as usual as opposed to being out loud and proud about our commitment to the UN sustainable development goals .
Going forward , it will become really important for us to highlight that to them and to give them opportunities
The new part of our strategy will be around maximising the student experience .
to participate in research and teaching activities and community service that is commensurate with the SDGs .
What is the short-term outlook for the return of international students to Curtin ? In mid-December the Premier will set the date when the Western Australian borders will open and he believes that it will be between the end of January and the beginning of February . Once we get that date , then international students who are double-vaxxed will be able to come in .
So , that ’ s led to some huge excitement from the Western Australian universities that we now have the opportunity to welcome our international students back . And for Curtin , we have about 1,700 international students who are currently studying with us offshore who want to come to Australia , and they have been extremely patient and resilient over the last two years . So , we are really looking forward to welcoming those students back to campus .
And then we have probably about another 750 brand new students who are quite keen to join us at the beginning of the next semester . So , we ’ re all incredibly excited about that fact .
Curtin , financially , has relied less on international students than some other Australian universities . Part of our strategy is that actually we have more international students right now studying in one of our other four Indian Ocean rim university campuses than we do at Bentley . We are very much looking forward to having them back , and for us , as always , international students are a source of cultural enrichment for us . So , that ’ s what ’ s really been missing : that huge , vibrant cultural mix that makes up a great world-class university .
We ’ re looking forward to having them get back on campus for them to have a wonderful Australian experience , and for our Australian students to have a great opportunity to interact with their peers who come from all over the globe . Now that we have a really clear path forward , we ’ re all getting incredibly excited to roll out the red carpet for 2022 . ■
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