Hello everyone!
A message to say a big thank you for all your hard work this year.
I have been so proud of the work of the UNSW community. Your achievements in research, education, social engagement, global impact and our professional services have been impressive and are having an enormous impact.
I know that it hasn’t been an easy year given the extensive change process we’re undertaking.
But it has been exciting to see our efforts beginning to translate into results.
We attained our best global university ranking ever.
All measures of research performance — from grant awards to highly cited publications and research contracts with industry — are on a strong trajectory.
Developments in our campus are transforming the environment to give students and staff the best possible places to study, work and relax.
Important progress has been made in the planning behind UNSW 3+ which will commence next year and we continue to be the university of choice for NSW domestic students, while attracting more international students than ever.
Our spirit of generosity in partnership is helping us to make the impact that we strive for out in the community.
We’ve taken important steps with our equity, diversity and inclusion agenda, including producing UNSW’s first Indigenous Strategy.
We’ve launched our Human Rights Institute, our Global Development Institute, the Gonski Education Institute, and our first four UNSW Futures institutes…among other ventures.
Our thought-leadership effort has included well over 100 events involving our Grand Challenges and the exciting Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
I know just how hard everyone in our UNSW Divisions has been working — in Comms, Estates, Enterprise, Finance, International, IT, Marketing, Legal, Philanthropy and UPO.
We have an extraordinary team and I am grateful to every one of you for the quality of your work and your patient, determined efforts to deliver complex change while keeping UNSW running.
Our Faculties have performed superbly in 2018.
Art & Design, Arts & Social Sciences, Built Environment, Business, Canberra, Engineering, Medicine, Science and Law have all excelled.
Wonderful examples of professional and academic staff working together to deliver excellence. My thanks and congratulations to everyone for your stellar work.
As you look forward to a well-deserved holiday break I hope that you share my pride in all of these achievements, initiatives and successes of UNSW in 2018.
The world we inhabit today presents universities with great challenges.
But, those challenges remind us that the very attributes which define the university sector – the pursuit of knowledge and the protection of independent thought – are essential to the success of a thriving global society.
It is a privilege to be part of a community in which everyone, in their own way, makes a real difference to the lives of our students, our community, to Australia, and the globe.
I’ll be spending the break with family and friends in the UK and then back in Australia.
And I look forward to seeing you in 2019, when we will celebrate UNSW 70th year.
Until then, however you choose to spend the break, I wish each of you the very best for a safe, happy, restful and fun holiday season.
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