Dear colleagues
One of the things that makes UNSW so special is our long-held commitment to increasing access to education for students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Our Gateway Program is a wonderful part of our student access and equity initiatives, providing a pathway for students to come to UNSW and to succeed, and contributing to the excellence of the UNSW community. I enjoyed meeting some of our prospective students and awesome University Ambassadors at the Gateway Program’s Year 11 and 12 on-campus days this month.
The Gateway Program gives students the opportunity to explore the campus, learn more about UNSW degrees and faculties, access HSC support and connect with current students.
L-R: VC Professor Attila Brungs with students John Vu (Bachelor Commerce/Computer Science), Sylvan Tam (Bachelor of Engineering Science/CompSc), Tarun Bhatt (Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/MBiomedE) and Roba Goreishi (Bachelor of Economics/Advanced Maths(Hons)) welcoming Gateway students.
Our in-school outreach in Terms 1 and 2 saw more than 6500 school students engage in workshops at 98 schools across Greater Western Sydney and regional NSW. As a result, there were record numbers of registrations for the Year 11 and 12 Gateway Program and concurrent Year 12 residential program – with more than 1500 students taking part. I’m pleased to see so many students engaged in the program.
Having students from all backgrounds and experiences is one of the most valuable parts of the UNSW community. A diverse student body brings with it different perspectives and experiences, and drives excellence for us all. We know that our ability to improve the world around us is only truly possible if our students come from every part of our society.
Our University Ambassadors are great advocates of the Gateway Program and I’m grateful to them for sharing their experiences of being a student at UNSW and making our prospective students feel welcome.
Pictured top: Mary Teague, Director Access, Equity & Inclusion, and students Anna Lin (Bachelor of Commerce/Law) and Kelsie Mitchell (Bachelor of Media) with Professor Attila Brungs at a Gateway Program on-campus day.
UNSW Strategy - our strategic principles
Thank you to everyone who has participated in or signed up for the UNSW Strategy consultation sessions that are happening at the moment. Interest is so high that we’re scheduling two more sessions in August. You can find out more and register.
The strategy we’re building together is going to ensure we are the best UNSW we can be, not for our own sake but for others, which is reflected in the title UNSW Strategy: Progress for All.
As we identify our strategic priorities and the areas in which we can really ‘turn the dial’ over the next 10 years and beyond, this idea of ‘Ambition for all’ is one of four strategic principles guiding our discussions and determinations.
UNSW has always been a university with a strong societal impact focus. It’s our reason for being. It’s why we were established 75 years ago, and it continues to drive us. The principle of ‘Ambition for all’ reaffirms why we pursue innovation and research and educational excellence, and why we seek authentic engagement with the world around us. We are ambitious for how we can improve lives in our local communities, across Australia and around the world. Everything we do, all our achievements and successes, all our efforts across our faculties and divisions are in pursuit of progress for all.
There are many tremendous examples of our UNSW ambitions that have delivered positive impact. These include photovoltaics and solar energy. Filtration technology for clean drinking water. Lifesaving HIV treatments. The policy reach of UNSW’s work in human rights and international refugee law, and of the Gendered Violence Research Network.
‘Ambition for all’ joins ‘Distinctiveness’, ‘Societal impact amplified’ and ‘Setting our next foundations’ as four strategic principles. They essentially create the strategy’s ‘vibe’: its character, qualities and human connection.
If you’d like to find out more about our strategy, its foundations and ongoing development, please visit the UNSW Strategy: Progress for All website.
UNSW health and wellbeing
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Attila Brungs with clinical psychologist Hershey Johnson at Winter Warmers.
Hershey Johnson is one of the many colleagues I had the opportunity to chat with during the Winter Warmers events at the beginning of the month. Hershey is a clinical psychologist with UNSW Psychology and Wellness, providing mental health support to students who are referred through UNSW Mental Health Connect. Looking after our mental health is so important. We are fortunate to have a team of wonderful professionals like Hershey dedicated to supporting students through university, through their lives.
We are also very fortunate to have student volunteers from Arc, our amazing Wellness Warriors, who generously give their time to promote conversation around mental health and encourage their fellow students to think about their wellbeing. The team of Wellness Warriors grew from 116 volunteers last term to 190 volunteers in Term 2. You may have seen some of them around campus last week during Stress Less Week. The number of students putting their hands up to become Wellness Warriors means there are now volunteers on the ground five days a week! This is a testament to the passionate, committed students we have at UNSW who are dedicated to looking out for and lifting up their peers. Well done and thank you to all involved.
UNSW athletes compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024
The Olympic Games are just days away and I’m very much looking forward to watching the exceptional athletes from the UNSW community compete on the world stage in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. UNSW students, alumni and club members are representing Australia in sports including water polo, sailing, boccia, rugby sevens, rowing and hockey. It takes extraordinary dedication and hard work to reach highest echelons of sport and I’m incredibly proud of these athletes. I’m sure you’ll join me in cheering for them from home as they make their mark in Paris. Read more about their impressive sporting achievements.
Acting on your insights
Last year, as a result of the University-wide staff Insight survey, we identified two themes as areas of opportunity across UNSW:
- The leaders in my faculty/division demonstrate that people are important to the University’s success.
- At UNSW we act on new, promising or innovative ideas.
Work has been happening behind the scenes with a focus on improving these two areas. Focus areas have also been identified in faculties and divisions based on local level results of the Insight survey.
Find out more about how your feedback in the Insight survey is being actioned in this edition of Inside UNSW.
Emergency response exercise
The safety of students and staff is something I take very seriously. Testing our response capabilities is one way to make sure we are prepared for and able to respond swiftly and effectively to incidents and emergencies on campus. On Wednesday, 7 August UNSW will conduct a multi-agency emergency exercise on the Kensington Campus. NSW emergency services will take part in the field exercise which will involve response by more than 50 people. Please follow the directions of emergency services and security staff during the exercise. There will also be a designated viewing area if you’d like to watch the exercise take place. Find out more in this edition of Inside UNSW.
There’s even more Inside UNSW…
- Two new initiatives, the Modern Slavery Strategy and the Sustainable Procurement Framework, encourage us be more considerate about our purchasing activities and help UNSW meet its environmental and social impact goals.
- Coming up in the next few weeks is the all-staff Town Hall, where I will be joined by members of the University Leadership Team (ULT) to provide updates from across the sector and engage in Q&A about vital work including the UNSW Strategy. Please join us for the online forum.
- Phase 1 of myTimesheet is going live for casual Professional employees and fixed-term and continuing Professional employees and their supervisors on 9 September 2024. Learn more about myTimesheet by attending one of the showcases or connecting with a change champion.
- The Term 2 2024 myExperience survey opens this week. Find out how best to gather and process student responses.
- In 2021, Dr Jodie Pestana won UNSW’s 3 Minute Thesis competition with a talk on how pregnancy effects the brain. Read more about Jodie’s work and the life experiences that have helped shape it in this edition’s staff profile.
Two final items for today’s newsletter.
I know we have many surveys we can fill in, but earlier this month Professor Verity Firth, Vice-President of Societal Impact, Diversity and Engagement, wrote to you about the Inclusive Employer Index, a survey run by Diversity Council Australia. I filled it in when I got back from leave this week. It only took seven minutes to complete, and the data is critical to creating more inclusive workplaces in Australia. I encourage you to please take the survey. The more survey responses provided, the better we can understand what we are doing well, and where we can do better.
And to finish, I would like to extend a hearty thank you to all our colleagues in UNSW IT who worked tirelessly over the weekend to rectify the issues caused by the worldwide CrowdStrike incident that occurred on Friday evening. I’m very grateful to everyone who contributed to minimising the disruption caused and who continue to provide support.
Best regards
Attila
Professor Attila Brungs
Vice-Chancellor and President
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