Podcast

Vice Chancellor of Griffith University Professor Carolyn Evans reflects on how having a new strategy coming into 2020 served her well in providing a true north to navigate the challenges of the disruptions of a pandemic. And as the IRU reflect on their distinctiveness as a group of universities, she reflects on how innovation has been made the necessity of the hour, and a means of guiding engaged staff in our universities through the cultural challenges of the current period, to serve a critically important broader community purpose.

Vice Chancellor of Massey University and Chair of Universities New Zealand Professor Jan Thomas outlines the issues being faced in the different setting and context of NZ compared to her earlier experience of 5 years leading the University of Southern Queensland.

This episode sees a student join us in orientation week then again in week 12 of her first semester. She shares expectations coming into the course and how these are impacted by her understanding of brand and reputation.

Vice Chancellor of Essex University in the UK, Anthony Forster is our first international VC guest. He describes the values that drive how his university seeks to differentiate and what made it UK University of the Year in 2018. He outlines the quite different issues of government funding for research and flow of international students, particularly from India, that UK universities are facing compared to those in Australia.

Vice Chancellor of the University of South Australia Professor David Lloyd shares insights from running the first staff jam across his whole university in getting staff engagement to a strategy. And repeating it again 4 years later. He outlines how one unforeseen idea cost him $50m. He outlines the novel approach of leaving staff to decide how academic units should be organized only making the proviso it should be based on the products they offer students. And he describes a global partnership for skill development with a global big 4 consultancy from Adelaide. His message is of a philosophy of leadership and a university strategy, based on digital routes to enterprise.

Kent Anderson DVC at Newcastle joins us soon after a 2 year spell in Ministers’ Tehan and Tudge’s office guiding recent policy changes. He comments on the divide between chancelleries and ministry that has developed in recent years. He puts it down to the challenge of listening and who is in charge of the sandpit.

Professor Jennifer Whyte of University of Sydney joins the HEDx podcast to reflect on culture, leadership and partnerships as an AUstralian Head of School in a Go8 compared to her experiences at Imperial College in the UK. She outlines opportunities for Australian universities to take advantage of new modes of connections, in particular a forthcoming Olympic Games in 2032, to reintegrate with the rest of the world by harnessing technology and global perspectives.

Denice Pitt CEO of online learning pioneers OES joins Karl and Martin to reflect on the 10 year journey of her company supporting universities in bringing high quality online learning to non-traditional students.

Vice Chancellor of Torrens University, Professor Alwyn Louw joins HEDx to tell of its growth to close to 20,000 students in seven years. As a US-owned private university operating across Australia, the Torrens story is one of fast growth, differentiated strategy, and a unique set up of governance and executive roles.

Vice Chancellor of JCU Townsville, Sandra Harding, joins the HEDx team. She reflects on how the sector’s leaders and staff are feeling and of the culture change that is needed for a very different future than that she anticipated as UA Chair in 2013.