Our Commitments to Students Conference will examine the changes we need and innovations we will embed to transform student experiences of tertiary education in the years ahead.

It is a time when students’ experiences are being challenged by a tertiary education system that has never been under so much pressure. The time for radical change is now and we need to prioritise students through our commitments to them.

The elements of the change that are needed concern the direct experience of lifelong learners. But they extend to how we improve the wellbeing of staff in our learning providers to ensure they are well placed to provide outstanding learning experiences. And they embrace the needs and role of employers in the skills they will demand for future work and the role they have to play in ensuring staff and students are in partnership with them. And finally it will embrace the external community more generally as partners, funders, endorsers and those providing social licence for educational providers are able to commit to students.

National and international experts will address key themes and take part in interactive roundtables and workshops in plenary and parallel sessions.

The final program will include some of the leading global innovators in public universities and other providers in Australian tertiary education led by our partner and host in:

• Professor Deborah Terry AC, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland.

They include other current institution leaders in:

• Professor Chris Moran leading the University of New England as one of the nation’s longest established universities reinventing itself for tomorrow,
• Sharan Burrow chairing the board of Bendigo Kangan Institute as one of Australia’s most innovative tertiary providers outside of public universities
• Professor Helen Bartlett, Vice-Chancellor of University of the Sunshine Coast and Acting Chair of the Higher Education Standards Panel
• Professor Kris Ryan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at The University of Queensland with  a leadership drive for equity and excellence for students
• Dan Cockerell CEO of Torrens University Australia sharing lessons from the experiences of Australia’s fastest growing university
• Professor Pascale Quester VC of Swinburne University of Technology leading a strategy where people and technology combine for a better world
• Professor George Williams AO, VC of Western Sydney University
• Professor Kylie Readman, DVC Education and Students, University Technology Sydney

They include best practice global keynotes in:

• Sir Chris Husbands formerly of Sheffield Hallam University who led the development of the Teaching Excellence Framework in the UK.
• Ann Kirschner formerly President of Hunter College in City University of New York and advisor to EdPlus and the President at Arizona State University.

They include EdTech and business leaders in:

• Joshua Nester, MD of SEEK Investments.
• Sabih Bin Wasi, CEO of Stellic.

And they include the leaders of higher education research and innovation in:

• Professor Kelly Mathews of The University of Queensland a leader of the AI in HE project connecting us with the student voice.
• Professor Marcia Devlin, CEO of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership.

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