Dear staff,
Today is a momentous day for UQ as we launch two significant initiatives – the formal opening of our newest site at UQ Brisbane City, and the official launch of The Queensland Commitment.
UQ Brisbane City
The Queensland Premier, The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, will help to launch the University’s new CBD base this evening when she formally opens our newest site within the UQ Brisbane City precinct.
Located at 308 Queen Street, the heritage-listed building was originally opened 137 years ago, in 1885, as the head office of the Queensland National Bank. Over the decades since, it has come to be more commonly known as the National Australia Bank Building.
Since acquiring this landmark site in 2019, along with the adjoining building at 88 Creek Street, UQ has been carefully restoring and refitting both buildings to create a new city base for the UQ community.
The Atrium within 308 Queen Street has been open for several weeks now and is already proving to be a popular CBD meeting and collaborative working space for the UQ alumni community. We also intend to use this beautiful space as a location where staff and students can engage with our many government, industry, and community partners.
So please try to visit The Atrium next time you’re in the city. It is open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays, and it will also be open this coming weekend as part of the Brisbane Open House program (9am to 5pm, on both Saturday and Sunday).
The Queensland Commitment
You may recall that when we released UQ’s new Strategic Plan at the end of last year, we committed to a 10-year plan to support all aspiring Queenslanders to pursue their passion at UQ, regardless of their background or financial circumstances.
Today, we are taking the first big step towards honouring that pledge, with the launch of The Queensland Commitment. Our goal is to tackle the personal, financial, or geographic barriers faced by talented Queensland students who aspire to study at UQ.
At the core of this Commitment is a focus on improving our educational pathway programs and growing UQ’s endowed philanthropic funding, so that we can provide needs-based scholarships for future generations of Queensland students.
Ultimately, our target is to meet the ‘2032 success measures’ in our Strategic Plan. This includes having 30 per cent of our domestic undergraduate students coming from a low socio-economic or regional/remote background, and also meeting our commitment to ‘close the gap’ for the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at UQ.
The launch of The Queensland Commitment signifies a deliberate shift within UQ towards a greater focus on equity and inclusion, as well as broadening our engagement right across Queensland.
Governance of The Queensland Commitment Program
The University Senior Executive Team (USET) has recently endorsed the establishment of a governance structure for The Queensland Commitment program.
I will chair The Queensland Committee Advisory Board; Professor Mark Western has been appointed chair of the Education Equity Sub-committee; Mikaeli Costello will chair the Engagement Sub-committee; and the chair of the Philanthropic Advisory Board Sub-committee will be announced shortly.
Jennifer Karlson is the UQ Executive Lead and Program Owner and she will be supported by Sasenka Abeysooriya, who has recently been appointed as Program Director of The Queensland Commitment to support overall program governance and direction. If you’d like further information, you can contact the team directly at: thequeenslandcommitment@uq.edu.au
Appointment of UQ’s new Deputy Provost
On a final note, I’m pleased to report that Professor Pauline Ford has been appointed as UQ’s new Deputy Provost, replacing Professor Tim Dunne, who moved to the UK earlier this year.
Currently serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Professor Ford has a deep knowledge of the University having worked at UQ for almost 20 years. In 2016, she was appointed Head of the UQ School of Dentistry, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this role in the School’s 83-year history. Professor Ford is an alum of this University, who has received 5 separate qualifications from UQ. She was also the recipient of the University Medal in 1989.
I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Pauline on her appointment to this very important role.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the week – and please don’t forget to Wear it Purple this Friday and get involved in the events that are being staged in support of our LGBTQIA+ community.
With best wishes
Debbie
