Dear staff,
It’s been so lovely this week to experience the buzz as students get to know our campuses and make connections through the many O-Week events and activities on offer. I want to call out the work of student teams and the UQU for putting on such a warm welcome, with a fantastic turnout this week.
The 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey report for domestic undergraduates was released as students began to arrive on campus. It was pleasing to see UQ’s excellent results across the 3 main indicators: overall employment rate, full-time employment rate and median salary (employed full-time).
Also coinciding with the start of semester, UQ Art Museum is now hosting We Are Electric, an exhibition featuring Australian and international artists. I would encourage you to visit the immersive exhibition, on until June 2023, that explores, in a very powerful way, our relationship with energy.
Partnering for impact
In other news from around the University, The Leducq Foundation has committed $8 million to continue critical work in the development of a Strep A vaccine. I would like to congratulate Professor Mark Walker and his team, who are continuing to push the boundaries in mRNA vaccine development.
Earlier this month, Professor Jürgen Götz was announced as the Lesleigh Green – Bill and Nancy Green Chair in Dementia Research Endowed Chair. The generous gift from the Green family will provide security for Professor Götz and his team to continue their potentially life-changing research to develop treatments for dementia.
This week, QAAFI and the School of Agriculture and Food Science signed a $15 million agreement for an International Research Training Group with Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. The centre is being funded through the German Research Foundation and will be focused on accelerating research in crop genetics.
UQ also hosted some of the brightest minds in criminal justice as part of an international program with the University of Zurich and the University of Vienna for postgraduate/PhD students working in the field of transnational crime.
Congratulations go to Professor Gita Mishra, who has been appointed to the new National Women’s Health Advisory Council. The Council, which will be chaired by Assistant Health and Aged Care Minister Ged Kearney, will focus on equity in healthcare and services and health literacy for women in priority populations.
Enterprise Agreement (EA) update
As you may recall, negotiations on a new EA resumed last week with the unions. The University remains committed to finalising a fair and comprehensive agreement as soon as possible.
I want to acknowledge that the NTEU has notified the University that members may take protected industrial action commencing at 6am Wednesday 22 February. I appreciate that staff are not required to advise UQ of their intent to participate. However, as this action is occurring early in the semester, I would ask staff who are participating to consider letting their school know if teaching or students will be impacted.
Supporting our community
I would like to thank our staff on Heron Island for their response to the first tropical cyclone of the season. While there was no direct impact at the research station, the situation has been very different in New Zealand. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, friends and family across the Tasman Sea who have felt the effects of the weather system.
The University has also extended sincere condolences to our students with family and friends effected by the devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye and Syria.
This is a difficult time for those in our community balancing concerns for family and friends with work and study. The University has a number of support programs available, and I would encourage members of our community to speak with our HR or Student Services teams who are ready to help.
With best wishes
Debbie
