Staff updates

News, events and updates from and for UQ staff.

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There’s still time to register for the first All Staff Forum of the year. Join Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry as she shares updates from across UQ, celebrates our achievements, and outlines our focus for the rest of 2025.
Don’t forget to register for one of the many National Reconciliation Week (NRW) 2025 events happening next week, from Tuesday 27 May to Tuesday 3 June. The program includes Blak Markets, Murri Trivia, and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) Great Book Swap. These events are open to staff and students and are an opportunity to explore reconciliation and acknowledge this important week.
Applications to take advantage of the Study for Staff program in Semester 2, 2025, close this Friday 23 May. This program offers staff significant subsidies to study a select range of graduate certificates at UQ. Don’t miss this opportunity to pursue professional growth and invest in your future.
This Wednesday 21 May, UQ will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Great Court Race. Come along from 12:30pm and support UQ’s fastest students and staff as they jostle their way through the Great Court’s cloisters and chase a place in history. To mark this milestone anniversary, UQ News has looked back on the highlights from the past 40 years.
The Curriculum Design at UQ course, for teaching and teaching support staff, develops skills in curriculum and assessment design and selection of pedagogies. The course supports you, through an experiential learning opportunity, to actively design or re-design a curriculum framework for an actual learning opportunity. Applications close Friday 13 June.
Applications are now open for the QUEX Workshop Grants Scheme. This program is an initiative of the QUEX Institute, a partnership between UQ and the University of Exeter. The QUEX Workshop Grants Scheme is designed to broaden academic and research collaboration. Up to 5 grants of $6,500 will be available to UQ and University of Exeter collaborators to support the delivery of joint workshops and symposia. Apply before Tuesday 17 June.
Registrations are now open to join your UQ colleagues in the 2025 Push-Up Challenge. Shine a light on mental health by completing 3,214 push-ups, or an alternative exercise, between Wednesday 4 and Thursday 26 June. Sign up solo or with a team of up to 10 of your colleagues.
Don’t forget to nominate a colleague or team for the 2025 UQ Awards for Excellence before 5pm on Friday 30 May. The awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of UQ staff. All UQ staff can nominate an individual or team for one of the 7 award categories.
On Monday 28 April, UQ hosted its rescheduled International Women’s Day keynote address featuring healthcare professional and award-winning diversity and inclusion advocate Sara Shams, as well as a panel of 3 UQ experts. If you missed it, or if you’d like to watch it again, the event recording is now available.
Expressions of interest (EOIs) for the 2025 Career Advancement for Senior Academic Women (CASAW) Program open Monday 12 May. This program is offered to UQ academic women and non-binary people at Level D actively pursuing leadership and career development opportunities. You can learn more about CASAW and enrol in a 30-minute EOI information session via the website. Submit your EOI by Friday 20 June.
UQ has received an industry-benchmarked SAGE Athena Swan Cygnet Award, which recognises our progress in addressing gender equity. The SAGE Athena Swan program aims to improve gender equity in higher education. Over the next year, UQ will work towards obtaining another 4 Cygnet Awards to qualify for a Silver SAGE Athena Swan Award.
In the lead-up to the end of the financial year on Monday 30 June, UQ’s superannuation provider, UniSuper, is sharing resources to help you grow your super. Read their ‘super season’ webpage for tips on super contribution options, annual caps, and potential tax and government benefits. Both members and non-members of UniSuper can also book a free general advice appointment with a superannuation consultant.
Monday 6 May was University Mental Health Day in Australia. This annual day acknowledges the importance of mental health and wellbeing for everyone who studies and works in higher education. At UQ, support and services are available to both staff and students, as well as to the wider community.
Nominations for the UQ Research Culture Awards are now open. The awards celebrate outstanding staff contributions to UQ’s research environment across disciplines and career stages. They aim to inspire a shared commitment to a sustainable research ecosystem that empowers individuals and teams to reach their full potential. Nominate yourself or a colleague in one of the categories before Friday 30 May.
Coordinating@UQ helps staff connect curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment to foster student participation and learning. This professional learning program is open to academic staff with course coordination roles who are new to teaching or new to UQ. After completing the course, you will become an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and receive an invitation to apply for the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching Practice (eligibility criteria apply). Register by Friday 30 May.
Between Monday 5 May and Thursday 31 July, Oracle Java will be automatically uninstalled from UQ Windows and Apple computers due to changes in Oracle's licensing model. If you still require Java on your UQ device, you can download and self-install Azul Java from Company Portal on Windows or Self-Service for Mac.
Nominations for the 2025 UQ Awards for Excellence are now open. These annual awards are a great opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication of your colleagues and give them a chance to take home a monetary prize. There are 7 award categories: community; innovation; service; reconciliation; diversity and inclusion; mental and physical health, safety and wellness; and leadership. Nominations close on Friday 30 May.
Did you know UQ has mandatory suppliers for some of our goods and services? Our ‘where to buy’ guide has information about commonly purchased goods and services, like software, printing, custom services and photography. View the guide and learn more about purchasing for UQ on our procurement webpage. You can also subscribe to the UQ Finance newsletter to stay informed about procurement and other financial updates.
To help protect staff, UQ and the broader community, all staff will now need to complete Cyber Security Essentials training annually instead of every 3 years. This training can be completed in Workday. If you have previously taken the training and will now need to recomplete it, you will receive an email reminder and a Workday notification. For the latest cyber security news from UQ, you can subscribe to the Cyber Security Update newsletter.
UQ has recently published its 2024 Donor Impact Report. With the help of 4,164 donors – including 664 staff – from 28 countries, UQ raised an outstanding $77.33 million for teaching, learning and research initiatives in 2024. In the report, read inspirational stories and see how the UQ community is making a difference.
Applications are now open for the UQ Professional Services Staff Fellowship Program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The program provides professional development opportunities and a chance for colleagues to share best practices and experiences. In 2025, 2 UQ professional staff members will be awarded funding of up to $7,000 to undertake a fellowship at TUM for up to 2 weeks. Apply before Tuesday 27 May.
The prestigious Green Gown Awards Australasia are now open for submissions. This year, the awards are celebrating 16 years of sustainability excellence in the tertiary education sector. Nominate your project by Thursday 29 May to help showcase UQ’s commitment to creating change for a brighter future, on campus and beyond. For more details and to submit your entry, visit the Green Gown Awards Australasia website.
To celebrate UQ’s 10-year anniversary as a premier partner of Netball Queensland and the Queensland Firebirds, staff, students and alumni can access a 10% discount on game tickets and membership packages. Purchase your tickets or membership package using one of UQ's discount codes before Saturday 31 May to take advantage of this deal. Find out more about the partnership and access the discount codes on UQ's Partners and Community website.
Academic promotion applications for Levels C, D and E are now open. Eligible candidates can apply in Workday. Submit your application by Saturday 31 May. Resources to help you prepare your application, including recordings of 2 information sessions, are available on the Academic Promotion webpage.
Did you know that UQ staff can subscribe to a summary of highlights from media coverage about the University? An email newsletter is distributed each weekday morning. To subscribe to the summary, send an email from your staff email address to UQ's media and communication teams.
Submissions are invited for the review of the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, which will be conducted by the Academic Board from Monday 28 to Thursday 31 July. The terms of reference for the review are available on the Academic Board website. Submissions should be sent to the Review Coordinator at uqreviews@uq.edu.au by Monday 23 June.
Nominations for the UQ Research Culture Awards open Tuesday 6 May. The awards celebrate outstanding staff contributions to UQ’s research environment across disciplines and career stages. They aim to inspire a shared commitment to a sustainable research ecosystem that empowers individuals and teams to reach their full potential. Nominate yourself or a colleague in one of the categories before Friday 30 May.
The Open Course Scheme offers staff the opportunity to observe the great teaching happening in their colleagues' classrooms at UQ. Observing others teaching gives teachers fresh insights, inspiration and the opportunity to reflect on their own practice. You can book in to visit one of a wide range of courses to discover innovative teaching techniques, draw inspiration for your own practices, and connect with colleagues.
Apply now for the 2025 UQ Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Applications are open until 12pm on Tuesday 6 May. These awards recognise the outstanding achievements of all who teach and support learning in UQ’s community. For more information, email teaching.awards@uq.edu.au.
Nominations for the 2025 UQ Alumni Awards are now open. These awards are an opportunity to celebrate UQ ChangeMakers who have accomplished outstanding success in their field and have made exemplary contributions to their community. Nominations close on Friday 16 May.
Do you have stuffed toys at home that are no longer being used? The dogs in the care of UQ VETS would love to inherit them. The UQ VETS Pets for Life adoption program is now taking donations of old soft toys that are clean and dog-safe – with no batteries, Styrofoam, beans or wires. You can donate them at the Clinical Studies Centre at Gatton at any time. You can also drop off your donations on Floor 2 of Building 99 (Glasshouse Rd near Walcott St) at St Lucia.
Appointments are now available at the Musculoskeletal and Sports Injury physiotherapy clinic. Services are delivered by final-year physiotherapy students who are supervised by qualified and highly experienced physiotherapists. A 15% discount is available to UQ staff, students and their immediate families, and referrals are not necessary. Contact their team online or by calling 3365 2232.
From 6am on Monday 24 February, there will be no parking permitted along Walcott Street between Sir Fred Schonell Drive and Hood Street while Energex converts the overhead service lines to underground cabling and installs new street lighting. Works could take up to 4 weeks to complete. Any vehicles left in the restricted area during this time will be towed so that works can proceed. Signs will be posted to indicate where parking is prohibited.
All staff have access to a range of training courses. This week, we are highlighting the ‘Understanding and Managing Psychosocial Risk for Supervisors and Managers’ course. It covers topics such as identifying and addressing psychosocial hazards and leadership practices that contribute to a mentally healthy workplace. Supervisors and managers can take this course at any time on Workday.
In 2025, the Integrated Pathology Learning Centre (IPLC) is commemorating 100 years of its collection. All UQ staff are invited to visit the museum to explore its unique specimens displayed alongside student-designed exhibitions and historical objects from the Marks-Hirschfeld Museum of Medical History. The museum is open by appointment. To book, fill out the form on the IPLC's website.
UQ’s incident and hazard reporting system, UQSafe, has been updated to improve usability. UQSafe allows you to report hazards and incidents online via the UQ website. As part of the update, the website now has a refreshed look to make reporting easier. You also have the option to report incidents quickly and easily via the new UQSafe RiskWare Mobile app. Download the RiskWare Mobile app from the App Store and follow our online setup instructions.
This year, UQ will begin transitioning Learn.UQ from the current version, Blackboard Original, to the new Blackboard Ultra. Most courses will make this transition in Semester 2 of 2025 and Semester 1 of 2026. To preview Ultra, enrol in the Ultra Example site as a student or request a preview site with instructor access by emailing help@elearning.uq.edu.au.
From Monday 3 February, some parking rates at UQ’s St Lucia, Dutton Park and Herston campuses and Toowong office increased for staff, students and visitors. These benchmarked changes are part of ongoing initiatives to encourage the use of alternative sustainable transport and free up parking for staff and students who need to drive to campus. Parking revenue is reinvested into campus infrastructure, including active transport facilities.
On Tuesday 28 January, Brisbane Metro services commenced on the M2 route (formerly Route 66) from Stop A at UQ Lakes station to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Routes 139 and 169 depart from Stop D. M2 services won’t stop at Dutton Park Place so please use alternative routes for this station. Signage and support staff will be at UQ Lakes to assist passengers.
UQ is transitioning from desk phones to Microsoft Teams Phone, beginning at the St Lucia campus. While staff can already use Microsoft Teams to make internal phone calls, Teams Phone allows you to receive and make calls to external numbers (including international calls). This transition supports hybrid working by allowing staff to make or receive calls from anywhere. Find out more on the transition, how to access support, and how to register for upcoming information sessions on the project website.
UQ Dental at St Lucia has closed and their services have been relocated to South Brisbane Dental Clinic at 50 Russell Street, West End. Alternative dental services are on offer at the UQ Herston Dental Clinic and around the local St Lucia area.
UQ now has approved suppliers for catering. If you are planning an event with catering, you can now select from one of 4 approved suppliers in the Brisbane metro area. These suppliers were selected to ensure quality, reliability, and value for event hosts. Learn about our preferred suppliers in the catering section of the UQ Where to buy guide on the UQ procurement page.
The UQ Centre (Building 27A) has transitioned back to its original purpose as an indoor multi-sport facility, as part of the University’s Sport and Recreation Precinct and will be managed by UQ Sport. A limited number of non-sporting events will continue to use the Centre. The lecture theatre within the Centre is not affected by this change and the booking process remains the same.
Did you know that UQ has an Email and Bulk Messaging Procedure? This procedure outlines UQ’s rules around sending bulk emails to staff, students and other UQ email holders. Any bulk messages to our community must comply with this procedure. If you send bulk emails to UQ email holders, please remember to take some time to familiarise yourself with the procedure.
Do you ride to campus? Take these simple steps to help keep your bike or scooter safer and more secure. Register for free access to UQ’s bike boxes and end-of-trip facilities, always use a high-quality lock when securing your bike or scooter, and park in well-lit areas.
UQ teaching staff can learn strategies to support linguistically diverse students with a 90-minute online training course. It covers topics like linguistic diversity at UQ and refining instruction, assessment and feedback with linguistic diversity in mind. You can complete this training at any time through Workday.
As a UQ staff member, you have access to many great discounts and benefits. When you travel on non-work trips, you can now take advantage of exclusive new discounts on airfares for Singapore Airlines and Air Canada flights.
Find your new best friend through UQ VETS. There are 3 pets currently looking for new homes – could you help them find their new forever families?

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