A Decadal Strategy | 2023-2032
Our place
Connected is a decadal strategy that sets out the long-term ambitions and objectives for our university. It has at its core explicit commitment to our staff and students, to our place in Canberra and the region, and to the Ngunnawal people.
Our ambition for the coming 10 years is to be a global leader in driving equality of opportunity. A commitment that ensures we are the most accessible university in Australia; building an international identity for UC that celebrates, and is built upon, the importance of our place, one of national and international decision making. We proudly embrace our role as the University of the nation’s Capital.
Our purpose and values
Galambany
Together we work to empower, connect, and share knowledge with our people, cultures, and places.
We strived to be really inclusive but not pick words that were superficial or arbitrary. It was all about finding words that really define UC, that make people feel represented across the university.
UC Values Champion
Introduction
The University of Canberra has built the foundations of a world-class university and is recognised both nationally and globally for the quality of our education and research.
We are embedded in our place, one of national and international decision making, delivering the professional skills and knowledge required to bring public policy and government to life.
Connected reframes UC’s trajectory and the key challenges in society today by putting a strategic focus on how UC engages with our community to design solution that are inclusive and sustainable.
I am proud of the university’s connection to our students and staff, to the community and to the Ngunnawal people and their culture. I am confident, that UC is in good shape, with a clear strategic vision for the future.
Professor Tom Calma AO | Chancellor
This university has a well-deserved reputation for inclusion, has a profound connection with the community, demonstrated commitment to its students and is known for making positive changes to the world around us. I am proud to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra. I feel deeply the responsibility of my stewardship role to maintain and build on our foundations and am confident this strategy will be transformational and will allow the University of Canberra to continue to challenge and thrive.
Professor Paddy Nixon | Vice-Chancellor
Introduction
The University of Canberra has built the foundations of a world-class university and is recognised both nationally and globally for the quality of our education and research.
Connected reframes UC’s trajectory and the key challenges in society today by putting a strategic focus on how UC engages with our community to design solution that are inclusive and sustainable.
I am proud of the university’s connection to our students and staff, to the community and to the Ngunnawal people and their culture. I am confident that UC is in good shape, with a clear strategic vision for the future.
Professor Tom Calma AO | Chancellor
This university has a well-deserved reputation for inclusion, has a profound connection with the community, demonstrated commitment to its students, and is known for making positive changes to the world around us. I am proud to be the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra. I feel deeply the responsibility of my stewardship role to maintain and build on our foundations and am confident this strategy will be transformational and will allow the University of Canberra to continue to challenge and thrive.
Professor Paddy Nixon | Vice-Chancellor
Explore our strategy
Our opportunity
Our opportunity in this place
UC has an outstanding reputation for the quality and relevance of its educational offerings.
We must keep pace with and respond to student demand for contemporary education and flexible delivery options that align with workforce and industry needs. We need to continue to foster our spirit of innovation and leadership to reimagine how we engage with students throughout their learning journey, as well as renew our partnerships to facilitate meaningful collaboration.
The university has an unwavering commitment to reducing barriers for anyone with the ability to access a university education:
- The fact that two in five of our undergraduate students are first in family shows we raise ambitions;
- Our consistent employability outcomes and leadership in work integrated learning shows we provide opportunities and build careers; and
- Our focus on embedding Indigenous practices and ways of knowing into our curriculum demonstrates our connection to our place and culture.
Outcome: Broadened access and opportunity for students, staff, alumni, and partners leading to increased participation and accessibility.
Measure: Indigenous student and staff participation, women in leadership, and student access and participation.
Outcome: Deep and impactful partnerships that enhance academic excellence and research impact, and encourage campus participation.
Measure: Enhancement of UC’s partnerships across the three domains of education, research and commercial.
Our ambition
Our ambition
Our strategy is centred around a strong sense of place and a bold ambition. We confidently assert that we are the university for Australia’s capital region.
Our ambition is to be the most accessible university in Australia and a global leader in driving equality of opportunity.
Why do we want to be the most accessible university in Australia?
Enabling a diverse range of students to overcome their first hurdle of entering university will also enable them to build their careers. We will work and engage with our students seamlessly throughout their careers, wherever they come from, and at any point in time during their life.
Why assert ‘We are the university for Australia’s capital region’?
Our commitment and obligation are to Canberra and the region. We are focussed on strengthening our connections here in Canberra and the regions, however our impact and reach remain national. We understand our capital region, and we are also an outward-looking global institution.
Why aspire to be a global leader in driving equality of opportunity?
Being a global leader in driving equality of opportunity sharpens our focus on the individual, their success and their opportunity. It makes us an authentically student-focussed university, not elite or elitist. We are inclusive and a place of opportunity.
With 38 per cent of our students first in family, and 10 per cent identifying as students with disabilities, we already embrace diversity in our people and our pathways. This contributes to our distinctiveness and is something we will continue to champion.
Our context
Our context
In recent years we have seen dramatic change and demonstrated previously unimagined adaptability. This has driven us to rethink much of what we do, with hybrid methods of engagement now required to respond to the changing needs of our staff, students, and partners.
Addressing these challenges will ensure the continued growth and impact of our university. It is imperative we transform our digital experience for students and staff; address the needs of our community including social and economic inequality; work with industry partners as activity grows; and tailor our education offerings to the needs of the future workforce while adhering to our academic values.
These changes are here to stay. Our explicit focus on our place means our response must be tailored and specific. Three key challenges in society will shape our strategic focus.
Social and economic inequality is growing.
Access to, and successful completion of, higher education is a critical factor in determining social mobility and socio-economic wellbeing. Because of this there will be an increasing need for higher education to support its communities across the full range of issues confronting modern society.
The workforce is changing.
The new world of work will demand hybrid jobs and hybrid skills. Skills that will be increasingly valued by employers include complex problem-solving, critical thinking and leadership, and 'soft skills'. Attracting and retaining quality people will be critical, as workers expect work-life balance, meaningful work and a sense of community.
Our city, our region and our place is evolving.
It is critically important that we play a central role in this evolution through educating, advising, influencing, and supporting the development of the region. Situated in Canberra, also the seat of Federal government, we have a unique opportunity to become the partner of choice for both national and territory public sectors and the private sector as this region develops.
Outcome: Reimagined educational offerings that meet market demand and drive growth in student numbers.
Measure: Growth in student numbers in existing and new markets.
Our commitment
A commitment to our future
This strategy, with each of the three objectives, is designed to connect us more deeply to our students, staff and community. The delivery of Connected will be informed and supported by other significant institutional strategies and plans. These include the Campus Master Plan and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategic Plan, as well as future Research, Student, and Digital strategic plans.
We will also build short and long-term plans in the coming years that run alongside Connected which will respond to the needs of the university as they arise. As we develop these supporting plans and build the future of UC it is important to note that we commit to:
- Open and transparent governance and leadership; and
- Playing our part in responding to climate change by embedding sustainability in all our outcomes.
We are focussed on connection to make it simpler to engage with us, make it more engaging to work with us and to ultimately making us the most accessible university to those who have the ambition and talent to succeed.
Our academic excellence
Academic excellence
Academic excellence, as measured by the quality of our education programs, the success of our students and the impact of our research, is at the heart of everything we do.
Excellence in education, underpinned by world-leading research, is the foundation upon which our university is built.
Our university’s grand challenge is to deliver academic excellence sustainably in a ruthlessly competitive higher education sector, and in an environment that demands unparalleled flexibility.
At the heart of Connected is a commitment to enhance academic excellence through our education programs, the success of our students, the employability of our graduates and the impact of our research. Connected is focussed on building the best environment for us to excel in this core endeavour and, in so doing, ensure we are fully connected to our students, our staff and our place.
Research-informed education is important to our industry partners and this, along with integration of work-based learning, teaching the fundamentals of the discipline and supporting students to develop an understanding of the future of that profession mean our graduates will be more employable and more adaptable as they develop during their careers. We must continue to embed our researchers, and their impactful research, in the learning environment to shape and influence the teaching programs of the university and ensure the relevance of our educational offerings.We commit to enhancing our culture of individual and disciplinary excellence and providing the necessary supports to attract, retain and develop our staff, both academic and professional, to achieve and promote that excellence.
Our objectives
Our objectives
Connected is centred on building the connected environment our staff and students need to achieve their full potential. This environment will connect us; connect us to place, connect our students to the university, and connect our staff in a way that enhances their ability to achieve individually and collectively.
Connectedness is what will differentiate us.
This strategy provides the complement to our physical connectedness; it provides for our people and community to connect, collaborate and create their own future through three interconnected elements:
- Connected to Canberra captures our commitment to place and links our success to the social, economic and cultural success of Canberra.
- Connected for Life is our commitment to support our students across their life journeys.
- Connected UC will deliver the necessary digital and culture change to support our staff, our students and our partners.
A series of programs of work with accompanying plans are in development as key steps for implementing Connected successfully. These four initial programs are multi-year and whole of institution, and will require significant investment over the next five years.
How did we get here?
Connected is the culmination of a highly collaborative process that has drawn from the collective contribution of a broad range of university staff, council members, community representatives and stakeholders.
