Future Bright

UC's future is bright!

As Canberra’s university turns thirty years young, we celebrated our milestone and looked forward to the next thirty years with the Future Bright live event at The Street Theatre.

TV personality and UC Alumnus, Wil Anderson, hosted UC’s 30th anniversary celebration with a panel of UC experts who discussed plenty of interesting topics, interreacted with the live and large online audience, had some good laughs and enjoyed great music from Neko Pink.

Tune in

If you missed the event or would like to relive some moments then we invite you to tune into the show from the comfort of wherever you are.

The panel

Wil Anderson

Comedian/Writer/Broadcaster/Presenter

Wil Anderson’s high energy, unpredictable comedy on stage has a joke count that should carry a heart health warning. Astute and hilarious, the host and executive producer of Gruen, seamlessly blends wit and intelligence on current affairs, pop culture and politics. He did his stint in Canberra at UC before joining the press gallery at Parliament House before realising comedy paid better than journalism.

Jason Bainbridge

Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design

Professor Jason Bainbridge sure knows the value of the humanities on humanity. Having researched the impact of popular cultural representations of the law through popular culture TV shows, films and books, he has insight on how the humanities can allow society to imagine the future we want to create.

Karen Strickland

Head of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health

Professor Karen Strickland provides professional leadership as an academic nurse leader. Karen joined the University of Canberra in 2017, in the role of Clinical Chair in Nursing at ACT Government Health Directorate until September 2019. Karen understands the importance of nurses as the heart of the health system, particularly in times of pandemic and health crises.

Cindy Mitchell

Chief Executive Officer of The Mill House Ventures

Social Impact Strategist for the Faculty of Business, Government and Law, Cindy Mitchell, is the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Mill House Ventures, the Canberra region's first dedicated social enterprise business development consultancy at the University of Canberra. Cindy was the Founder and CEO of No Sweat Fashions, a not for profit social enterprise designed to create training, employment and work experience opportunities for migrant and refugees settling in Canberra. She is a passionate advocate for civil society and the social enterprise and social impact investment movements globally. For this work, she was recognised as the 2020 ACT Woman of the Year.

Kerrie Heath

Co-Director – UC Affiliated Schools Program

Clinical Associate Professor Kerrie Heath is the Co-Director of the nation-leading ACT Affiliated Schools Program. She has proven success as a strategic and operational leader across a number of settings in ACT Public Schools, the ACT Education Directorate and in Universities. Kerrie led the development of the ACT Minister for Education’s incoming minister’s brief, contributing to the development of the Future of Education Strategy. Kerrie is now a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Canberra where she leads significant school-university partnership initiatives, teaches on undergraduate and post graduate programs and was program director for the Master of Education program.

The music

Neko Pink

Aussie electro-pop duo Neko Pink release FOOL 4 YA combining elements of early 2000's club music with contemporary pop.

Coming off the back of a massive 2019, playing Spilt Milk festival alongside Juice WRLD, BENEE and Tones And I, and supporting artists like Kira Puru, Boo Seeka, Genesis Owusu & I Know Leopard, Neko Pink released their chart-pumping track With You.

While the massive events of 2020 have slowed down the world of live music, the duo haven’t let it put a hole in their success, playing sold out shows with Allday & Cry Club. Plus, with the release of their track Feel It amassing 50k listens in the first three months, the band’s energy has never been higher!

Our community

From community connections, business and economy, environmental influence to arts and culture, sport, health and wellbeing — UnCover is the voice of UC. A single online source for all our stories and your new place for ideas, connections and innovation. UnCover Events are a series of public activations, bringing the expertise of our Canberra-based academics to our community.

The Street Theatre is the home of bold new contemporary performance in the ACT and a major investor in theatre in Canberra in the last decade. Just as Canberra is considered a petri-dish for new policies, ideas and cultural products within the broader national landscape, The Street serves a vital role as a key creative generator of new work and regenerator of place and community within the nation’s political heart.