USYD – Campus Review https://www.campusreview.com.au The latest in higher education news Wed, 13 Mar 2024 02:27:16 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 David Thodey to replace Belinda Hutchinson as Uni of Sydney chancellor https://www.campusreview.com.au/2024/03/david-thodey-to-replace-belinda-hutchinson-as-uni-of-sydney-chancellor/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2024/03/david-thodey-to-replace-belinda-hutchinson-as-uni-of-sydney-chancellor/#respond Wed, 13 Mar 2024 02:26:48 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=111412 Former Telstra chief executive and CSIRO chairman David ­Thodey will take over as chancellor of Australia’s wealthiest ­higher education institution, the University of Sydney, when Belinda Hutchinson steps down in July after her more than a decade in the role.

As chancellor, Mr Thodey will chair the university’s senate, its highest governing body, a position similar to the chairman of a corporation. He said he looked forward to continuing Ms Hutchinson’s work “in striving to ensure the university is known for creating a world-class teaching and learning environment and a wonderful student experience”.

Mr Thodey comes into the top position at a time when the University of Sydney has emerged ­financially strong from the ­pandemic, after managing to retain its lucrative cohort of Chinese students who studied in their homeland during the period of border ­closures.

The university is by a clear margin the most financially strong Australian university, ­reporting a $1bn surplus in 2021, followed by a $300m surplus in 2022.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott, whose position is effectively CEO of the university, said Mr Thodey was a renowned leader across a broad range of national life. “His career has changed the lives of millions of Australians through telecommunications and digital technologies,” Professor Scott said.

He said Mr Thodey brought to the university “an extraordinary background that demonstrates a commitment to community, innovation and public service – as well as, of course, his extensive leadership and board experience across research, technology and telecommunications”.

Mr Thodey was Telstra CEO from 2009 to 2015 and then chaired the CSIRO board from 2015 to 2021. He chaired the 2019 Australian Public Sector Review and is chair of Ramsay Health Care and accounting technology company Xero.

He signalled he would be focusing on the university’s ability to create valuable applications from fundamental research. “Research translation for real-world impact is what great universities do, and that will continue to be a priority at the university,” he said.

Mr Thodey also said he would pay close attention to people and the composition of the university.

“We know our community thrives through inclusion and diversity and this will also continue to be our focus as we commit to ensuring the success of a greater diversity of students and staff at Sydney,” he said.

Professor Scott thanked Ms Hutchinson for the key leadership role she had played as ­chancellor since 2013, a position that she had performed without remuneration.

“It goes well beyond our campuses, helping us to reach government, donors, business and the broader community,” he said.

Outgoing University of Sydney chancellor Belinda Hutchinson. Picture: NCA Newswire/Jane Dempster

“The improvement she has made to the governance of our university cannot be understated. Her vision, hard work and clear focus have been key to our success, making us financially strong, improving risk management and setting us up to become one of Australia’s most successful ­universities.”

Ms Hutchinson said the university campus was now a very different place to when she commenced as chancellor 11 years ago.

“While we have more to achieve, we have made significant strides,” she said.

“Today, women make up over half of our student community. And by focusing on a series of targeted mentoring, sponsorship and network programs, women now represent more than half of our senior executive leaders.”

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Sydney professors’ association calls for inquiry into sacking of colleague https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/11/sydney-professors-association-calls-for-inquiry-into-sacking-of-colleague/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/11/sydney-professors-association-calls-for-inquiry-into-sacking-of-colleague/#respond Wed, 15 Nov 2023 02:52:03 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=110955 The University of Sydney Association of Professors (USAP) has strongly backed its president, Manuel Graeber, who was sacked from the university after a three-person committee reviewed allegations against him and ruled he had committed “serious misconduct”.

In a statement on Monday the USAP council said Professor Graeber’s dismissal followed “public interest disclosures of alleged misconduct and corruption at the University of Sydney”.

“We express full support for our colleague, the eminent scholar and teacher Professor Graeber, and call for his full reinstatement to the Barnet-Cropper chair of brain tumour research,” the statement says.

The council called for an “open and public review” of the process that led to Professor Graeber’s dismissal and called for “a wider inquiry into the governance and management of the University of Sydney”.

Nick Riemer, the university’s branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union, said that Professor Graeber was a whistleblower who had been dismissed.

“We oppose punitive action against a whistleblower,” he said.

“It’s obvious to all observers that there are very serious failings in governance at the University of Sydney across a whole spectrum of issues.”

Two members of the review committee – Janice McLeay, dispute management consultant and a former member of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, and Marcel Dinger, the university’s dean of science – found Professor Graeber had committed “serious misconduct” and that his proposed termination was reasonable. The third member, computer science professor Alan Fekete, who found that termination was not reasonable, was overruled.

Allegations against Professor Graeber included that he had refused to teach a class as directed. Professor Graeber’s response was that he did not have the expertise to teach the class and that he had found a replacement who was qualified and willing to take the class.

Professor Graeber told The Australian that his problems with the university had started after he made the first of two public interest disclosures on behalf of other University of Sydney staff.

“All my public interest disclosures were made on behalf of others and in my official role as USAP president,” he said.

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USYD law professor wins case against NSW police https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/10/usyd-law-professor-wins-case-against-nsw-police/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/10/usyd-law-professor-wins-case-against-nsw-police/#respond Mon, 09 Oct 2023 01:03:49 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=110738 A University of Sydney (USYD) law professor has successfully sued the state of NSW for assault, battery, and false imprisonment after being violently arrested by police during a peaceful protest on campus.

Professor Simon Rice, chair of law and social justice at USYD Law School, brought a District Court suit against the state of NSW this year.

Judgment in the civil suit ruled in Rice’s favour on September 21; the terms of the ruling have been kept confidential.

Professor Rice was a peaceful observer of the protest, working with his students on a project relating to protest law reform.

Video footage captured by the student newspaper Honi Soit shows Rice was forced to the ground by police after he tried to get up on his feet. 

Professor Rice pleaded not guilty to breaching public health orders, stating he had a work-related exemption to attend the protest. He has also contested the $1,000 fine, and NSW Police have since dropped the charge.

“That is conduct that police must avoid, and many do. Police have a challenging job, but that is not licence to assault and falsely imprison, as some do,” Professor Rice told the media.

Dean of Sydney Law School Professor Simon Bronitt said the USYD staff and students were “shocked by the events that occurred on campus.”

“We will #StandwithSimon,” Professor Bronitt said.

Profesor Rice sued NSW police after his legal representation, Redfern Legal Centre, made several unsuccessful attempts to have the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) investigate the incident.

According to Professor Rice, suing the police was the only practical option, even though it's a “slow, costly and risky path”.

His case against NSW police highlights a lack of police accountability in NSW, with the NSW Ombudsman no longer overseeing police conduct, and the LECC only investigating serious or systemic misconduct.

“For complaints of ‘ordinary’ misconduct, you can complain to the NSW Police, who investigate themselves,” Professor Rice said.

Professor Bronitt said he was concerned about the ‘hard’ style of public order policing used on campus.

“From past experience, these controversial policing practices only serve to escalate tensions and violence in the management of otherwise peaceful demonstrations,” Professor Bronitt said.

USYD issued a statement at the time the incident occurred about the unnecessary use of violence in on-campus protests.

“We will contact [NSW Police] again as a matter of urgency, and express our serious concerns. We will also reiterate our offer to discuss different approaches that might avoid similar situations occurring at future events.”

USYD also released a statement following Rice's court win expressing their committment to ensuring the community can express their opinions in a legal, safe and respectful way.

"[USYD has] a long history of protests on campus, [and] the health, safety and wellbeing of our community is always our highest priority."

"NSW Police make their own decisions and under the Covid-19 public health orders took action they deemed necessary in the interest of public safety; we have no authority to restrict them from
our campus.

We also have our own crowd management protocols to protect a safe environment on our campuses."

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Don’t get hung up on uni rankings, Clare says https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/10/dont-get-hung-up-on-uni-rankings-clare-says/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/10/dont-get-hung-up-on-uni-rankings-clare-says/#respond Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:11:44 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=110711 Australia’s top universities have slid down the most recent world university rankings; however, experts say the popular rankings shouldn’t be the sole barometer of overall success.

Times Higher Education (THE) published its 20th edition World University Rankings this year in partnership with Elsevier, including 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.

Six Australian universities ranked in the top 100 worldwide; however, Australia's top 10 institutions experienced slippages across the board.

University of Melbourne (UniMelb) topped the list for Australia, sitting three spots lower than last year at 37.

Monash fell 10 places to 54 followed by University of Sydney (USYD) at 60 and the Australian National University (ANU) at 67.

University of Queensland dropped 17 places to 70 followed by University of NSW (UNSW) at 84 and University of Adelaide at =111.

University of Western Australia (UWA)'s ranking descended 12 places to =143, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to 148 and Macquarie to 180.

Education Minister Jason Clare spoke about the ranking systems, emphasising that they are not all created equal and that declines or fluctuations should not be cause for concern.

We punch above our weight when it comes to universities,” Mr Clare said.

“I just don’t want us to get hung up on the rankings per se because it’s all dependent upon the methodology.”

THE World University Rankings is one of the more respected ranking systems, measuring each institution’s performance against 18 indicators across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.

THE World Rankings focus heavily on teaching and research, which could be why some are concerned about rank slippage by Australia’s largest and most well-established research universities.

THE World Rankings is limited in that it does not directly measure the impact of employability, which is difficult to compare across countries.

Times Higher Education is one of a handful of well-known worldwide university ranking systems, each using a different methodology to produce a unique outcome.

The rankings can’t be compared against one another because they each use different performance measurement methodologies and are purpose-built for different audiences.

Australian universities fared better when Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2024 published their world university rankings earlier this year, placing UniMelb 14th, followed by UNSW and USYD at equal 19th.

QS has published its world university rankings for the last 20 years (the 2024 edition featured 1,500 institutions across 104 locations) and is the only ranking to emphasise employability and sustainability.

The QS ranking methodology surveys employers to determine which universities have the best reputation for producing skilled graduates.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) - also known as Shanghai Rankings - doesn’t measure teaching quality or employability; instead, it focuses primarily on research excellence indicators.

ARWU's 2023 results ranked UniMelb 35th, followed by University of Queensland (UQ) 51st and UNSW 72nd.

Mixed results from THE, QS and ARWU rankings can be confusing; not all rankings are created equal, and some are better than others.

Mr Clare told the media he wasn’t surprised by the lower results, given international student numbers are a “barometer of rankings”.

Australian universities experienced a more significant dip in international student numbers resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic border closures.

“When you look at this report out today and these rankings, you can see the direct correlation between the rankings and international student numbers,” Mr Clare said. 

International student numbers are steadily increasing to pre-pandemic levels, which Mr Clare said would likely impact next year’s rankings.

“If there is a direct correlation between rankings and student numbers, then you’d expect that you would see a difference next year. It really all depends on the different ranking companies and the methodology they use,” he said. 

When using rankings to compare institutions, it’s important to understand the methodologies used and the intended audience.

It’s also more important to compare results year-on-year rather than across THE, QS and ARWU ranking systems.

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University of Sydney staff reach agreement following historic union campaign https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/04/university-of-sydney-staff-reach-agreement-following-historic-union-campaign/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/04/university-of-sydney-staff-reach-agreement-following-historic-union-campaign/#respond Fri, 21 Apr 2023 02:49:42 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109949 Staff at the University of Sydney have voted to agree to a provisional enterprise agreement after nearly two years of bargaining, ending the longest-running strike campaign seen in any Australian university.

On Tuesday, nearly 700 union members voted in favour of a provisional enterprise agreement and to call off three days of planned strike action next month.

National Tertiary Education Union branch president Dr Nick Riemer said he was "disappointed" by the vote.

"After nine days of strike action, members felt that the wisest thing to do was to have an agreement with management," Dr Riemer told Campus Review.

"Some members wanted to keep fighting, but we weren't in the majority. The members voted, and I'm completely committed to enacting that decision that they have made."

In total, 52 per cent of the union members voted to a provisional enterprise agreement with Sydney University management.

Under the deal, staff could receive a 17.1 per cent compounded pay increase over the life of the new agreement, plus a $2000 sign-on bonus.

The university would also de-casualise its workforce by 20 per cent and roll out 330 new permanent academic positions.

If signed, casual staff could access paid sick leave - a first for the Australian higher education sector.

Additional clauses include the protection of the 40: 40: 20 model of academic workload, additional pay leave for gender affirmation, parental, menopause and menstruation, a review of all staff's workloads, and a more accessible flexible work arrangement.

The agreement is expected to be signed by early May.

"The membership has accepted the agreement as negotiated in its entirety, except for two clauses on Indigenous parity and education-focused roles workload," Dr Riemer said.

"There are now a lot of clauses that will have to be drafted, and until both sides are happy with all of the specifics, so we're not quite there yet."

The NTEU is also demanding Indigenous employment parity by the end of the enterprise agreement in 2026, which if agreed would see First Nation's staff make up nearly four per cent of the university's total workforce.

In 2021, 80 Indigenous staff were employed at the University of Sydney out of 8145 staff.

University of Sydney Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Annamarie Jagose said the vote result was "a productive step forward" even if an agreement hasn't been signed yet.

"The NTEU bargaining team informed the university that union members had resolved to accept the overall package as a basis for concluding negotiations, subject to additional refinements to enable in-principle agreement," Professor Jagose said.

"Therefore, bargaining continued yesterday with the 39th EA meeting since negotiations began nearly two years ago in 2021.

"I am hopeful that agreement can be achieved in the interests of all staff."

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USYD staff vote to continue strikes https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/03/usyd-staff-vote-to-continue-strikes/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/03/usyd-staff-vote-to-continue-strikes/#respond Fri, 31 Mar 2023 01:38:24 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109874 Staff at the University of Sydney have voted to continue rolling industrial action marking the longest-running strike campaign seen in any Australian university.

On Friday, staff from the university formed picket lines in front of the university's Camperdown campus marking the eighth day of strike action held this year.

National Tertiary Education Union branch president Dr Nick Riemer said the decision was made at the largest-ever union meeting held at the university, which saw over 700 members vote in favour.

"Twenty-one months into negotiations, that tells us something about the crisis of overwork at the university and the lack of confidence that staff have in the VC, Mark Scott, and the Provost, Annamarie Jagose, neither of whom have ever bothered even coming to negotiations," he said.

Since August 2021, the NTEU and USyd have been engaged in enterprise agreement bargaining

The University has offered staff a yearly salary increase beginning with a 4.6 per cent increase this year,.

The NTEU has asked for a 5 per cent pay rise per annum, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets, reduced casualisation and more control over staff workload.

"Far too many staff are crippled with overwork," Dr Riemer said.

"We have people paid to work thirty hours a week who are working 48 just to keep up with their teaching. This cannot go on."

The union has warned operations at USyd will be "widely disrupted" by the industrial action with lectures, tutorials, workshops and laboratories cancelled.

University management has recommended staff work remotely and switch to online classes.

A university spokesperson told Campus Review the university was "disappointed" by the decision to continue industrial action.

"Throughout the protracted negotiation process, we have never once modified our position due to industrial action, but only in response to good-faith negotiation at the bargaining table," they said.

"The unions put forward more than 100 claims in this negotiation, more than any other university in Australia has had during similar negotiations. 

"We are eager to conclude a sector-leading agreement so our staff can receive a salary rise and access the enhanced conditions."

The NTEU will continue its industrial action campaign with another strike planned on Wednesday, April 5.

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‘We want it to be over’: Sydney Uni staff strike again https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/03/we-want-it-to-be-over-sydney-uni-staff-strike-again/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2023/03/we-want-it-to-be-over-sydney-uni-staff-strike-again/#comments Fri, 10 Mar 2023 02:44:48 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109787 Staff from Sydney University have gone on strike over casualisation, work conditions and wages for the seventh time since the union began bargaining in August 2021.

On Thursday, hundreds of full-time and casual staff formed picket lines after negotiations stalled between the National Tertiary Education Union and university management.

The union said the industrial action marked the "longest-running strike campaign at any Australian university".

NTEU Sydney University branch president Dr Nick Riemer said the strike was needed to deliver a "message to management".

"It was the best-attended strike we've had in this entire campaign. The numbers speak to how our members view management offer, which they clearly don't accept," Dr Riemer told Campus Review.

"We want it to be over, but not at any cost - management needs to listen."

Enterprise bargaining at USyd began over 20 months ago, but either party have yet to reach an agreement.

Dr Riemer said the union has been doing its best to "expedite" the signing of an agreement but will continue ramping up industrial action unless management shows a "minimum amount of goodwill."

Staff at USyd will strike again for 48 hours at the end the month and towards the end of May if an agreement is not reached.

According to Dr Riemer, management has been showing "contempt" and refused several key claims made by the union, including the compromised claims pushed forward in the "the hope of reaching an agreement."

The NTEU's key demands include reducing academic and administrative staff workloads, reducing casualisation, improving Indigenous employment and a 5 per cent staff pay rise per annum.

Sydney University has offered a 15.4 per cent compounded pay increase from this year to 2026 and a $2000 one-off cash payment.

Dr Riemer said the pay offer is "nothing short of insulting" when the university recorded a $1.04 billion surplus in 2021.

He said since the end of the last enterprise agreement, staff at USyd has experienced a drop in real wages due to inflation.

In 2021 and 2022, the university gave staff a 2.1 per cent pay increase, with an extra $1000 cash payment, while inflation was 2.1 per cent in 2021 and 7.8 per cent in 2022.

"If we don't want to go backwards, we need a pay offer now that makes up for that lag," Dr Riemer said.

"Their offer amounts to only a 3.3 per cent increase over the five years, which is lower than the average annual increase (expiry to expiry) than other universities like WSU, ACU or UTS, all of which are less rich than Sydney Uni."

The average annual increase for staff at Western Sydney University amounts to 3.67 per cent, 3.64 per cent for the Australian Catholic University and 3.54 per cent for UTS, according to the NTEU.

Additional demands by the NTEU include pay for all hours worked for casual staff, paid sick leave and a pathway to permanent positions with the creation of 'balanced roles', which would consist of research and teaching and limit the amount of education focussed roles.

USyd NTEU casuals representative Ms Finola Laughren said the union wants long-term casuals who meet requirements to have the option to decide whether they go down a research or teaching pathway.

"It is almost impossible for casuals to convert into balanced roles at Usyd," Ms Laughren told Campus Review.

"Long-term casuals who manage to move into education focussed roles have to do five years of unpaid research to transition into a balanced role.

"With the current intensive teaching load, finding time to do research is hard, especially if it is not included in your workload metrics."

The NTEU estimates casuals, including fixed-term contract, represents 72 per cent of the workforce at USyd.

"Casuals are the majority of the workforce; without them, the university could not function," she said

"Yet, management treats casuals as interchangeable, rather than the highly skilled, qualified, passionate researchers, educators and professional staff we are."

In their offer, Usyd said they have proposed to reduce the number of casual sessional staff by 20 per cent and create an additional 300 continuing academic roles.

The university said it will also prioritise 50 new teaching and research roles and 25 per cent of new education-focused roles for eligible casual and fixed-term staff.

USyd response

After being contacted by Campus Review, the university said it was "disappointed" the NTEU chose to strike again rather than conclude a protracted agreement.

"We know from speaking to staff many are keen to urgently conclude this long-running discussion so they can receive a wage rise to help them cope with the rising cost of living," a spokesperson said.

"This is a fair and well-structured offer compared to those that have been accepted or proposed in the sector, and it is above average public and private sector wage rises - it is discouraging the NTEU is misrepresenting it to its members.

"We are continuing to negotiate in good faith with staff unions and seek to reach a union-endorsed agreement to put to staff."

Negotiations between the union and management will continue this week.

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University of Sydney’s Safer Communities program https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/11/university-of-sydneys-safer-communities-program/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/11/university-of-sydneys-safer-communities-program/#respond Tue, 15 Nov 2022 23:39:19 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109341 Student wellbeing is crucial to academic success, with students more likely to abandon their studies following distressing incidents. Here’s how the University of Sydney is creating a system for reporting trauma that is founded on human-centred design, and supports both students and practitioners.

When I started at the University of Sydney, I joined a team that was struggling with incredibly complicated processes. To work through a referral from a student reporting an incident of distress, my team and I had to open no fewer than nine separate systems. And the situation was no better for the student or staff member relating the incident. To record their experience, they had to choose one of 17 configurations of the reporting form.

So one of our key priorities for the Safer Communities project has been to build a system that gives us a complete picture of a student and their needs, so we can address them in an integrated and holistic way. 

From the point of referral and throughout the entire period of care, we want to put the right information in front of the proper practitioner when they need it, so they can make healthy decisions about how to interact with and care for the student in front of them. 

It is critical to give students the best possible chance to complete their studies. We are building a program that enables us to intervene before students find themselves at crisis point. It will help to reduce the occurrence of serious incidents and allow us to properly support victims and survivors.

Designing a human-centred system to improve student wellbeing

We are now in the final stages of building our early intervention and student support system. We’ve reduced those nine systems to one, and cut the 17 different reporting forms back to a single common experience.

Our current focus is user testing. We want to ensure the process of reporting is human-centred and requires minimal effort. Our goal is to create a system that supports anyone who needs to report trauma. It’s vital that the process makes them feel confident that the university will act on their report. 

“The point is to get the system to act quickly with the information it has so we can focus on human interaction.” - Dr Benjamin Wilkes, University of Sydney

One of our biggest challenges is balancing the mechanical nature of a systemised recording program with the need for a straightforward experience for those communicating under difficult circumstances. 

For someone reporting an incident, we have a dynamic form linked to our CRM. This makes for a much smoother experience. Importantly, it allows them to make choices along the way about how much they want to submit at any given time. The person reporting their experience may not feel ready to disclose all the details straight away, so it’s critical that we enable choice and offer flexibility and support throughout the process. 

 A sophisticated system often presents more than one way of doing something – a challenge our staff are facing right now. So we are continuously assessing how we can use quick links and shortcuts so that staff members don't have to count the number of contacts, sessions or people involved in an incident. The point is to get the system to act quickly with the information it has so we can focus on human interaction.

Creating a responsive and supported community

Safer Communities is part of a larger program that involves getting all our wellbeing services connected in one system. It also requires promoting a wider campaign in the university community about respect and responsibility.

We can’t put all the responsibility for action on victims and survivors. We must build a community that feels confident and supported to call out unacceptable behaviour and that can actively contribute to a safer campus.

When the new external-facing reporting methods are launched, we’ll also share new materials to raise awareness. We have been consulting with colleges and residences about the most effective and appropriate way to share that information.

There are around 300 clubs and societies at the university. Student leaders had been receiving reports of assaults or other unacceptable behaviours, and were having trouble responding to the content of what was being disclosed. So we are co-designing a program with them about how to create safer environments for student events and groups, alongside a more informed and empowered reporting system. 

We believe that bystander training will also help people to understand how they can best respond if they witness threatening behaviour or an assault. 

Reducing the tolerance of unacceptable behaviour, intervening before something escalates, and showing consequences early on for inappropriate behaviour are essential parts of creating the safe community that enables students to thrive. 

Dr Benjamin Wilkes, Head – Student Wellbeing, Education, University of Sydney

Read more from Dr Benjamin Wilkes and other higher education staff in both professional and academic streams about how Australian universities can boost retention now. Download the Simplus Australia ebook: 6 ways Australian universities are stopping student attrition

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USyd neuroscientist named NSW Scientist of the Year https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/11/usyd-neuroscientist-named-nsw-scientist-of-the-year/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/11/usyd-neuroscientist-named-nsw-scientist-of-the-year/#respond Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:06:37 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109316 Sydney neuroscientist Glenda Halliday has always been “fascinated” by how the brain works.

The University of Sydney professor, who is a world-leading expert in neurodegeneration, began her studies in the 80's and became captivated in how different chemicals in the brain can form diseases in later life.

“I thought that instead of doing a normal job after I finished university, I'd like to research and find out more about how you could change the brain and how diseases affect the brain,” Halliday told Campus Review.

“That really fascinated me.”

Last week, Halliday became the fourth woman in history to be named the 2022 NSW Scientist of the Year.

The annual prize, created in 2008, is awarded to researchers and scientists whose contributions benefit the health and well being people living across the state.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett recognised Halliday's "groundbreaking" work in uncovering underlying causes of non-Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.

“It was an unexpected surprise, but it’s welcomed," Halliday said.

"It will definitely give me and the team of researchers a boost to continue our work."

Halliday describes her biggest breakthrough being her work on Parkinson's disease, where she identified that a bigger proportion of the brain can be impacted by the disease - a fact previously unknown to scientists.

She also founded the Sydney Brain Bank, a facility that collects and manages brains and spinal cord tissues to help research for disorders of the brain and mind.

For her work in frontotemporal dementia, Halliday said her experience has been focused in the pathology setting because “that's a disease that's still difficult to diagnose clinically”. 

“I've done a lot of research I would never have imagined doing at all - it's been an interesting journey," she said.

According to Halliday, her most “surprising” work was looking at brain tissues after death, which she said isn’t something that is often done.

“We collect the brains at the time of death and we make sure that the disease is what people have been treated for - it is essential to develop new and accurate diagnostic criteria," she said.

“Often at death, the post-mortem will tell you that it wasn't the disease that we thought.”

Today, Halliday’s work on diagnostic criteria is used worldwide and helps patients on a daily basis. 

“It's a good feeling to think that you can help people being diagnosed better and therefore manage better in the clinics and in their practicesm," she said.  

“But it is a never ending work, we are always finding new research to improve it.

“We're currently trying to redevelop many of the criteria to make sure that people can be diagnosed and treated adequately.”

Halliday believes more work needs to be done around non-Alzheimer's degenerative diseases, as the total number of people affected is about the same as Alzheimer's disease in later life.

“These diseases affect people in the middle or early prime of their lives," she said.

"Because they affect people when they're younger, the effect is much bigger with a lot more disability and a lot more difficulties to cope.

“The families also have a lot more difficulties with coping with the neurological problem - it can be devastating.” 

While she admits a lot of her research depends on funding, Halliday has currently been working on Parkinson's disease and its mechanisms.

She is trying to identify the different cellular molecular changes happening in the brain and hope to be able to create better therapies. 

She believes young scientists should definitely get involved in research as it is a “worthwhile career”. 

“There's always funding issues, but if you've got good ideas to develop and try, then it's a very worthwhile thing to do and try to actually make a difference to people's lives.”

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QS Rankings 2022: Australia shines for sustainability https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/10/qs-rankings-2022-australia-shines-for-sustainability/ https://www.campusreview.com.au/2022/10/qs-rankings-2022-australia-shines-for-sustainability/#respond Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:57:51 +0000 https://www.campusreview.com.au/?p=109270 The University of New South Wales and Sydney University have been named as Australia's most sustainable universities, tying for fifth place in the latest global higher education rankings.

Australia had 36 per cent of its universities appear in the top 100 of the 2022 QS World University Sustainability Rankings, outnumbering the United States and the UK.

The new index made its debut on October 26 and ranks institutions' progress in tackling some of the world's greatest environmental and social challenges.

UNSW, which became the first Australian university to be fully powered by renewable electricity in 2020, scored the highest for its environmental impact.

Vice-chancellor professor Attila Brungs said the rankings win "reflects the university’s mission of driving towards a just, sustainable world."

"These rankings reinforce our commitment to issues that are important to the UNSW community and strengthen our resolve towards advancing a just society," Brungs said.

The University of Sydney was Australia's best performer in the social impact category, taking a near perfect score of 99.8 out of 100 in the equality indicator.

USYD made headlines earlier this year after vice-chancellor professor Mark Scott appointed five women into senior executive leadership positions.

The university has also been selected to host THE World Academic Summit in 2023, which will explore strategies to improve gender equity and diversity in tertiary education.

"We welcomed the opportunity to participate in these inaugural rankings to demonstrate accountability and transparency in our broad and global commitment to sustainability," Scott said.

"This commitment includes enriching lives through research and education, and creating resilient places and a responsible environmental footprint.” 

Other Australian institutions ranked globally for sustainability include the University of Adelaide at 36, Melbourne University at 51, RMIT at 53, Griffith University at 66, and UTS at 69.

The Australian National University and Queensland University of Technology came behind at 72 and 79.

The University of California Berkeley secured the top spot as the world's most sustainable university.

Canada's University of Toronto and University of British Columbia followed in second and third place, respectively.

Leigh Kamolins, director of analytics and evaluation at QS, said the new rankings give hundreds of thousands of students a benchmark "to see and compare where meaningful [social and environmental] progress is being made”.

“We understand that universities have multiple roles to play and we want to provide a way of evaluating progress across teaching, research and engagement," she said.

"Progress will look different for different institutions in different regions, but this will allow all universities to track and plan what role they can play.”

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