Dear colleagues,

With many of us now returned, I am pleased to welcome the Macquarie University community back to campus for the start of the new academic year. I hope you have all enjoyed a happy and restorative holiday season with family and friends.

I am also very grateful to those who have remained on deck for Session 3 and other work during the break. The year is accelerating quickly already and promises to be very exciting, providing new opportunities and doubtless some challenges as well.

As you return there will be new faces in the University community, both students of course as well as academic and professional staff joining us. The turn of the New Year brings an influx of new intellect, energy and curiosity to our community. Please do join me in making all our new students and staff feel welcome and assist them to settle in wherever possible.

As you move around campus, you will see the commencement, and acceleration, of the campus redevelopment based upon several years of careful and deliberate planning. The major redevelopment of the campus courtyard is of course a focus, but the intent of all the works is to improve the amenities for our students and staff, enable the delivery of more contemporary and effective spaces and work experience for our students and staff, along with the facilities for discovery and scholarship.

The University continues to feel the effects of the MYEFO changes for universities announced end-2017. The Executive team spent considerable time last year charting a pathway through these policy and regulatory changes while staying true to our mission as a university of service and engagement. A Federal election this year will likely bring further change to higher education policy and we will again respond with agility and purpose in line with the framework laid out in Our University: A Framing of Futures.

In 2019 the University’s major revamp of our teaching and learning program continues apace. Our research performance will also continue to accelerate after a very pleasing end to last year in the award of the highest amount ever in one funding round of Australian Research Council (ARC) grant income.

I reflected over the holiday season that it continues to be the greatest privilege of my professional life to lead this remarkable Macquarie community. I thank you all for your individual effort and look forward to working with you in the year ahead.

With warm good wishes,

SBD