Welcome to Macquarie: Kylie Ebert (left) and Nermeen Abraham.

At Macquarie we believe in putting our students front and centre of everything we do. With the launch of our new Student Success Strategic Framework this week, we chat to Kylie Ebert, Director of Student Life, and Nermeen Abraham, Director of Student Administration, who both joined the University last month and are already working hard to embed the strategy into everything they do. 

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What attracted you to Macquarie?

Kylie: “Macquarie already has a great reputation in the sector but with the renewed focus on student success, there will be even more opportunity to make a positive impact on students.  I’m up for the challenge!”

Nermeen: “Macquarie is going through a period of exciting change and great progress. I find it rewarding to be part of that.”

What drew you to the higher ed sector more generally?

Kylie: “Given I have oversight of Macquarie’s Careers and Employment service, I would love to say it was part of a well-executed career plan! But the truth is I ended up in higher education by accident – I took on part-time work to get some extra cash and then decided I didn’t want to leave.

“I enjoy the diversity of people and issues at universities and, of course, being part of a transformational period in students’ lives.”

Nermeen: “I’ve been working in higher education for 16 years now and don’t have any desire to work in any other industry, as I truly believe in the purpose of higher education.  I also really value the diversity of staff and perspectives you get working at a university.

“Student administration is an area where I can directly contribute to the progress of students throughout their education journey.”

What motivates you in your work?

Kylie: “I’m motivated by challenge, working collaboratively and seeing my teams succeed.”

Nermeen: “The ability and opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of students and staff.”

What aspects of the Student Success Strategic Framework are you most excited about delivering?

Kylie: “The Framework emphasises that what happens outside the classroom can be just as important and impactful on student experience as what happens in the classroom.  Student Life will have an integral role in promoting professional, social and personal success and I can’t help but be excited about that!”

Nermeen: “I’m excited that the Framework looks at the whole student journey, from the commencement of university and even beyond, in terms of enabling their career success. Student administration is invaluable to a successful student experience – our role as administrators is to facilitate learning for them as seamlessly and effectively as possible.”

Which aspects of the Student Success Strategy do you think might be the most challenging?

Kylie: “One of the most fundamental tasks is to make sure that people throughout the University community engage with the strategy and understand their own contribution to student success, regardless of their role.  Student success is not rocket science, but it would be a big mistake to underestimate the effort needed to make sure all parts of such a large and complex organisation are aligned and consistently focused.”

Nermeen: “Developing and implementing the necessary systems and processes that enable the delivery of the strategy and sustainability of its benefits. Program Beacon is already delivering significant progress in this regard.”

How will you encourage ‘student-centred design thinking’ in your team?

Kylie:

• Asking lots of questions about how things work – if staff don’t know, then it’s even harder for students to join the dots across the University.
• Promoting opportunities for students to contribute to projects alongside staff.
• Making sure we have evidence to support our approach and refine it over time.

Nermeen:

• Articulating and reiterating our purpose, identifying students as our key stakeholders in approaching anything we do.
• Engaging students as partners in developing and reviewing our processes.
• Seeking students’ feedback and acting on that appropriately.