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Hi everyone,

I’ve been returning gradually from sick leave and want to acknowledge some of the statements made at the governance inquiry last week. Although we cannot address individual allegations publicly, I was really saddened to see members of our University in such distress, both those who appeared at the inquiry and those on our campus who have been impacted. The University is provided with a right of reply and we will address the concerns raised with the Senate committee. Due process is important for everyone involved and I ask that people are respectful of the many staff impacted by this hearing. We do have support services available and if you need them, please make sure you reach out.

I also wanted to confirm that the University will today submit our self-assurance document to our regulator TEQSA. This is part of the compliance assessment I notified staff about in July, and it’s been a useful and reflective exercise to address many of the claims made against the University, including through unsubstantiated media reporting. We will look to publish the report for our community once the compliance assessment enters the next phase and I will provide an update on this timing when I can.

Here on campus, I have now hosted nine ‘Facing the Future’ conversations and I want to thank staff who have made themselves available. Each session has varied, and this has been reflected in the feedback and discussions in the room. I have been listening to our staff, and among the many questions about change, staff also want to talk about certainty and how they see themselves and their local areas in the future of ANU. I have been encouraged that people have been frank in their feedback, and most have turned up with a spirit of optimism and passion for the University which is a wonderful thing to hear in moments of change. Moving forward, these conversations are shifting in focus to break down our community’s views on what our blueprint or 20-year ‘ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵto 100’ roadmap will look like. This is not a plan that can be created in isolation or by one person, but through many conversations with lots of different people to incorporate our personal experiences and perspectives.

Finally, next week I will be hosting two ‘thank you’ events for members of our community, celebrating and recognising their contributions to ANU. This includes the recipients of the 2024 VC Awards for Teaching Excellence, along with recent Australian Research Council recipients (and the people who helped support their applications). In times of change, it is especially important to pause and recognise the many and wonderful people on campus who make our national university so special.

Good thoughts to where this may find you,

Genevieve