A Framing of Futures (The Vision)

1. A culture of transformative learning in research-enriched environment.

Learning and teaching is at the centre of our purpose. Macquarie University has already developed a number of innovative education programs and student experiences that are transforming lives. We will:

offer experiences, within formal settings and beyond, that change the lives of our students, support them in achieving their aspirations and provide an incubator for the next generation of leaders

expand PACE as a signature program that distinguishes this University

infuse cutting edge technology into our learning environment to deliver world-class learning and teaching on campus and online

develop and lead in teaching models that promote enquiry-driven learning and prepare students for productive professional and civic lives

imbue our academic and professional staff with a culture of transformative learning, expand their horizons and nurture their capabilities

2. An accelerating and impactful performance in discovery.

The recent acceleration of research performance at Macquarie has been outstanding. We will further our performance in research by:

increasing academic staff numbers and strengthening succession planning across the University

continuing to invest in areas of existing strength and adding new areas where these offer long-term sustainability

increasing interdisciplinary research by removing structural barriers

improving research training to prepare our graduate students to achieve the highest impact in careers both within and outside the academy

improving our facilities for research to ensure they are of world class standing

placing early emphasis on streamlining the administration of research in order to free researchers to focus on that which they alone can do

leading the field in research productive research partnerships and collaborations both within and outside the academy.

3. Aligning the nature and size of the university for the future.

Throughout the consultation, one of the most abiding themes is the desire to have a greater sense of sustainable community within the University. Our capacity to achieve and maintain a culture of caring for the wellbeing of all members of the community and our physical environment will be constrained by unrelenting growth. Accordingly, our focus will be on:

rightsizing our student body

balancing the diversity of country of origin of our international intake and the domestic/international mix

increasing research student enrolments

building on our commitment to inclusiveness through targeted and sustainable collaborative programs with key external partners to recruit and support Indigenous and students of low socio-economic status.

aligning and resourcing our investment in support systems and infrastructure with our academic and scholarly goals.

4. Creating an innovation nexus where Macquarie and its partners contribute solutions to the world and develop lasting relationships.

Over recent years, Macquarie has made major investments in targeted areas that have strong external relationships, e.g. medicine, healthcare and hearing. We need to consolidate and expand these investments. Therefore, we will extend our engagement locally and beyond by:

delivering Australia's first university-led integrated academic health campus to bring education, biomedical and translational research together with state-of-the-art clinical care

expanding our relationship with Cochlear and other hearing-­‐related entities so as to be internationally recognized as a world-­‐leading center of excellence in hearing

engaging more strategically and sustainably for mutual advantage with the neighbouring technology corridor, as well as industry, commerce, corporations and government beyond

partnering and working collaboratively with leading global and local NGOs, foundations and similar organisations

developing new opportunities for student/staff engagement and work with University partners

using our land asset to support our scholarly and academic goals by bringing key partners onto campus

5. Emboldening Macquarie University's recognition and international presence.

Macquarie University has over 130,000 alumni across Australia and 100 countries. We are among the nation's leading providers of education for international students. Thirty-three per cent of the current undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments come from overseas, and 29 per cent of research students are international. We also have numerous international collaborations at multiple levels of engagement. In refreshing our outreach and international approach, we will:

emphasize the outcomes and impact of our work both internally and for society-at-large

reach out to alumni and friends of the University to engage with us in our work in Australia and around the world

establish a truly global student population by diversifying the country of origin for student enrolments (undergraduate, postgraduate and higher degree research)

focus on enhancing opportunities for Macquarie students to study internationally, especially in Asia

improve students' capacity to engage in Asia by offering relevant language programs

create and promote opportunities for Macquarie staff to teach and work overseas with our partner institutions

continue to endorse extensive and diverse collaboration for our individual academic staff  and seek to build more collaborative opportunities for professional staff

ensure that University- and Faculty-level relationships will be only those that are deep, broadly based and sustainable

commit to developing a limited number of "mentoring" relationships with developing academic institutions

pursue the potential of at least one deep, creative, multi‐institutional international partnership (we will not, however, create an off-shore, free-standing campus).

6. Developing a vibrant and sustainable campus, clearly at the centre of a rapidly changing neighbourhood in the international, cosmopolitan city of Sydney.

With strong commitment to wise stewardship of the endowment of our valuable landholding, we will:

develop an inspiring and engaging campus that physically represents all that is good about Macquarie

align our pedagogy and research with the development of new facilities and the renovation of existing facilities

utilise our land asset as a vehicle to accelerate our development of alternative sources of revenue

open up the Macquarie campus community and its assets to a diverse range of community, arts, business incubators and other potential partners and collaborators with similar goals and aspirations to our own

adhere firmly to our commitment to the principles of sustainability in all we do.

7. Improving those aspects of our support services to realise this aspiration and vision.

As I note earlier, our systems and processes do not adequately prepare us to meet the challenges ahead. Accordingly, we will:

strengthen our approach to recruitment, development, retention and renewal of high performing staff

ensure our systems, infrastructure investments and resource allocation are deeply aligned with our academic mission, goals and priorities

seek at all times to simplify and clarify systems, processes and policies so as to free up academic and professional staff time and minimise unproductive duplication or lack of integration across support services.

invest in modernising our systems and processes through teams drawn together from across the University including the Faculties and Divisions

invest only in systems and processes which are both significantly effective and efficient

have greater regard to comprehensive identification and mitigation of risk within the University