Having trouble viewing this email? View online version.

The Internal Communications team is transitioning to a new email platform. As we configure the new system, you may experience slow loading times with links. If you notice any other issues, email university.communications@sydney.edu.au.

12 November 2024

Dear colleagues,

I appreciate your patience as we’ve worked through significant changes to our 2025 budget later than usual. The announcement by the Federal Government in late August on international student caps that will materially affect our revenue has created real challenges for us, and I thank everyone who has been involved in completely reworking our budget in recent weeks.

The University Executive (UE) has listened to the concerns of staff regarding the late resolution of our budget and the impact on colleagues on fixed-term contracts in particular, so while the 2025 budget will not be formally approved by Senate until 12 December, I wanted to provide you with an update as soon as possible.

What has happened so far

On 30 October, UE endorsed our 2025 budget and the allocation of our Strategic Investment Fund (SIF). On 6 November, Senate endorsed our SIF budget, and those outcomes have been communicated to local leaders.

We have had to prioritise the initiatives funded through our SIF in response to our changed operating environment. This means that some strategic programs will not be funded or will only be partially funded.

What happens now

HR and Finance partners are meeting with your local leaders to work through what these changes mean for your area, with a focus on giving certainty to colleagues on fixed-term contracts concluding at the end of 2024 as soon as possible.

I will continue to keep you updated, and I encourage you to access our counselling, coaching and support service if you need it.

Kind regards,
Mark

Professor Mark Scott
Vice-Chancellor and President

More than 2300 colleagues joined our October Town Hall, asking over 250 questions via Slido. Read responses to some of the most-asked and most-liked questions from the event.

Insights from the national 2023 Student Experience Survey report highlight the importance of supporting educators and our continued focus on evidence-based initiatives to improve students’ satisfaction.

Campus Collaboration, an initiative of the Sydney Policy Lab, draws on our community's expertise to co-design a university environment that moves beyond polarisation and fosters connection across difference. 

Mark Scott reiterated his determination to create a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for our community at the Law School’s Domestic and Family Violence Conference.

Works complete on Shepherd Street car park; Western Avenue to remain open until April 2025. The Shepherd Street car park remediation project is now complete and the car park is fully operational and open for use. The Western Avenue car park will remain open until April 2025, when it will close to allow for Sydney Biomedical Accelerator construction works.

The Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence ceremony will be held on 26 November. Register to join the live stream of the awards ceremony and celebrate your colleagues’ achievements.

Academic staff considering applying for promotion in 2025 must lodge notice of their intent to apply with the Academic Promotions Unit by 30 November 2024. If you're thinking about applying for promotion in the next three to five years, register for the career development session on 18 November.

We're transforming our policies to support excellence. The Policy Transformation Project has reached a major milestone in its mission to reimagine University policies to be accessible and easy to understand, with the first policy published in our new human-centric format.

Expressions of Interest are now open for the position of Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services). Learn more about the application process and submit an application for the Interim DVC ISS position by 11:59 pm (AEDT) on Sunday 24 November 2024.

Expressions of Interest are now open for the position of Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services). Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver's last day in this role will be Friday 19 December 2024, and this process aims to identify an appointee before Lisa’s departure, allowing for a brief transition period. Applications are due by 11:59 pm (AEDT) on Sunday 24 November 2024.

Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis AC, delivered the third Bradley Oration at the University of Sydney's Great Hall last week.

Read more about Professor Davis' oration, where he explored the purpose of a university education and why it matters to the Australian Public Service.

From Paralympics to Paramatildas: Rae Anderson shared her story of how the Elite Athlete Program helped her to excel at her studies while managing an intense sports schedule.

The prestigious ShanghaiRanking – formerly Academic Ranking of World Universities or ARWU – has placed three of our research areas in the top 10, seven in the top 20 and 17 in the top 50 globally in the latest league table.

Interim Head of School of Architecture, Design and Planning

"At the moment colleagues and I are working on...

"Refreshing the Wilkinson Building, which has an amazing array of nooks and crannies, and is a really important gateway for the University as one of the first buildings you pass coming from the city. We want to reflect when we do this on how it sits on Gadigal land, and to keep revisiting the University's Walanga Wingara Mura Design Principles, which should be read and re-read to remind us of what the University is, being here."

14 November | Anti-violence vigil at the Gadigal Centre

Members of our University community are holding an anti-violence vigil at the Gadigal Centre at 5 pm on Thursday 14 November. The vigil will create a space to commemorate the students who lost their lives in shocking incidents of individual violence this year, with staff and students from across the University sharing remarks. Staff and students are invited to participate in this moment of collective reflection and our commitment to a culture of peace, mutual respect, and anti-violence at the University.

19 November | Education Portfolio showcase

Come to the Education Portfolio’s annual Showcase to find out more about how we support students, staff and the University’s 2032 Strategy.

25 November | One Sydney, Many People project showcase

This special event celebrates four years of our Indigenous strategy and the remarkable accomplishments, collaborative efforts and positive impact we've made together.

28 November | The Australian Academy of the Humanities 2024 Triebel Lecture

Presented by Alison Lewis, Professor Emerita in German Studies at the University of Melbourne, this lecture dives into secret police files as life writing, or how the Stasi made writers ‘enemies of the state’.

30 November | Alumni Festival

The Alumni Festival brings together alumni, families and friends from around the world to re-experience the magic of the University of Sydney campus. Explore behind the scenes, connect with old classmates and discover our world-leading research.

26 November | Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning Graduate Show 2024

Browse the intellectual, technical, and socially responsible explorations of the next generation of designers on display at Wilkinson Building and watch our best architecture, design and urbanism graduates pitch their projects to industry critics at the Open Jury.

Looking for more learning opportunities? Visit the Researcher Development page, Educational Innovation site, or What's On Wellbeing calendar to view upcoming workshops and sessions. 

The following closing dates are internal deadlines to allow time for the Research Pipeline and Pre-Award team to conduct eligibility and compliance reviews. Normally, that is five business days prior to the external deadline. 

The Research Portfolio Pipeline and Pre-Award team highlights select funding opportunities each week. We encourage you to visit the current funding opportunities page for further information and other open opportunities.

Copyright © 2024 The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia
Phone +61 2 9351 222 ABN 15 211 513 464 CRICOS Number: 00026A

We recognise and pay respect to the Elders and communities – past, present, and emerging – of the lands that the University of Sydney's campuses stand on. For thousands of years they have shared and exchanged knowledges across innumerable generations for the benefit of all.

Please add university.communications@sydney.edu.au to your address book or senders safe list to make sure you continue to see our emails in the future.