A message from the Provost, Professor Pauline Nugent

Refreshed Core Curriculum units receive outstanding SELTS results

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to share that the Core Curriculum units received an average student approval rating of 80% in the most recent Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) Survey. Average student SELTS scores across all campuses and modes for both UNCC100 and UNCC300 showed an upward trend from the first to second half of 2017.

The International Core Curriculum held in Rome, London, Paris, and Beijing in 2017 were also highly successful, receiving a combined average of 92% approval rating from student cohorts. Last year’s International Core provided a unique opportunity for 130 ACU students to reflect on universal principles of the dignity of the human person, stewardship of the earth and the common good from the lens of different cultures, peoples, and traditions.

This is indeed a strong result for the Core units which underwent a refresh in terms of curriculum, pedagogy, marketing and governance.

My thanks to the Core Curriculum Steering Committee, the Core Curriculum Unit and Lead Academic Professor Ray Younis for their continued work with the refreshed Core.

Photo above shows ACU student cohort from the Leeds, UK Core held in January 2018. (Photo courtesy of ACU student Brigitte O’Leary)

ACCU Annual Meeting 2018

In early February, I attended the Annual Meeting of the Association of the Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) in Washington, DC along with Vice-President Fr Anthony Casamento csma and Faculty of Theology & Philosophy’s Executive Dean Professor Dermot Nestor. This year’s annual meeting theme “Rethinking Catholic Higher Education in a Transformed Landscape” has never been more timely, with recent changes in the higher education sector in Australia where we share some similar challenges with our American counterparts.

While in Washington DC, I met with CUA Provost Dr Andrew Abela to further discuss strategic direction for our collaboration in Rome and attended a networking reception sponsored by Mr Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the US and Professor Eugene Wall, President of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. I also took the opportunity to visit St John’s University which will host our first International Core Curriculum student cohort in New York in July this year.

ACUcom renamed as ACU College

From 1 March 2018, ACUcom will formally change its name to ACU College and will continue to offer a range of accredited VET qualifications. This renaming will strengthen brand awareness for ACU’s VET qualifications across an increasingly broader geographical reach and will support the University’s enrolment strategy by building sub-bachelor pathway products.