![](/-/media/feature/micrositesnewsandevents/staffnews/suzanne-chambers-460px.jpg)
Innovation in practice
News 24 JulyA message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
11 November 2020
Share
ACU’s Strategic Plan 2020-2023 features six strategic priorities that outline our vision for ACU in the coming years.
The ACU Strategy Execution Framework supports the effective execution of the ACU Strategic Plan and provides more information about strategic priorities, key focus areas, annual priorities and enabling frameworks.
To help you understand how you can support our strategic plan, we’ll be highlighting a different priority each month through a Q&A. This month, we hear from Chief Operating Officer Dr Stephen Weller about Strategic Priority 6: Service, stewardship and sustainability.
ACU is making good progress in the first year towards this strategic priority, which is a very diverse priority that requires a multi-faceted approach focusing on the university’s needs, as well as the student experience and the staff experience.
We have already achieved a great deal despite the upheaval of the pandemic. Achievements include the staff website facelift, enrolment and class selection improvements, the inaugural Work Health & Safety Action Plan, the response to ongoing cybersecurity threats, and the roll-out of the new risk management system. These took place alongside a range of improvements to our digital workspace, such as upgrading room bookings, shifting from shared drives to OneDrive, moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams, and upgrading SharePoint.
There is a strong alignment between this priority and ACU’s new focus. An example of this is the establishment of the Blacktown Campus, which is an exciting opportunity for ACU to grow our profile and enable greater access by the Western Sydney population to higher education.
Innovation is evident from the growing use of automation to provide greater efficiencies and free up staff to spend more time on more value-added activities.
An ethical approach is expressed through our focus on sustainability, such as the recent Sustainability Week, as well as on tackling the issue of modern slavery via our suppliers of goods and services. Stewardship is fundamental to this priority. This ethic involves caring for, and responsibly planning and managing, our resources, and it underpins all that we do.
The pandemic has significantly impacted this strategic priority by driving agile, rapid and innovative approaches to service offerings or business solutions, as well as accelerating ideas that were under development. It has compelled us to consider our service delivery models, virtual infrastructure, staff and student engagement, design of our spaces, and the on- and off-campus experiences.
This pivot has been demonstrated by the rapid roll-out of technology to enable staff and students to work and study remotely, the swift mobilisation of our support services to students and staff via AskACU and Service Central, the conversion of major on-campus events such as Open Days and midyear Orientation programs into successful virtual events, the replacement of traditional graduation ceremonies with a virtual event and an on-campus photo opportunity, and the online delivery of student career and counselling services.
While some of these initiatives responded to the unique circumstances of a pandemic, the flexible nature of these activities means these will continue to coexist with the on-campus experience.
Whatever your role is at ACU, we are all stewards of the university’s resources, both financial and non-financial, including our most important asset: our people.
To be an effective steward involves empowering yourself by growing your understanding of the university, in all its dimensions and with a holistic perspective. It also requires engaging with and participating in the life of the university where possible, for example everyone should experience at least one orientation and graduation event to connect with our core raison d’etre: our students.
Being a good steward is also about understanding your responsibilities and seeking the knowledge you need to fully participate in your role. It is by accepting our position as stewards that we can all take a role in improving the workplace and the student experience every day.
A message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
From Monday 22 July to Friday 9 August, Service Central will be available for extended hours to support staff.
A message from Vice President Father Anthony Casamento csma: From 5 – 9 August we will celebrate Mission Week across our campuses. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to cele...
Are you going to be a grandparent soon? Did you know ACU offers personal leave for staff to care for their child or grandchild after birth or adoption?
Discover the learning and career development opportunities that are available online, including the brand-new leadership development program, 'The Edge Series'.
Join ASCILITE and become a member of one of Australasia’s most vibrant professional technology enhanced learning communities, with more than 2200 members from tertiary institutions across Australia an...
Phones will be removed from all classrooms over the mid-semester break, from 23 September to 27 September.
Include an additional survey item in the Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) survey for units that are offered in Professional Term 5 (202455).
Australia’s first five-time diving Olympian, a Kiwi gymnast and the woman who taught actor Chris Hemsworth to row will be among 15 ACU students and alumni to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Para...
A message from acting Executive Dean of Theology and Philosophy Associate Professor Richard Colledge: Recently, the faculty has hosted opportunities for reflection on the possibilities for reconcilia...
Are you on your parenthood journey? A practical guide is now available to support staff, and their supervisors, through the stages of becoming a parent and transitioning back to work.
Embark on an exhilarating journey into the mysterious world of enrolments. Register to attend an enrolment information session for Semester 2, 2024.
Join upcoming online workshops in preparation for Semester 2. Secure your spot today to learn how you can utilise Canvas and its features to enhance your teaching practices.
A limitless professional horizon awaits ACU students after its three IT programs were awarded certification by the nation’s most trustworthy player in the tech sector, the Australian Computer Society.
Following evaluation and voting by a panel of ACU judges, Co-Lab is delighted to announce Thomas Clark and Xavier Chalkley as the winners of the $1000 prize for the ACU Co-Lab Social Enterprise Pitch ...
ACU Library staff will participate in professional development activities on Thursday 18 July. While away from their usual posts, they'll be working together across three locations to plan our future ...
Applications for 2024 Teaching Development Grants, Citations and Awards are open. Explore guidelines and resources to enhance your teaching project’s impact or gain recognition for your contributions.
As we sit in this small window of the winter break gearing up for Semester 2, it's important to recognise that not everyone experiences this period as downtime. For many, workloads and busy lifestyles...
This week is NAIDOC Week, an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
ACU staff who are also members with UniSuper can now access free expert medical advice and services to support their health and wellbeing through MetLife 360Health.
Visit Service Central to access Corporate Services.