Evan Crandon - Southern Cross University

More than a role: How Evan is building futures with SCU

As Director of Future Students and Outreach, Evan Crandon loves that he can utilise his diverse skill-set in his role. Whether it’s promoting the university to future student cohorts or driving change to deliver better outcomes, Evan does it in truly impressive style, with the backing of his incredible team. What’s more, at Southern Cross University, Evan has found a role where he’s helping to shape lives for good.

A passion for purpose

Setting students up for incredible careers is at the heart of everything we do and no one lives and breathes this more than Evan Crandon. Evan and his team empower prospective students to find the right degree for them. And, where possible, they seek to do even more, including offering scholarships and providing additional, targeted support to first-in-family students and/or those facing significant barriers. For Evan, getting to support and encourage students in these ways is a big part of why he loves what he does.

“It’s incredibly fulfilling to see that the work we’re doing is creating real opportunities for people to pursue an education, launch a career, and ultimately make a meaningful impact in the world. We’re helping to empower them to achieve whatever they set their minds to."

As Director, Future Students and Outreach, Evan leads a team of approximately 70 full and part-time staff, focused on building relationships with schools, TAFEs and Registered Training Providers to reach prospective students across multiple touchpoints; from careers expos to campus tours, to call centre enquiries. It’s a big role, but Evan is proud to say that what they do is about a lot more than driving applications - it’s about building genuine relationships with students. Evan says his team gets to know students by name, not number, and share and celebrate their journeys throughout their time with SCU. He recounts one example which has stuck with him, when he witnessed a prospective student touring our Gold Coast campus:

“A young girl was talking to one of our lecturers in the library when she got a phone call from one of my team members. They told her she had just been awarded a $50,000 scholarship, and she just gave this absolute yell of glee. I looked over at her mum, who was standing next to her, and saw a flood of emotion; she was recognising that all those years of schooling had paid off. Those types of moments make me really excited because you can see that what we're doing is making a difference.”

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The opportunity to be more

Having joined us in 2019 as a Senior Manager, Evan has since progressed into a Director role. He notes that these kinds of opportunities are accessible to others too, all you need to do is be prepared to challenge yourself.

“I’ve been able to continue to grow here personally and professionally, and I’ve been guided by leadership at all levels. If you want advancement here, then go for it, just grab it. Talk openly to your manager about your career goals and you’ll be listened to here.”

Evan’s approach to managing his own team is based on this growth mindset. He encourages his team to recognise their potential, because he knows they can achieve more than they ever thought possible.

“I have staff members in my team who, when I first met them six years ago, were Student Ambassadors and now, they’re managing teams! If you’re working well in your role but don't feel like it’s the area you most want to advance in, there can always be different opportunities for you to grow with other work units. Once you're established here, the opportunities grow two-fold, three-fold, depending on what you want to do.”

An ideas culture

In 2023, Evan received the university’s Exceptional Service Award. It recognised his work in building a strong team culture, where new ideas can thrive and where team members are encouraged to innovate and push boundaries. This is something Evan is passionate about, and, he says, the wider university culture encourages this, too.

“I get shivers when I ask someone ‘Why do we do xyz this way? And they say ‘Because that's how we've always done it’. My staff know that we want to be approaching things differently, so we can create a better institution. You’re really rewarded here if you bring an ability to think differently.”

Evan acknowledges making the deliberate choice to step away from a business-as-usual approach isn’t always easy. But he believes in SCU’s ability to innovate, challenge and improve. And, he says, that’s exactly the type of culture he wants to be part of.

“You just have to look at how the entire university has fundamentally rewritten every course over the past few years to accommodate our innovative study model. That doesn’t happen easily at any university, including ours. But we’ve been able to do it, and we’re very proud of that. So, it’s having this culture of reflecting, reviewing, and not staying stuck in our old ways. We’re always looking to do things better.”

Evan’s advice if you’re considering a career with us?

“SCU was a great place to work when I started in 2019 and it’s even better today. I think that trajectory will just continue and it’s fun to be part of. We've got the facilities, the academic staff and the support networks for students to be world-leaders through studying here. So, if you want to be part of a team that knuckles down, drives change and does things better, then we’re the right place for you.”