Southern Cross Matters

Each month, Southern Cross Matters is delivered to staff, sharing a Vice‑Chancellor update, campus highlights, and the latest news on our research, teaching and people.

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Professor Tyrone Carlin, Vice-Chancellor and President

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From the Vice-Chancellor

Dear Colleagues,

As I write this introduction, we have reached the winter solstice, the whales have reappeared in our part of the world as they navigate north along our magnificent coastline and we have just completed term 2 teaching.

So far in 2026, we have seen a continuation of the strong levels of student academic success and retention that we have been working so hard to support, and I’m heartened to see that demand for commencing places in Term 3 is robust indeed.

Over the past six months, so many colleagues have worked incredibly hard to ensure that major transitions like our move from “classic” blackboard to Ultra have occurred on time and to a high standard, and we know that our students are really seeing the benefits flow from this.

Similarly, even in a challenging environment, our researchers continue to be awarded significant competitive grants, publish to the highest standard and build new and deeper relationships with industry partners.

This can do attitude, coupled with a genuinely deep seated focus on excellence, pervades Southern Cross University and bit by bit, week by week, is strengthening our institution even in times of rapid change and volatility.

It seems to me that this will become an even more important aspect of our collective approach in future, and that this will help us move with urgency and impact when we elect a course of action. A great example of this highlighted in this month’s edition relates to our new, very substantially streamlined TAFE pathways.

While it is true that it has always been possible for a potential student with a TAFE qualification both to seek a place and to seek credit for prior learning, we have now found ways to generate clarity and certainty both in relation to the availability of a place and the availability of credit – before an application is even lodged.

Whilst this appears simple at the surface (and indeed is, from a prospective student perspective), it took enormous effort to bring to life – and this work was done rapidly and to a very high standard.

So many people at SCU have fantastic ideas about how we can change and innovate to drive better journeys for our students and greater impact from our research. We see the fruit borne of these ideas in every month’s edition of Southern Cross Matters and I hope that the June edition serves as a powerful reminder of how we can harness creativity to really live our purpose in the service of our community.

I hope you enjoy June’s Southern Cross Matters and I look forward to your continued feedback about topics and stories of interest for future editions.

Warm wishes,

Tyrone

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