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Sarah enjoys Global Opportunities role
For 27-year-old Sarah Macdonald, her new job at the University of the Sunshine Coast couldn’t be a better fit.
The former UK resident, who gained her business degree in Bristol from the University of the West of England, is the new coordinator of USC’s Global Opportunities (GO) program.
Now responsible for preparing USC undergraduates for exchanges at 70 partner universities across Europe, Asia and America, Mrs Macdonald said she was looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s exciting to be involved in an award-winning program which gives Sunshine Coast students such an excellent opportunity to broaden their experiences and learn in other cultures,” she said.
“I moved to Australia six years ago after meeting my husband, who is from the Sunshine Coast, when he was backpacking in the UK.
“I started at USC International more than three years ago, assisting in English language testing, and most recently worked in admissions.
“International education is now Australia’s third largest export. USC is saying goodbye to almost 50 students for Semester 1 this year and we’re already promoting overseas study destinations for Semester 2.”
Founding GO coordinator Liani Eckard has moved to a new recruitment and marketing role within USC International, aiming to attract more students from overseas to the Sippy Downs campus.
Ms Eckard, who built the GO program over six years, said it had gained strong financial support from the University and the Federal Government, with grants, scholarships and loans available to eligible students.
It has won state and national awards, including last year’s $10,000 Australian Learning and Teaching Council citation for Ms Eckard.
“We are now the leading institution in Queensland in terms of percentages of graduates who spent part of their degree studying overseas,” she said.
Ms Eckard, who has just returned from a recruitment project in Germany, said the most rewarding aspect of the GO program had been seeing the enthusiasm and new skills of USC students who had studied in a foreign country.
“Now I’m getting similar rewards with happy International students who have been recruited to come to Sippy Downs,” she said.
— Julie Gatehouse