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Successes of staff are mounting
15 August 2009
The reputation of every university, wherever in the world of universities it is located, depends on the quality and commitment of staff for the advancement of its status, more than any other variable. The conduct of and support for teaching and research are of course paramount. When USC is measured in this way it is beginning to be ranked, with respect to teaching, as amongst the leading universities in this country.
Research performance is also improving rapidly, but as would be expected for still so young a university, we still have a long way to go to match the leaders.
In teaching, we are among the pacesetters and for most people who attend universities, it is the calibre of the staff and the quality of teaching that determines how they as students rank their experiences.
From the personal contacts, the letters and the emails that I receive, I know that so many students have found university study here, a life-changing experience. That in itself brings us a great deal of satisfaction.
However, it is the independent evaluations of USC that matter most in the sector as a whole.
In that respect, the outcomes of recent weeks have provided important evidence about the experiences of students, and the quality of our staff.
First there were the six Australian Learning and Teaching citations for staff – the most prestigious of all the independent accolades. A truly outstanding result.
Then, within the last week there was the Good Universities Guide which confirmed USC as the only public university in Queensland to obtain 5 stars for the quality of our Teaching. Related to this in the Guide is the 5 star rating for the academic qualifications of our staff.
Despite the difficult funding environment we are intent on trying as best we can, to improve the conditions for staff and the levels of support given to them to gain external recognition of their teaching and research in this way.
No-one acknowledges more, the importance of staff to the success of a university and to the advancement of its region, than this University. Success breeds success and we are intent on the pursuit of even more progress in teaching and research in the years ahead.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of the Sunshine Coast.