This year, over 50 international education agencies and University partners from 26 countries participated in the event.

The program was designed to enable Macquarie to re-engage with valuable key partners and high potential individuals from regions of strategic importance to the University and to invigorate our relationship with them.

A considerable proportion of Macquarie’s international students comes through the agent recruitment channel. In some countries, it can be as much as 75 per cent of total student application numbers.  Macquarie International appoints and manages a network of Country Managers which shape the Global Engagement and Business Development Team. These staff members, based in Australia and offshore, manage these relationships and are also responsible for student recruitment and brand engagement in over 100 countries.

Participation by a strong contingent from Macquarie University comprising executives, senior academics, students and professional staff was considered critical to attracting the targeted partners to the conference. This investment of personnel and time by the University was to convey a strong message of commitment and intent to our valued partners. Macquarie International would like to thank all staff involved for their time and enthusiasm.

The program included expert speaker-led sessions, interactive workshops, panels and Faculty tours, and networking opportunities.

Highlights

• A corporate partner visit to Cochlear and the Australian Hearing Hub
• Interactive sessions from each faculty and the Macquarie University International College to reveal Macquarie’s unique programs, expertise, and facilities
• Opportunities to network with academics, students and professional staff over panel discussions, Q&A session and at every catering offerings
• An ‘amazing-race’ like tour around campus and a tour of the new city campus.

The conference achieved its aim to re-engage with key partners, and to showcase the unique Macquarie experience. The written feedback from the delegates and anecdotal feedback from staff was overwhelmingly positive: over 80 per cent of our agents rated the event as 5 out of 5.

The success of the event has set high expectations of Macquarie and Macquarie International will ensure that there is adequate follow up on specific conversations and actions as well as generally so that the impetus is maintained and the positive relationships developed are maintained.

“We would like to thank all participants involved who made this event such a success,” says Nicole Brigg, Pro Vice-Chancellor, International.

“This event would not have been possible without your support.”

Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce S Dowton, and a delegation of university leaders and senior academics, visited Bristol for the signing of the landmark agreement and high-level talks about potential academic collaborations.

Like Macquarie University, Bristol is a research-intensive university. The Bristol-Macquarie Cotutelle program will fully fund up to 25 postgraduates over five years, who will spend two years at each institution, resulting in a PhD from both partners.

The two universities have an established history of successful collaboration: they have co-authored more than 40 research publications since 2014 and currently partner on a thriving undergraduate student exchange program.

Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce S Dowton said the PhD partnership symbolised the global connectedness of universities and education:

“Our partnership with the University of Bristol will enable a new generation of researchers to make an even greater impact on the world, connected not only by collaborative research projects and student exchange, but by shared values and a vision of education better connecting communities and transforming lives.”

University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hugh Brady, said:

“It is a great honour to welcome Professor Dowton and colleagues to the University of Bristol today. The signing of this agreement heralds a new chapter in our successful partnership with Macquarie University and opens up a wealth of new, global opportunities for both universities.

“Bristol, like Macquarie, is a global institution and we are united in seeing internationalisation as key to addressing the challenges facing society today. The agreement is a first for Bristol – and a symbol of our commitment to developing similar partnerships with leading institutions, scholars and collaborators across the world.”

For Macquarie University, the partnership builds on more than 286 joint and Cotutelle PhD enrolments arising from agreements with 110 universities in more than 30 countries.

Interested staff are invited to apply for funding to develop undergraduate study programs that are for academic credit or a mandatory course component.

A range of options are eligible for grant funding, including semester-based study up to 12 months, short term study, practica, clinical placements, internships/mentorships and short term research. These programs can be held in any of these 38 destinations.

To date, Macquarie has received over $1.4 million in NCP funding.  Successful projects have included:

• Semester study in Pacific Writing at the University of South Pacific (Fiji)
• Semester study plus optional internship in software development and engineering at FPT University (Vietnam)
• Five-week program at Jilin University comprising language training and intensive engineering study (China)

How to apply

Applications for mobility funding in the 2017 Round are now open.  You must apply through Macquarie International for nomination by the University to the Government.

If you are interested in proposing a project, you are encouraged to:

• Consult with your Associate Dean International, PACE or MI Regional Directors
• Email Macquarie International (international.relations@mq.edu.au) for an information pack and application instructions
• Attend the NCP Information Session to be held on Thursday 7 April 2016 (click here for registration and further information)

Completed project applications must be received by 1 May 2017.

On the 3 March, Macquarie Abroad hosted a welcome back function for students who have recently returned from their exchange programs.

The night began with ice-breaker bingo, followed by speed friendship facilitated by the MacAbroad team. The vibe was electric and they took to it like ducks to water, showing off the skills and confidence gained while studying abroad. Surrounded by people they didn’t know, they clearly felt comfortable speaking to people they just met (fortunately, they did have a lot of exchange stories to talk about!)

MacAbroad presented on a range of topics including the effects of reverse culture shock – the natural feelings of boredom, restlessness, alienation, and the inability to apply new knowledge and skills. We discussed how to combat these feelings through sharing experiences with others, maintaining a lifestyle and staying ‘international’, with their fingers on the pulse and staying connected with their newly established networks. Many returned students had already signed up for the Buddies program and the MACex student group, which is a great way for them to stay engaged back on campus.

In our ‘Experience + Reflection = Learning’ session, we encouraged our returnees to reflect on their experiences, and in a segment on professional development we trained them in turning travel stories into career stories. The students were also encouraged to attend the upcoming ‘Leveraging your travel experience’ workshop we have created in conjunction with the Career and Employment Service.

Applied finance and economics student Patrick Gonzales, who spent a New Colombo Plan semester at Hong Kong University, and completed an NAB internship in Hong Kong had this to say about his exchange experience:

“The internship was a great opportunity to learn practical skills that aren’t taught in the classroom. It was my first role in an office and I gained valuable office experience. NAB also advised me to think of ‘what’s next’ in a career sense, which I hadn’t thought too much about before.”

Our awe-inspiring photo competition was a highlight of the evening, with prizes for categories including landscape/landmarks, campus pride, food glorious food and new experiences.

We wrapped the evening up with networking and pizza, before students were greeted by current inbound exchange students, to discuss studying overseas and provide advice to the ‘inbounders’ about life at Macquarie.

A HUGE thanks to the Macquarie Abroad team: Simon Tran, Sarah O’Reilly, Charlotte Cox, Stephanie Hickman, Eunice Fung, and Vince Bruin (Department of International Studies advisor), who helped make the event so successful.

Contribute your story  and help celebrate the diversity, passion and collaborative spirit of Macquarie staff.

The Vietnamese figure skating champion is one of 56 students who commenced bachelor degree study this session after successful completion of foundation programs at the Macquarie University International College.

As well as completing the Intensive Foundation Program, Anh somehow also found time to maintain a demanding training program that sees him skating  up to 24 hours per week.

With his eye firmly on admission to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences – and ultimately a career as a physiotherapist – Anh says the stress of balancing training and study was certainly worth it, and was eased by the support he found at the College.

“I would rather spend two months studying extra hard than not feeling fully prepared for university study. Macquarie University International College has definitely helped me to perform my best in both my academic and athletic life.”

College Director Jake Garman says that after all the work that has gone into establishing the College, it’s immensely satisfying to see students like Anh graduating and going on to achieve their goal of university admission.

“We’ve been greatly pleased with the successful launch of the College and the number and quality of students in this initial cohort. In particular, they have responded well to the intensive nature of the teaching terms, with our teachers commenting on how focused and motivated they’ve been.”

“Having worked so closely with academic and professional teams across the University to make their transition to degree study as smooth as possible, we’re confident these graduates will thrive.”

The College is now teaching its foundation and diploma programs out of its own space in E3A and E3B. Diploma students are scheduled to begin entering the second year of a range of undergraduate degrees from Session 2 this year.

“The role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) is an important next-step in the development of Macquarie International (MI). Much good work has been done in the past two years by Nicole as Director of MI, in rebuilding the team and returning to growth in the recruitment of international students,” says Tim.

Tim says the challenge ahead for MI will require more external engagement to achieve the University’s goals in student recruitment as well as outbound mobility. “Together with the Executive team, Nicole will manage the development of the necessary relationships with government agencies, key research universities and funding bodies, to deliver on strategies to scale up and better coordinate the University’s international academic and research collaborations.

“I congratulate Nicole and wish her continued success in this new and strategically important role.”