The SES is a valuable opportunity for students to share their thoughts on their overall experience at Macquarie. The survey covers a wide range of topics, including teaching quality, learning resources, assessments, wellbeing and support services.

The 2023 SES has the potential to represent the voices of 23,708 Macquarie students, making it one of the best ways the University can hear the collective thoughts of its students. Survey outcomes give us the opportunity to listen, respond and do things better for all students.

Professor Rorden Wilkinson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), emphasises the importance of hearing directly from students. 

“The SES is an important tool for us to understand how our students are experiencing their time at Macquarie University,” he says. “It helps us make Macquarie a better place to study.

“I encourage academic staff to support this important research by actively letting students know that their voice matters and that we act upon what they tell us.”

The results of the 2023 SES will be publicly available on the QILT and ComparED websites, and national ratings will be included in The Good Universities Guide.

The most recent SES results are available via the 2022 national report.

Please encourage your students to participate in the confidential survey from 25 July to 27 August. Slides are available online to display during class. 

As part of the campaign, we have prepared a short video (above) and an infographic highlighting the key insights gathered from the 2022 survey and how we listened to the student voice.

If students have questions about the administration of the SES, they can contact the Social Research Centre on (03) 9236 8500 or via qilt@srcentre.com.au.

Professor Mariella Herberstein, Dean of Students, says: “We are assisting students in need of accommodation to find safe options. You can help these students by registering to become a home stay provider.” 

If you have a spare room that you could rent, tax free, to one of our students, please register with one of our three preferred homestay providers: the Australian Homestay Network, Auzzie Families and Homestay Network. These well established providers have a successful track record of matching students with suitable homestay accommodation.  

Homestay hosts receive a tax-free income to help cover the costs associated with hosting a student. Homestay students, in turn, gain access to safe accommodation that enables them to achieve their academic goals during their time at Macquarie. 

This week, you can also support students in need of accommodation by referring them to our Accommodation Lounge at 18 Wally’s Walk. Students can drop in any weekday between 10am and 5pm for support in finding and applying for accommodation. Commencing students can also find information on the accommodation discussion board in our orientation iLearn unit MACQ2023.  

While many of our students have already secured accommodation, coming together as a community to support those who are still searching for a suitable and safe place to live could be life changing for them. 

But despite the grandeur of Michael Egan Hall and the procession’s opulent ceremonial robes, the academic leadership was quick to impart the friendly, welcoming spirit for which Macquarie is so well known.

Joined by the four Executive Deans, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and the Dean of Students, Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton formally welcomed the students to Macquarie, inviting them to look around and realise the impact they would have on each other.

“With these people, you will build the story for the rest of your lives,” the Vice-Chancellor said. “The memories you make here will be imprinted on your minds forever.”

Sharing the story of his rural upbringing and being the first in his family to go to university, Professor Dowton implored the students to make the most of the opportunities before them.

“My parents’ pathway to a future was incomplete due to a lack of education,” he said. “Alongside the love of my parents, education is the one thing that has afforded me the privileges that I have enjoyed in my life – becoming a physician and treating children; travelling and working around the world; being a professor at Harvard and now leading this incredible community.

“It has all been possible because of education.”

Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) student Kelly (Wai Lam) Yip was one of several students who leapt at the chance to meet the Vice-Chancellor after the ceremony, having been a grateful recipient of a Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship for Academic Excellence.

“It was inspiring to hear the Vice-Chancellor talk about his personal journey,” Kelly said.

“Especially when he spoke about being a paediatrician because I’m hoping to specialise in autism in children myself. I’m so excited about the opportunities I’m going to have at Macquarie, especially with the Special Education Centre being here.”

Executive Dean of Science and Engineering, Professor Lucy Marshall, admitted she felt a small pang of envy when she thought about what lay ahead for Macquarie’s newest students.

“Commencement is a time of absolute opportunity,” she said. “We can’t wait to see you all thrive.”

Service Connect   

Service Connect is now Macquarie University’s integrated Shared Service centre. It is now the first point of contact for student enquiries, with faculty student centres now directing all enquiries to Service Connect.   

Service Connect partners with faculty Educational Services teams in providing services to students. Clear escalation points have been created where specialist faculty input or complex case management is needed.   

Service Connect is now the contact point for: 

• providing course guidance with the support of an online course guidance form and information that has been provided by each faculty 
• administering enrolments including unit enrolment, class registration, processes for special approvals (waivers) and credit overload 
• administering routine assessment enquiries for the University 
• administering special consideration requests in cases where standardised schedules have been provided by each faculty that can be applied to routine special consideration requests 
• coordinating all domestic and international student admissions and scholarships (excluding Higher Degree Research) 
• providing frontline IT services for students (and staff) through the IT Service Desk on 1800 67 4357 or +61 (2) 9850 4357, or the TechBar @ Service Connect on the ground floor of 18 Wally’s Walk. 

To get help from Service Connect, students can: 

• find answers to commonly asked questions at AskMQ 
• submit an enquiry at AskMQ  
• chat online using the Live Chat icon on the bottom right corner of the Service Connect webpage 
• call  +61 (2) 9850 6410 
• visit Service Connect on the ground floor of 18 Wally’s Walk

You will see pink signs around campus directing students to Service Connect. To help students find the support they need, you may like to download this 4:3 digital version to display in your teaching or student consultation spaces. 

Improvements to online services for students  

The new and improved eStudent and Student Payment platform was launched in October 2022. It provides easy navigation, is mobile friendly, and is more accessible for our 40,000+ students and our staff.  

The online Academic Progression Self Guidance Tool for students was released in July 2022. It was developed with students for students who want to improve their academic results. The tool links students with the resources and support identified to help them progress

Support in the Dean of Students  

The Dean of Students, Professor Mariella Herberstein, is responsible for key functions impacting student experience:  

• Student Engagement, Inclusion and Belonging – coordinates the delivery of activities that enrich the student experience, with a focus on engagement. The team works with faculties and other stakeholders to deliver key programs including first-year experience, O Week and graduations. 
• Student Wellbeing – develops and runs student wellbeing activities and services including accessibility support and wellbeing support. To access services (including on someone’s behalf), submit a care report. 
• Complaints, Appeals and Misconduct  
• Student Advocacy – to access, submit a care report (selecting advocacy) 
• Student Representative Council Governance 

Meet the leaders bringing our Student Services Delivery Model to life (This Week, May 2022)
 

The prestigious New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government initiative and scholar program that fosters connections in the Indo-Pacific by offering young Australians the chance to study and engage with the region. In addition to receiving up to $50,000 to support their participation in the study abroad program, recipients are given the opportunity to undertake a wide range of career development opportunities, including internships, mentorships and language training.

Macquarie is thrilled to have seven of its undergraduate students named among the elite cohort of New Colombo Scholars for 2023 by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Facilitated by the University’s mobility team, our students received bespoke coaching and support in applying for the highly competitive program.

Macquarie is proud to see our 2023 NCP scholars representing such a diverse range of study disciplines, with majors spanning security studies, law, political economy, and earth and environmental sciences.

Meet our 2023 New Colombo Plan Scholars

• Jackson Bradney, Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)/Bachelor of Laws, will be traveling to New Caledonia to study law at the University of Nouvelle Calédonie. Jackson will also receive language training in Kanak and French, and undertake an internship with the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Human Rights and Social Development Group in Timor-Leste.

• Nidhi Chowkira, Bachelor of Arts (Political Economy)/Bachelor of Laws, will be going to India to study law at the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru. Nidhi will also be interning with the Centre for Law and Policy Research and Infosys in India, and at the Australian High Commission and international law firms in Malaysia.

• Charlotte Greet, Bachelor of Arts (Political Economy)/Bachelor of Laws, will travel to Vanuatu to study law at the University of the South Pacific (Emalus Campus), in addition to receiving language training in Bislama and Nauruan. Charlotte will also be completing internships with the Vanuatu Women’s Centre and at the Office of Human Rights in Nauru.

• Joseph Lewellyn Mayer, Bachelor of Security Studies/Bachelor of Laws, will study international humanitarian law and anti-human trafficking at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Cambodia, as well as language training in Khmer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. Joseph is set to receive a mentorship from INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau and will undertake internships with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Australian Embassy in Cambodia and Legal Aid of Cambodia.

• Chloe Luzar, Bachelor of Science (Earth and Environmental Sciences)/Bachelor of Laws, is set to travel to Tonga to attend the University of the South Pacific. She will receive language training in Tongan to support her travels and will undertake internships with SPC in its Geoscience, Energy and Maritime Division in Tonga. Chloe will also be going to the Cook Islands for an internship with the National Environmental Service (NES) and to Samoa, where she will intern for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme and receive mentorship from one of its representatives.

• Adinda Peyra, Bachelor of Advanced Science (Earth and Environmental Sciences), will be making her way to Australia’s closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, to study in Port Moresby at the University of Papua New Guinea. She will be completing internships at the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior in Japan. Adinda is also set to complete language training in Tok Pisin, Bahasa Indonesia and Japanese.

• Claudia Wijaya, Bachelor of Arts (Political Economy)/Bachelor of Laws, will travel to Indonesia to study international law at Universitas Gadjah Mada, as well as receive training in the country’s official language, Bahasa Indonesia. She will be interning at Mitra Wacana in Yogyakarta, an organisation aimed at supporting justice and gender equality with a particular focus on women’s rights, and at LBH Masyarakat in Jakarta, a free legal aid service for underprivileged and marginalised communities. Claudia is also set to be mentored by Lia Marpaung, Gender, Disability and Social Inclusion Adviser at DFAT’s Indonesia Australia Awards.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Rorden Wilkinson explains: “Our new approach is designed to support students to make the successful transition to tertiary study. It is crucial that our commencing students feel a sense of belonging to our community right from the start. We want them to know that we are as invested in their success as they are.”

To foster this sense of belonging, our orientation and onboarding experience has been redesigned and now comprises three elements: an online pre-arrival module, a ‘kickstart’ program and a refreshed orientation week.

Orientation will now begin with ‘MACQ2023 – Your student starter guide’, an online, self-paced iLearn module that all commencing students will complete prior to the start of session. This module is a practical introduction to iLearn that also provides students with information about their academic journey, their safety and wellbeing, as well as the employability services available to them throughout their studies. Students will be able to revisit this information at any stage during their time with us.

The new Kickstart program runs from 13 to 17 February 2023, and has been designed to provide a soft landing and focused transition for our domestic and international undergraduate and postgraduate students. Kickstart will feature face-to-face and online sessions that provide our students with in-depth information that complements and builds on what they have learned from MACQ2023. This includes important messaging about expectations for academic integrity, and fostering a safe and inclusive environment, as well as practical guidance about writing at university, study techniques and important faculty-specific information.

Much of the content delivered during Kickstart will be presented by student peer educators from later years to ensure that the material is authentic and relatable. Scheduled social activities have been designed to foster connectivity and provide informal opportunities for students to learn about our campus.

Our new Orientation Week will run during the first week of Session 1, from 20 to 24 February 2023. One of the highlight events of the week will be Convocation, an official commencement ceremony held in our Graduation Hall and hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton. Other activities will include campus and library tours, a parents and carers information evening, student club stalls in the Central Courtyard, ‘speed friending’ events and a host of social activities that students can attend between classes.

Under the leadership of Dean of Students Professor Mariella Herberstein, the Macquarie Kickstart and Orientation team are engaging with key stakeholders and subject matter experts from across the institution to operationalise this new approach to orientation.

You can support Kickstart and Orientation Week by helping the team to recruit 150 current students as Student Belonging Activators. This paid position is an excellent opportunity for students to give back to the Macquarie community, develop skills and make new connections. If you know anyone suitable, encourage them to apply via our careers and employability portal Employability Connect.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton explains, “Academic integrity informs our behaviour and actions in our learning and is a fundamental component to learning, teaching, research and discovery at university. It involves using, generating, and communicating information in an ethical, honest and responsible manner.”

Our inaugural Academic Integrity Week activities and events have been designed to help us foster a positive culture of academic integrity, in and outside of the classroom. Commencing Monday 17 and finishing Friday 21 October there are multiple sessions for academic, professional and research staff to attend. We’re keeping most of the events exclusive to Macquarie University staff and students, but some are open to a wider audience and will book out quickly.

Don’t wait – register now!

This week-long promotion and celebration of academic integrity is not tokenistic, we are not doing this because we must or because it’s seen as the right thing to do. We’re investing in this important event because we are committed to fostering a culture of awareness and development that empowers all our community to become academic integrity champions.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Rorden Wilkinson, shares his view on our role in upholding integrity: “I believe that upholding academic integrity is a shared responsibility and that we have a duty to ensure it is maintained. As members of staff, we play a critical role in promoting, embedding and maintaining a culture of integrity. We build positive environments with the actions that we take, the words we use, and the engagements that we have with our students and colleagues, within and beyond the classroom. It’s our responsibility, and privilege, to provide support to our students in a way that enables them to complete their studies with integrity, connecting them with a range of support services, from practical assessment feedback to a suite of online learning modules and wellbeing support.”

The events and activities being held during this week have been designed to spark debate, share best practice, and celebrate the principles of academic integrity in our sector and wider communities. One of the highlight events garnering attention throughout the education sector is the presentation by Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s (TEQSA) Higher Education Integrity Unit. In this presentation, TEQSA representatives Associate Director Dr Lenka Ucnik and Senior Project Officer Dr Camilla Fisher will provide insights into common sector issues and advice on best practice tips.

Professor Dowton notes Academic Integrity Week is not just about Macquarie University. “We are part of an industry where academic integrity is one of the core values upon which our practice is built. A week like this, where we join with regulatory partners and other institutions, will enrich not only our immediate community but also the wider education environment.”

All Academic Integrity Week sessions will be delivered via Zoom. For full event details for each day and registration information visit our website.

Maxi is a bichon-toy poodle cross who just happens to be owned by Taleen Biberian, Macquarie’s Wellbeing Services Coordinator. For the week of R U OK? Day it feels right to spotlight Maxi’s boundless commitment to MQ students. His employment is backed by science too, with research showing canine cuddles can release oxytocin, and lower the heart rate and blood pressure.

Something you’d like staff to know about

I LOVE belly rubs, any day, any time. So I beg you to come visit.

Something you feel proud of

Following in the footsteps of the late, great Snowy, dec. 2017.

A person you admire at Macquarie, and why

Student Wellbeing staff, they do such important work supporting students. They are my real role models in this job.

What you need to do your best work

Look, it’s a truth universally accepted that a small dog, in possession of a large sleep mat, must be in want of nothing else. So, if I know said sleep mat awaits me at the end of the day… I can play and snuggle for Australia.

The coolest bit of equipment you use in your work, and what it does

My staff ID – it means I’m a real boy!

Something people usually ask you when they find out what you do for a living

Do you have the best job at Macquarie? Ahh, yup.

Something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. It strengthened my resolve to champion canine emancipation.

A favourite photo from your camera roll

The selfie published here. This year I’ve been working on my bikini selfies. #nailedit

A website or app you can’t live without

Puppr. obvs

Something you’re trying to do differently in 2022

Learning to do tricks, without treats

The Government brought in a series of reforms for Higher Education under the Job Ready Graduates Package.  One of these reforms is the  low completion rate rule, which impacts students in Commonwealth Supported places and domestic fee paying students wanting to defer their fees to a FEE-HELP loan.

Commonwealth Supported places and HELP Loans will not be available to students with a low completion rate, meaning they fail more than half their units. Once a student gets their completion rate back above 50%, they may receive their Commonwealth Supported place and/or HELP loan back – if they’re eligible.

What’s a low completion rate?

A low completion rate is a fail rate of more than 50% after a fixed number of units have been completed. For Bachelor and Masters by coursework students this is after 8 units have been completed.

A student in a Commonwealth Supported place or with a HELP loan who has failed more than 50% of their units has three options:

1. Pay the domestic student fee upfront in full
2. Transfer to a different course (checking eligibility at Undergraduate Course Transfer)
3. Apply to Withdraw from a unit without academic and financial penalty due to special circumstances if eligible. Students have until Teaching Census on 19 August to withdraw without academic and financial penalty.

Session 1 exam results were released on 7 July, and impacted students will be contacted shortly.

If your students need some reassurance or help with assignments and academic skills, please alert them to Macquarie’s free academic support:

• The Writing Centre – all you need to write clearly, express yourself and bring your ideas to life
• The Numeracy Centre – everything you need to nail your numbers
• Studiosity – 24/7 online writing and study assistance
• Macquarie University Library – that has too many resources to list here

or direct them to the Academic Progression Self Guidance Tool.

To learn more about how these changes may impact students, check out the Government’s FAQ for students.

Staff with queries can contact Gill Kirk, Executive Manager, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic – gill.kirk@mq.edu.au

Some are new additions, others are familiar faces who have for years been working in different capacities to deliver quality student services. These key appointments are the result of extensive consultations and many rounds of designs, which are intended to bring to life the Student Services Delivery Model.

Following the redesign there is a broad plan in place to ensure cohesion and common purpose following the Professional Services Transformation (PST).

Importantly, members of this group each hold pivotal student-centric roles in different portfolios so they report to different areas of the University. They will collaborate to deliver student services optimally and consistently across the institution.

The main goal of the student change proposal in 2021 was to differentiate services and support provided to students to enhance their experiences and journey through university. This was done by thinking about what administrative support services are provided to students which are delivered from a shared services centre; what services do they receive as a learner which are delivered by their Faculty; and what services might they need to support their more personalised experiences which may be delivered from the DVCA portfolio or from multiple areas working collaboratively to support students.

The long-term plans are still being designed while the group builds on earlier work scoping what the priority areas are, such as management of special consideration applications, academic progression and enhanced first year experience models.

Meet the team

The group is split into three main areas.

Student Shared Services Centre
These positions report to the Executive Director Shared Services, Maria Claudia Romero, and are part of the VPPS Portfolio.

• Dr Brad Windon, Head of Student Shared Services, oversees leading, managing and developing the strategic and operational services that support and enhance the student experience across the whole student lifecycle from Offer to Completion.
• Jason Ray, Head of Admissions and Scholarships, oversees managing the strategic and operational delivery of international and domestic admissions and scholarship services to support the University’s student admission strategic objectives.

Head of Educational Services – Faculties
These positions work closely with both the Faculty Executive Director and the Deputy Dean, Education and Employability in each of the four faculties.

• Lynn Negus, Faculty of Arts.
• Dr Stuart Upton, Faculty of Science and Engineering.
• Sandra Harrison, Macquarie Business School.
• Hayley Harris, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences.

These people will lead the Faculty’s educational and professional training across the entire student lifecycle ensuring the Faculty meets its strategic objectives.

Dean of Students
These positions report to the Dean of Students, Professor Mariella Herberstein, and are part of the DVC (Academic) portfolio.

• Melinda Chadwick, Head of Student Engagement, Inclusion and Belonging, will lead, manage and develop the strategic and operational student engagement and belonging programs and events that support and enhance the student experience.
• Penny Huisman, Head of Student Wellbeing, will lead and manage the strategic and operational University Student Wellbeing services including assessment, triage, accessibility and clinical services and case management, to enhance student experience and success.
• Kane Murdoch, Manager, Complaints, Appeals and Misconduct, will lead and manage the institutional response to student complaints, academic appeals and misconduct. Kane will commence at Macquarie on 6 June.

ON CAMPUS CONNECTION

The team meets regularly to collaborate on the design of student services and support, connecting up either remotely or on different corners of the campus. The Heads of Educational Services will remain located with their faculties, however from the end of June many of the team will find a new home in 18 Wally’s Walk alongside other professional service areas at the heart of the campus.

Pictured above: Group Shot – Dr Stuart Upton, Lynn Negus, Jason Ray, Dr Brad Windon, Melinda Chadwick, Penny Huisman. Inset top – Sandra Harrison. Inset bottom – Hayley Harris.