Give The Horse Its Head For A Solid Foundation

Newcastle Herald

Saturday March 31, 2007

Nicholas Saunders

The university should talk up its achievements, says Nicholas Saunders.

OVER the past 12 months, the University of Newcastle's achievements have raised both our profile and that of the Hunter and Central Coast communities, nationally and internationally.

We had great success in teaching and research, we excelled on the sporting field and in the arts, and we expanded our teaching activities in Singapore and elsewhere in the world.

Through research, teaching and learning, and working with our communities, the university has strived to achieve and deliver more for our students and partners. Our new strategic plan, titled Building Distinction, positions the university to maintain this momentum through five key themes: professional education, research excellence, indigenous collaboration, community engagement and organisational strength.

Guided by our new strategic direction, the university has also focused on how we communicate as an organisation.

For advice we turned to the communities who have helped shape who we are today and define where we are going. We conducted interviews, surveys and workshops with local employers, media representatives, government, careers advisers, international agents, prospective students and graduates, and our staff and current students.

The overwhelming message from all of our communities is that we need to speak up about our achievements. For too long we have been seen as the quiet achiever.

The University of Newcastle continues to be the university of first choice for students living locally and from Port Macquarie and the Central Coast. Our students are attracted to the comprehensive range of degree programs, the higher-than-average graduate starting salaries, as well as strong employment prospects.

The university offers students the opportunity to take advantage of all of the best Newcastle has to offer, while preparing for their career. Combining education and career with a great lifestyle is a key strength for the University of Newcastle.

We have a significant number of successful partnerships with the community delivered from different parts of the university. Research has shown that in the absence of a clear, united message, parts of the community are unaware of our role in these collaborations. Our new image paves the way for us to strengthen our relationship with the community using one voice.

A strong and coherent image is important for the University of Newcastle in an increasingly competitive sector. Other universities are actively marketing in our region. We need to inform prospective students what we stand for and why they should choose to study with us.

The University of Newcastle has a history of achievement in a constantly changing environment. We are a university that is willing to challenge the status quo. Our refreshed image recognises that education is about achieving, through academic, teaching and research success; and preparing students for achievement in whatever field they choose.

Achievements and challenging the status quo underpin the university's position, values and personality. A refreshed visual identity, including a modernised logo, has been developed to help communicate them.

Since 1965, the university emblem has been a seahorse. Over the years, it has had strong loyalty with our alumni, staff and the local community. The original symbol was a mythical seahorse, based on the naval coat of arms of Lieutenant John Shortland, the first European discoverer of Newcastle.

The university has updated its seahorse with a bolder, more contemporary design. The seahorse looks back to our heritage and the history of Newcastle, and it looks ahead, recognising our status as one of Australia's most forward-looking universities. Look closely and you will see both the shape of the horse's head and the waves of the sea.

The community will first see the new identity as part of an important fund-raising campaign for the University of Newcastle Foundation. Starting on Monday, the foundation campaign aims to increase the number and range of scholarships we can offer students.

The foundation hopes that through the fund-raising campaign we will be able to increase the support we can provide to students.

The foundation's fund-raising campaign would not have been possible without the generous support of The Herald and NBN. They have combined their resources to support the university through a campaign that recognises the value of scholarships to our students and to our region.

The University of Newcastle's new identity acknowledges our heritage but also, importantly, looks ahead to a strong and vibrant future.

Professor Nicholas Saunders is vice-chancellor of the University of Newcastle. A magazine detailing the aims and achievements of the university's Foundation will be published with Thursday's Herald.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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