As part of Charles Darwin University’s new staff induction for 2006, the Vice-Chancellor hosted a staff morning tea today, in and around the Mal Nairn Auditorium. More than 80 new staff were amongst the 110 staff and executive members who attended.
Professor Garnett and other members of the University's Executive gave an overview of the University's Strategic Directions.
The VC says she considers it very important that every member of staff has an understanding of where the University is heading, the goals it is pursuing and the stamp it wants to make on the Territory and Australia as a whole.
Professor Garnett says the University intends to be recognised internationally as a centre of excellence in Indigenous and cross cultural knowledge, tropical knowledge and desert knowledge.
“Our people win national and international awards, we have more than doubled our major research grants in the past year, and we’re attracting an increasingly high caliber of staff."
Professor Garnett says CDU’s initiatives in four crucial areas have recently been recognised by the Australian Universities Quality Agency as “best practice benchmarks” in Australian tertiary education.
AUQA commended this university for:
- The introduction of Alternative Exit Awards
- Its role in Indigenous development and commitment to valuing Indigenous people
- The establishment of the Indigenous Support Unit, Indigenous cadetships, and cross-cultural awareness training programs
- CDU’s secondary school liaison programs
“This national recognition and endorsement demonstrates that CDU is continuing to grow as the regional leader in education, research and community engagement,” the VC says.
Professor Garnett says CDU is a multi-sector education provider, able because of its size and position to offer students very personal attention, with unique pathways from school-based vocational training through to advanced research degrees.
“When I and other university leaders describe CDU as bold, innovative and dedicated to high standards, and talk about our commitment to supporting the social, cultural, intellectual and economic development of northern Australia, we are talking about every single one of our staff.
“We will reach these goals by individual achievement and commitment to personal excellence, and by working together to make it happen,” she says.