Image: 2024 ACT NAIDOC award. Photo credit: ANU

The exceptional ANU College of Business and Economics Student Support team has received the 2024 ACT NAIDOC Award for Non-Indigenous organisation's Contribution to the Indigenous community for their work in delivering the ANU Management Program for Indigenous public servants since 2021. 

Leading to a Graduate Certificate in Management, the program provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees of the Australian Public Service (APS) with a foundation of knowledge, skills and applications across management disciplines within an evidence-based management framework and helps build capability for a long-term APS career. 

Learn more: ACT NAIDOC award 

Image: Typewriter. Photo credit: Amanda Cox and Nic Vevers.

Not many people will read your PhD thesis, but if you completed your doctoral research at the ANU College of Science, then Tabitha Carvan has probably read one small part of it. What she found is a kind of poetry in the science.  

Inspired by the hundreds of acknowledgements she read, Tabitha and her colleagues in the ANU College of Science Communications Team crafted a beautiful multimedia essay, alongside a heartwarming video exploring this phenomenon. 

Be part of ANU community initiatives  

ANU Green is a program that seeks to embed environmental sustainability into the fabric of ANU. Two programs work towards these goals: Dhaagun Environmental Management Plan and ANU Below Zero. Want to get involved? Join the ANU Green Network and the ANU Buy Nothing Group, sign up for volunteer opportunities and follow ANU Green on Instagram and Facebook.   

ANU as a living lab  

If you would like to use ANU as a living lab for your current or upcoming research programs in climate adaptation and the energy transition, contact us to discuss how our team can assist or visit our website.  

Reduce your carbon footprint by taking One Small Step  

One Small Step is an app that helps users choose sustainable options simply and easy with fun and engaging challenges. Take climate action now with ANU and Canberra-specific resources, making change even easier. 

Want more? We’ve compiled a list of several opportunities where you can work with others to generate lasting, positive change.   

Thursday 1 August, 1-2.30pm 

Join our Landscape and Conservation team for a native planting session to enhance our campus biodiversity, create habitat and improve water runoff into Sullivan’s Creek. Drop by the garden bed between Sullivan's Creek and the College of Law carpark for the whole session or just for a little while. Form connections with new people and make a lasting impact on our campus environment. Bring your green thumb – we'll supply the rest.  

Register now: Planting session 

Wednesday 7 August, 12.30pm 

Learn or polish your minute taking skills. Minutes play an important role in meetings. They can be a reference, a summary or evidence. In this workshop learn how to plan, structure, record and finalise quality minutes. You will also learn the ANU writing style used in your everyday work life.  

Register now: Minute taking workshop 

Thursday 1 August, 5.30-7pm 
 
The Global Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health by Maria Tanyag from the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs examines everyday inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights and the failure to address these rights in crisis settings. Building on the book's findings, a panel of speakers will reflect on why sexual and reproductive health and rights remain so contested.  

Register now: The Global Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Health 

Friday 26 July, 12-1pm 

Over a decade’s worth of discussions on the ethical and legal implications of AI-enabled weapons systems have yielded limited results. As technology advances, debates increasingly treat moral agency as a technical issue, neglecting the human aspect and creating blind spots in understanding moral responsibility. This lecture by the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs will deep dive into the topics of AI, automation and the future of war.  

Register now: AI, weapons and morals lecture 

Tuesday 30 July, 6-7.30pm 

Join Synthetic Biology Australasia for a seminar and panel discussion to explore how Australia can leverage its SynBio research impact to foster new biotechnology companies. We'll discuss biotech development, national capabilities and regulatory frameworks. Gain insights on the implications of international biotech advancements for Australia's biotech sector. 

Register now: SynBio seminar 

Thursday 1 August, 5.30-7pm 

Nick Cheesman will be in conversation with Tamara Jacka about her new book, Ginkgo Village: Trauma and Transformation in Rural China, which draws on ethnographic and life-history research to provide an original and powerfully intimate bottom-up perspective on China’s recent tumultuous history. 

Register now: Ginkgo Village 

Video: 2024 ANU Reconciliation Lecture. Credit: ANU TV.

On 18 July, the 2024 ANU Reconciliation lecture was delivered by Ms Selina Walker a Ngunnawal woman, emerging elder, and proud granddaughter of Senior Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Agnes Shea OAM. Ms Walker spoke about reconciliation as a young human rights movement that requires shared accountability and knowledge to achieve true reconciliation. 

At this year's lecture, Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell also announced the winner for the Vice-Chancellor’s Reconciliation Award – Professor Steven Roberts, Dean, ANU College of Business and Economics. Under Professor Roberts leadership, ANU has made significant progress towards reconciliation. His work towards the University’s Reconciliation Action Plan has seen an increase in the average headcount of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the College of Business and Economics. Professor Roberts has also engaged professional and academic staff through the Indigenous Trainee program.

Watch the full lecture here. 

Thank you to our community who participated in the University's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) review. We received nearly 900 eform submissions from staff, students and alumni. 

The feedback will be overseen by a diverse working group that includes broad representation from across ANU. This group will ensure that the review is thorough and inclusive, taking into account the valuable feedback from our University community. The findings of the review, including consolidated feedback, will be presented to the ANU Council for consideration on 9 August 2024. We will keep our community updated.

Our FAQs will continue to be updated. For information related to the encampment, visit our ANU website.

ANU is excited to announce that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with University Preschool Childcare Centre (UPCCC) and Heritage Early Childhood Centre (Heritage) to deliver high-quality childcare in brand-new facilities on the University’s campus from January 2025.

The UPCCC and Heritage proposals have received letters of support from the two other current ANU childcare providers on the University campus, Acton Early Childhood Centre (AECC) and Cubby House on Campus.

Earlier this year, ANU announced it would construct two new childcare facilities to replace four heritage-listed cottages currently being used for childcare on campus.

ANU, UPCCC, Heritage, AECC and Cubby are committed to ensuring the continuity of high-quality, safe and sustainable childcare on the University’s campus.

ANU will now continue to work exclusively with UPCCC and Heritage to finalise an agreement for the two childcare providers to move into the new facilities. 

Read more: Latest childcare developments

Learn more: Childcare FAQs

It has been fantastic to see many staff members utilising the school holidays and non-teaching period to take a well-deserved break.   

Planned leave is essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance, offering rest and rejuvenation that can enhance productivity and creativity, helping to prevent burnout and exhaustion from prolonged periods working without a break. Please take the time to discuss any leave plans with your supervisor. The University calendar sets out key semester dates that can assist you in planning to take a break. We would like to thank all staff members for engaging with this initiative as it supports and promotes a positive work-life balance and the University’s financial health.    

There have been a number of updates made to the ANU late withdrawal due to special circumstances policy and procedure that come into effect from Semester 2, 2024 (for applications submitted after 22 July 2024). We encourage you to familiarise yourself with the updated policy, procedure and webpage before providing advice regarding late withdrawal to ANU students. If you have any questions regarding these updates, please contact the Academic Standards and Quality Office (ASQO) at specialwithdrawal.asqo@anu.edu.au.

Located in the bush capital of Australia, ANU provides staff a unique opportunity to be close to nature on campus and it is not uncommon to encounter native fauna. While most of these interactions are positive, there has been an increased number of reports regarding swooping birds, which can pose potential for injury. Due to this, it is important to be aware of the reasons why birds swoop and how to reduce swooping.  

Read more: How to avoid swooping birds on campus

Would you like help with large class delivery options, assessment and feedback strategies, active learning in lectures, or accessible learning content? The CLT Education Design Team is offering one on one consultations with a goal of enhancing ANU teaching practices and student learning experiences. Receive practical solutions to your teaching needs today.  

Book a 30-minute consultation. 

The ANU College of Science Brooke Bushfire Research Fund has been established in memory of Peter Brabazon Brooke, who died in the 2003 Canberra bushfires, and all victims of bushfires in Australia. The fund provides research grants of up to $100,000 to support and broaden bushfire research at ANU. Applications from all areas of the University are encouraged. 

Submissions close Sunday 11 August.  

Learn more: Brooke Bushfire Research Fund  

The International Day of Friendship is an opportunity to reflect on the meaningful relationships that transcend borders, cultures and ideologies. People and Culture invite teams to organise a morning tea in your area on Tuesday 30 July and offer free goodie bags to help your team celebrate.  

Learn more: International Day of Friendship 

The annual Australia and the World symposium is designed to spark interdisciplinary conversations between scholars on the major issues confronting Australia and foster future research and publications. This year's symposium, Still Lucky? 60 years since Donald Horne's scathing critique, on Wednesday 13 November invites submissions from all academic disciplines that explore an aspect of the Australian experience over the decades since Horne's 1964 publication, The Lucky Country.  

Abstract submissions are due by Friday 30 August.

Learn more: Australia and the world symposium 

ANU is pleased to announce pilot English Language Intensive Courses for overseas students (ELICOS) in partnership with the University of Canberra and University of Canberra College. This ELICOS pilot program provides another pathway for new international students who have received an ANU offer of admission, conditional on meeting our English language requirements. This program is now open for applications, with the first intake due to commence in November this year.   

Learn more: ELICOS program 

Researchers in the ANU College of Health and Medicine and the Black Dog Institute are testing a resource to see if it can help parents and carers better support the mental health needs of their children. If you are a parent or carer of a 5–17-year-old and live in Australia, please consider participating. 

Learn more: Parents for mental health research 

Discover the latest privacy related news and advice with the ANU Library privacy update. Learn about recordkeeping, streamlining privacy assessments, phishing warnings, privacy awareness week and national privacy news.  

Read more: ANU privacy update 

Introducing: Skills coach – resilience 

Over the coming months People and Culture will share some fun and fast development courses via Culture Amp. Each online skills coach course takes less than five minutes per day to learn practical skills you can begin to apply from the get-go. This week we’re looking at resilience.  

Essential resilience module: All staff 

Resilience skills help you to bounce back, adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty. Learn and practice tools to increase your physical, emotional and cognitive resilience. 

Resilience module: People managers 

Practice the art of building a resilient, adaptive, flexible team. Resilient teams can bounce back, adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty. Practice tools to increase your team’s physical, emotional and cognitive resilience. 

Log into Culture Amp using your U-number email and your single-sign-on (SSO) password. For any queries please email HRD.Development@anu.edu.au. 

If you are dealing with a personal or work-related issue, including distress related to the conflict in the Middle East, the University encourages you to seek support through the Employee Assistance Program.

If you need to support a student in distress, please refer to this guide that was developed by the Student Safety and Wellbeing team.