Taking leave is vital for our wellbeing and has significant financial benefits for ANU. If every employee took just one extra day of leave, it could save the University around $2.7 million. This means it’s in everyone’s power to help improve our bottom line and put us on a sustainable footing for the future.

The December/January period is a great time to take leave as work activity at ANU is minimal. You can take advantage of the public holidays to expand your time to rest, recharge, and see family and friends.

Taking leave requires teamwork, clear coverage plans, and effective delegation to ensure everyone can take necessary breaks. Talk to your supervisor or your HR representative if you want to know more about how to manage your leave.

As part of our efforts to improve the University’s financial sustainability, we have set up a taskforce that will focus on reducing non-salary expenses, such as travel and software licensing. Please read here for more information.

Wednesday 23 October, 5.30-7.30pm

Join the College of Business and Economics and Professor Lisa Cameron for a public lecture and Q&A on how economic development has impacted the daily lives of millions in China and Indonesia.

Register now: Unprecedented economic growth

Thursday 24 October, 5.30-6.30pm

Join Honorary Associate Professor Conrad Burden for a public lecture on the significance of mathematical models in population genetics. Discover how these models help us understand the random occurrence of mutations within the genome sequence.

Register now: The mathematics behind population genetics

Thursday 24 October, 9am-3.30pm 

Join this full-day symposium to hear from international experts and leading voices on environment, health, and traditional cultural practices. Gain insights into how Indigenous Cultural Knowledges are essential for maintaining balance between human, animal, and environmental systems for optimal health.

Register now: The interlink between health, environment and Traditional Ways

Thursday 24 October, 10.30am-12.30pm

ANU Communications and Engagement will be holding a free media training session for academic staff. This session will provide tips and techniques to make your research more engaging and accessible to a general audience. You will learn how to identify newsworthy angles and ways to increase the visibility of your research. The training will also offer advice on interviews, media releases, and targeted media approaches.

Register now: Media training session

Friday 25 October, 9-10.30am

In this webinar, Dr Mike O'Sullivan from the University of North Carolina examines the varieties of, and challenges to, Muslim private banking in colonial and postcolonial South Asia.

Register now: Before Islamic finance

Friday 25 October, 12-1pm

Join Dr Andrew Carr from the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs for a compelling exploration of the Case Method—a teaching approach that combines interactive learning with scholarly excellence and can transform your humanities and social science courses.

Register now: Workshop on Case Method teaching at ANU

Sunday 3 November, 7.30pm - 8.30pm 

Join Rory Stewart, co-presenter of the popular podcast The Rest is Politics, for a candid discussion covering political crises, current global affairs, and his bestselling book, Politics on the edge.  

ANU On Campus staff readers will enjoy a 20 per cent discount on ticket prices, which will be automatically applied at checkout using the link provided below. 

Register now: Politics on the edge an evening with Rory Stewart

Blue Tree Project   

Have you noticed the blue tree on campus alongside Sullivans Creek? The Blue Tree Project is designed to initiate crucial conversations and encourage individuals to speak up about their mental health concerns. Learn about the University's own Blue Tree Project. 

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Expo Three – Innovation Space 

Join us for next week’s Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Expo on Thursday 24 October, 10am-3pm at the Innovation Space on 35 Science Road, featuring stalls from internal and external vendors, plus a raffle with fantastic prizes. Don’t forget to visit this week’s expo on Thursday 17 October at Yukeembruk Village Hall. 

Yoga x Kambri 

Set on the Marie Reay Superfloor, this event offers participants a chance to connect with their bodies and enhance mindfulness before exam week. Yoga x Kambri includes two sessions on 28 and 30 October, 1-2 pm. Aimed at promoting physical health, mental wellbeing, and community engagement among all ANU students and staff. Registration closes Sunday 27 October.

Learn more: Health, Safety and Wellbeing Month

ANU staff who have migrated to Microsoft 365 OneDrive should be advised of changes being made to cloud storage allocation limits. In the week commencing 21 October, ITS will be updating the default and maximum storage limits for staff OneDrives to 50GB (default) and 1 TB (maximum).  

Staff are advised to check their usage and consider a spring clean of their OneDrive if they are nearing the default limit. For advice on cleaning up your drives contact records@anu.edu.au.

More storage space can be requested via the ANU Service Desk: Storage Limit increase request.

Are you utilising AI or considering its use in scholarly publishing? The ANU Library has recently updated its guide on Artificial Intelligence, with a new section that highlights the challenges of using AI in academic articles.

Learn more: AI: Scholarly publishing and best practice

The Leadership in Practice program is the University’s premier leadership course aimed at enhancing the leadership skills of people managers. This intensive development course brings together a diverse group of academic and professional managers from across the University. Grounded in evidence-based research, the program will help you develop the skills needed to handle difficult conversations, recognise staff achievements, manage reactions to change, delegate tasks effectively and set inspiring goals.

Register now: Leadership in Practice program

Have you done your tax return this year? Do you still have questions for this tax season? Get your questions answered by our students – who are supervised by tax professionals. Make a confidential and free appointment now. Tax season ends on 31 October 2024, so don't delay.

Learn more: ANU Tax Clinic Appointments

Australia’s universities lead in global research, making them targets for intellectual property theft. Protecting your research is essential. Be cautious of unsolicited collaboration requests, especially in sensitive research areas. Invitations to conferences or access to your data could be attempts to misuse your work. Conduct due diligence on research partners and report concerns. Stay vigilant to safeguard your research and its impact. 

For further information and resources, please visit the new SharePoint site dedicated to research security. 

If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to ciso@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.