VC message: North Star

Hi everyone,

Last week I got to spend time in the newly forming ANU College of Systems and Society at a happy event, celebrating our Kim Jackson scholars in the School of Engineering with alumna, Kim Jackson herself. It was an excellent moment to acknowledge our amazing students, faculty, staff and alum, and to dream a little bit about the future we are all making together. Very cool.

Yesterday morning, I returned to the College again to see my extraordinary colleagues and friends in the School of Cybernetics, the school I helped co-found in 2020. I wish it had been a happier visit because I am so proud of them and their work and the culture they have built and continue to nurture there. Over the weekend, the four-month negative media campaign attacking our university turned to the ANU College of Systems and Society, naming individual staff. The hurt and harm these types of articles cause to individuals is distressing, as is the harm it causes to reputation which can impact attracting further talent, investment and funding streams. ANU is being portrayed as a place that isn’t what I know it to be, or what its purpose is as the national university and I also want to thank and acknowledge the colleagues and students who continue to support ANU.

In these moments it can be hard to know what to say or do or how to respond – but how we turn up matters. We have to navigate some of the most challenging issues faced by any organisation - balancing financial stability with our mission and long-term prosperity - and we each play a role in how we turn up for ourselves, our teams and our entire community to make this period as manageable as possible.

I often think about the people who helped found the ANU and what propelled them forward. Some people have asked me why I would stay in a job that has such intense pressure and scrutiny, unlike anything that my predecessors ever faced. And the honest answer is, I fundamentally believe in ANU and the better future we are creating here.  I remain committed to doing my best for our national university and showing up each and every day and I know that is a shared commitment across campus.  

Our purpose, our north star, our grounding truth is clear and unchanged from the original ANU Act, enshrined in Federal legislation. The Act makes clear our obligations, first among them: advancing and transmitting knowledge by undertaking research and teaching of the highest quality, for Australia, Australians and those who come to us from overseas. And that is what we do and will continue to do. I am proud every day of the work and impact ANU has for Australia and the world.

It is hard to ignore the broader contexts in which we are operating – a looming federal election and a growing complexity of geo-political forces impacting us here in Australia. We have had the first termination of funding from the United States. We are committed to supporting our researchers and the work we do here, in all the ways we can.

I know there are questions from our community across a spectrum of topics and I encourage you to take the time to gather the facts. If you haven’t done so already, please read the ANU Renew documents, attend one of the Townhalls hosted by Rebekah and Jonathan (and ask questions and give feedback!) or get in touch with me directly at vc@anu.edu.au.

Genevieve