ACDS Update from the President Posted in Featured, News on September 2, 2024 by Glenda Key. Below are some updates from the Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS), including: Welcome to new Deans of Science Welcome to Sujana Adapa, who has been appointed as the Interim Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law at The University of New England, replacing Birgit Loch. For your reference, the current list of ACDS Member Institutions and Deans (or equivalent) is available here. Welcome to new members of the ACDS Executive Welcome to Jacqui Ramagge, Executive Dean, UniSA STEM, who has been appointed as a co-opted member of the ACDS Executive, also replacing Birgit Loch. Congratulations Congratulations to Birgit Loch, previous Executive Dean, Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law at The University of New England, who has been appointed as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching and Executive Dean, Institute of Education, Arts and Community, at Federation University. Congratulations also to Coral Warr, previous Associate Dean Research and Industry Engagement at La Trobe University, who has been appointed as Pro Vice Chancellor (Graduate and Global Research), La Trobe University. National scene The big news this week has been the announcement from the Minister of Education, the Honorable Jason Clare MP, the Minister for Home Affairs et al, the Honorable Tony Burke MP and the Acting Minister for Skills and Training, Senator the Honorable Murray Watt, that, subject to the passage of legislation before parliament, the government will set a National Planning Level for new international student commencements of 270,000 for the calendar year 2025. For publicly funded universities, the managed growth approach, in aggregate, will result in around 145,000 new international student commencements in 2025, which is around 2023 levels. There are some exclusions, including HDR students and students that are part of an Australian transnational education arrangement or a twinning arrangement. It is going to be a busy time over the coming months as we all work to understand the impact of this on each of our universities and Science Faculties. It was delightful to see the recent release of the National Science Statement and the National Science and Research Priorities. It was even more delightful to get a sneak peek at these during Cathy Foley, Australia’s Chief scientist’s presentation at the recent ACDS Research Forum, hosted by La Trobe University (see below)! The National Science Statement says: Through science and innovation, Australia will develop new industries that drive a dynamic economy, provide well paid jobs, improve our quality of life, preserve our unique environment and build a future made in Australia. This will be achieved through five imperatives: 1. Australian scientists, science institutions and infrastructure shaping Australia’s future 2. Science at the centre of Australian industry 3. A diverse, skilled workforce to underpin the translation of science into new industries 4. Embracing science to drive Australia’s regional and global interests 5. A science system prepared for future challenges The National Science and Research Priorities are: transitioning to a net zero future supporting healthy and thriving communities elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ knowledge systems protecting and restoring Australia’s environment building a secure and resilient nation. Last week, I attended the Australian Financial Review’s annual Higher Education Summit. It included much discussion and debate about the purpose and future of universities in Australia, with positive commentary referencing the contribution universities make to society, the resilience and optimism of individuals, the economic benefit of international student education beyond research (e.g. opportunities for underprivileged domestic students) and beyond universities (e.g. local communities), the value and impact of research on the community and the country, and the benefits and risks of differentiating universities in Australia. This was balanced by concerns about declining public trust in universities, the future of international education and the risks this presents to Australia, unclear implementation plans for the Universities Accord, National policy environment and policy flip-flops, and Research funding as a % of GDP. It was wonderful to celebrate National Science Week through a range of inspiring activities last week. Our Executive Director, Dr Tony Willis, represented the ACDS at the Parliamentary Friends of Science event at Parliament House, and the Australian Chief Scientists Government Scientists Group STEM Expo, also at Parliament House. Upcoming ACDS events ACDS Annual Conference The Annual Conference of the ACDS will be held in Canberra at the ANU on Tuesday and Wednesday the 22nd and 23rd of October 2024, for Science Deans and their leadership teams (e.g. Associate Deans). We have an impressive line-up of speakers, including Sharath Sriram (CEO Science Technology Australia), Tanya Monro (Chief Defence Scientist) and Doug Hilton (CEO CSIRO). The conference dinner will be held at the National Museum of Australia. In the next few weeks, we will share an outline of the program and open up registrations. Looking forward to seeing you there! ACDS Australian Conference on Science and Maths Education (ACSME) 2024 18-20 September, University of Canberra More details are available on the ACSME web pages. ACDS Roadshows Our ACDS Executive Director, Tony Willis, is organising to visit mainland states or territories this year to conduct workshops (alongside members of the Executive) and meet fellow ACDS member Deans and their leadership teams. Following successful workshops in Perth (30 May) and Melbourne (1 August) (see below), further workshops are planned in Brisbane (30 August), Sydney (23 September), Adelaide (18 November) and Canberra (Date TBC). I hope that as many of you as possible can attend these events and support your Associate Deans also to attend. Please contact Anthony Willis tony.willis@acds.edu.au for further information. ACDS Research Network Discussion Forums A number of online discussion meetings of the ACDS Research Leaders Network are being held in 2024. These meetings are convened by John Bartlett and run by a wonderful team of Associate Deans Research. Three discussion meetings have already been held and we are looking forward to the remaining two as scheduled below. 4th Online Discussion Forum (Topic/speakers tba) – Friday 20 September (12:00 AEST) 5th Online Discussion Forum (Topic/speakers tba) – Thursday 31 October (12:00 AEDT) Stay tuned for further details. Recent ACDS events ACDS Teaching and Learning Leaders Forum 2-3 July at UNSW More than 40 Associate Deans (Teaching and Learning) and science education leaders from 24 universities attended the annual ACDS Teaching and Learning Forum in July. The Forum was centred on the theme of working together. Many contemporary challenges such as assessment and AI, the role of practical learning, the increasing diversity of the student body and the need to prepare students for careers in and outside science are best approached by sharing good practice and learning from others’ initiatives and programs. These issues are complex and ADEs discussed their need for time and resources to address them effectively. Over the next year, we will trial online discussions that focus on current issues and how we can support and mentor each other. A summary of the conference with links to slides from the presentations is here. Thank you to Susan Howitt (ACDS T&L Centre Director) and Alison Beavis (UNSW) for organising this conference. Some highlights from the meeting include: Early year science courses often have higher fail rates than other disciplines so we need to better understand our student body and ensure that teaching is appropriate; Career preparation and advice are best embedded throughout the degree; while learning science develops many essential skills, we can better support students so they are aware of what they are gaining and how these skills might be applied elsewhere; Generative AI is rapidly improving and we must alter our assessment practices to ensure that students use and evaluate AI appropriately and that the integrity of our degrees is not compromised; Practical experience is essential to a science degree, meeting learning outcomes that are difficult to replicate online or in lectures. The face-to-face experience also provides an opportunity for more authentic and secure assessment as lab reports are readily generated by AI. ACDS National Research Forum 30-31 July at La Trobe University The annual ACDS National Research Forum was attended by 45 delegates from 26 universities, including me. The forum focussed on the challenges and opportunities in leading university science research. A summary of the forum is here. Thank you to John Bartlett (ACDS National Research Network Director) and Glenda Key (ACDS Information and Communications Manager) for organising this conference. Some highlights from the meeting included: We heard that the Australian Academy of Science is developing a 10 year plan for science. Its President, Chennupati Jagadish, suggested that the Deans of Science have a responsibility to inspire students in science and equip people with the skills required for the future. A panel session discussed the need to balance research translation and impact with research excellence. Could the ACDS share ideas on how to measure and value both? Another panel session discussed the ADR role across Australia. Could the ACDS help to shape this leadership role? The Chief Scientist of Australia, Cathy Foley, challenged the Deans of Science to see things from a government perspective (science does not win votes). We need to be clear on what we can control (research topics, research assessment, evidence vs opinion, equity, diversity & inclusion in science). Jane Fitzpatrick (CEO of the Australian National Fabrication Facility) described a new front door to NCRIS facilities: https://riconnected.org.au/. Deans of Science are encouraged to make the most of this. ACDS Roadshows As noted above, our ACDS Executive Director, Tony Willis, has organized ACDS Roadshows in Perth(May) and Melbourne (August) (30 May in Perth and 1 August Melbourne). They have been well attended by representatives of different universities in each state and a wide range of topics have been raised for the ACDS to consider. Members have appreciated the opportunity to share their concerns and ideas, meet each other in a relaxed setting and to gain a deeper understanding of how the ACDS is supporting their work. ACDS Research Network Discussion Forums As mentioned above, the ACDS Research Leaders Network has held three Discussion Forums this year. The first forum was held on March the 22nd and focused on Mentoring and development of EMCRs and EMCAs. The second forum on the 2nd of May focused on Building a Positive Research Integrity Culture – How is Research Integrity Managed in our Institutions. The third forum was held on June the 7th and focused on Assessing Research Quality and Impact – how do different institutions assess these, and what metrics are used to calibrate “success”? ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre webinars The following webinars were held in August: Assessment community of practice – Thursday 22 August, 1-2pm AEST, and Indigenous science community of practice – Thursday 22 August 4-5pm AEST
