On May 11, RMIT’s Top 100 attended their second Executive Leadership Forum (ELF) for the year. The focus of this ELF was Improving Graduate Futures & Careers (otherwise known as ‘the GFC’, one of RMIT’s top priorities).
Executives were asked what their priorities were going into the session and what their main ‘takeaways’ were.
Building Bridges Under Fire
Thanks to the many of you who’ve been in contact since the QS rankings hit the newsstands – the question most often asked being ‘What does QS stand for?’ ‘Quite Something’ or perhaps ‘Quality Species’? Both suitable summations of our DSC results!
For those still trying to decode the mysterious ‘QS’, the actual meaning of the acronym is Quacquarelli Symonds – a global company that identifies excellence and diversity among 2000 of the world’s leading higher education institutions.
This week we’ll be expecting the 2014 results for OSI (Overall Student Satisfaction Index) and GTS (Good Teaching Scores) – the ballot boxes are being emptied, the votes counted, the territory redrawn…
During this commemorative period, I’ve been browsing a new history of the Canadian Forces in WW1 by the incorrigible J.L.Granatstein*. His assessment of Corps Commander Currie is insightful – like General Monash AIF, his written battle orders were only two pages long at most and were models of clarity. Higher Education can learn something from their conciseness.
Interestingly, Currie was also a real estate developer with a canny eye for mapping terrain. He had an unerring faith in the ability of engineers to build bridges under fire: is this another attitude that HE could perhaps be inspired by?
*J.L.Granatstein, The Greatest Victory: Canada’s one hundred days (OUP 2015).
RMIT is now engaged in a deep conversation about the future strategy of the university and every student and member of staff are invited to be part of that conversation. See: http://shapermit.com/
I’ve created a series of ‘Listening Posts’ to give staff and students an opportunity to meet and share their views on the ways we might go forward. Small groups of staff and students have been drawn from all parts of the College to participate.
My colleague Sheilagh is working with me to invite small mixed groups of academic and professional staff to share their thoughts over tea, coffee, and biscuits, in the coming months. These are genuinely open sessions, which will be enriched by your contribution.
I look forward to meeting you and hearing your views.
RMIT has been ranked in the world’s Top 35 universities for key subject areas in the latest QS rankings. The annual subject rankings, by independent international research firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), rank universities at the level of individual fields of study. RMIT ranked 20th in the world for Art and Design and 33rd for Architecture and the Built Environment.
This is the first time DSC has been in the Top 5o for Art and Design and Architecture and the Built Environment, so it is an outstanding result – a recognition of our global excellence in architecture, design and the creative arts. It is a reflection of our dedication to student and staff creativity, and our ambition to meet their personal, professional and vocational needs. Furthermore, in the Field of Education we are 17th highest ranked out of 24 in Australia, and in the top 151-200 providers globally. In Communication & Media Studies, 11th highest ranked in Australia out of 13, top 101-150 globally. Across our Social Sciences provision, we have seen steady performances too.
Thank you to all our staff, students and stakeholders for their contribution to this spectacular achievement.
'On the edge of my seat...' 