This message was originally issued as an all-student email on 14 July 2021
Dear students,
Today we launched a University-wide consultation process with our staff on a proposal that has been developed to ensure that La Trobe is a strong and sustainable institution that will provide you with an outstanding student experience into the future.
For more information on the proposal, please read the statement on our website. It is important to note that we are currently consulting with staff, however, and all of the proposed changes are not yet confirmed.
You, our students and graduate research candidates, have been central in our planning to reshape La Trobe for the future. Your experience while studying with us is our first priority and we are focused on you through the choice of subjects we offer, by providing flexibility so you can study in ways that suit your lifestyle, and by giving you opportunities to undertake research, work with industry partners, and set the foundations for a successful career. Key aspects of the proposal that will support your experience include:
- Expansion of our Student Advising program to cover all degrees and campuses, including specialist support for international, Indigenous and postgraduate students.
- Additional counselling and wellbeing support staff to meet increased demand.
- Academic staffing that is aligned to the new course and subject offerings we developed last year including increased opportunities for industry placements and greater flexibility in how and where you study.
- 24/7 support and improved services for students living on campus.
- Continued core focus on providing high-quality research education and development programs for graduate research candidates.
- Better connected administrative teams to improve service and reduce wait times.
In addition to the proposed changes, the University is investing significantly in a Digital Transformation program that will result in significant improvements to our student systems (enrolment, timetabling, etc.) and the systems we use to support teaching and research activity. You will start noticing the benefits of these changes as early as next year.
It is very important to us that we minimise any disruption to your learning and experience this semester. As mentioned above, this is the beginning of consultation and any changes will not come into effect until 2022.
We understand that you may have thoughts about the proposal that you would like to share and we welcome your feedback. There are two main ways you can participate in the feedback process:
- Attend the all-student forum on 11 August from 12:45pm-2:00pm.
- Submit your feedback via email to transformationfeedback@latrobe.edu.au.
We will review and consider all feedback provided, however you will not receive a personalised response.
We have also prepared student FAQs for your reference, which will be updated over the coming weeks as we proceed through the staff consultation phase.
I wish you all the best for your studies for the rest of this year, and if you are a continuing student in 2022 I hope that you are feeling positive about your future at La Trobe.
Professor John Dewar AO
Vice-Chancellor and President