March 2025

It has been great to see our campuses come to life for O Week and the start of Semester 1. Well done to the teams involved in delivering a great program of events and activities to welcome our newest students.

I was in Canberra in late February for the annual Universities Australia (UA) conference, which brings together colleagues from universities across Australia with policy makers and commentators. While Brian Abbey, Eugeniu Balaur and Belinda Parker didn’t bring home the Shaping Australia problem solver award for their brilliant NanoMslide medical imaging tool, they were in excellent company alongside other hugely impressive shortlisted projects. These awards really do showcase why university research matters, and there is no doubt that NanoMslide promises to revolutionise diagnosis of diseases like cancer.

The conference featured speeches by Education Minister Jason Clare and Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson, who outlined policies they will take to the Federal election in May. UA CEO Luke Sheehy gave an important address to the National Press Club that you can read here or watch in full. In his impassioned speech, Luke defended the role of the higher education sector in supporting national development and prosperity, and made a robust case for greater government support of the vital work we do.

On this theme, Alistair Duncan and colleagues in the Research Office are working on La Trobe’s response to a discussion paper Strategic Examination of Australia’s Research and Development System, that was released by Minister Clare and Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science, as part of a review of Australia’s R&D sector being led by Robyn Denholm, Chair of Tesla. The review will consider ways to maximise the value of existing investments in R&D, strengthen linkages between research and industry, and drive greater R&D investment.

Contributing to national reviews and inquiries is an important way that we can have real-world impact. Here I would also like to highlight the recently released National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People 2025-2035. La Trobe academics played an important role in development of the roadmap, which followed the release of Australia's first-ever national autism strategy last month. Josephine Barbaro from our Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) was a member of the National Autism Strategy Oversight Committee. This kind of impact is one reason that OTARC is renowned internationally for its innovative programs to support early detection and diagnosis, intervention practices, and supports for Autistic people.

In the meantime, I’d like to share a few recent activities and achievements from across the University.

A distinguished group

Last night, we held our annual Distinguished Alumni Awards with a terrific group of 240 supporters and friends of La Trobe, which is an important occasion to showcase our extraordinary alumni. We recognised five new Distinguished Alumni, who are exceptional leaders in fields including health innovation, nursing, technology, and entrepreneurship. The award recipients also stood out for the way they embody the La Trobe spirit of making a difference by contributing to community and serving the public good. It was inspiring to hear about their careers and the impact they have had since graduating from La Trobe. A big shout out to Andrea Carson, who was brilliant as our MC for the evening! If you know any exceptional La Trobe alumni, please consider nominating them for next year's awards.

Healthy futures

Three La Trobe researchers have been awarded a total of $1.8 million under the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants Scheme that supports Australia’s highest-performing researchers across all career stages. This funding will support projects investigating new drugs and therapeutics against viruses, next-generation cancer biomarker detection, and reframing of narratives around alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Congratulations to Dimitra Chatzileontiadou, Saimon M. Silva, and Teagan Weatherall on receiving these prestigious grants, further demonstrating the University’s strength across a broad range of health-related disciplines.

Pathways success

Well done to Emmaline Bexley and the team that delivers La Trobe’s phenomenally successful Tertiary Preparation Program on winning a prestigious award for innovation in student-centred learning at the Australian Awards for University Teaching. The program has supported more than 500 students since 2019 and was Australia’s first fully online pathway providing academic skills support.

Congratulations to Emmaline and her amazing team comprising Jelena Medan, Sean Dyde, Hayley May, Mohammad Al Bayer, Zoe Thomas and Belinda D’Angelo. Everyone at the University is pleased to share in the success of a project that so effectively delivers on La Trobe’s founding mission of broadening participation in higher education for people from all walks of life.

Elders Council

I was delighted to attend the inaugural meeting of the University’s Elders Council last week, which provided an opportunity to assess progress on the seven priorities of our Indigenous Strategy 2022-2030, including providing cultural awareness training for staff, increasing the number of Indigenous staff and students at the University, and establishing our Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja Indigenous Research Centre. The Council is a key initiative under the Strategy and will provide strategic and cultural advice to me and the University on matters including Indigenous access, participation, and success in education, and research and employment issues. I look forward to working with Michael Donovan and members of the Elders Council, including our University Elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO.

Investing in our regions

We held a terrific event last month to celebrate the opening of our extended and renovated Shepparton campus. The redevelopment doubles the clinical nursing facilities at the campus and includes dedicated research and industry spaces and expanded facilities for the library and our Ngarrapna Indigenous Education Unit.

The Federal Government contributed $5 million to the project, with the University investing a further $15 million to help in our mission to support the local community, particularly through addressing health and education workforce shortages across the Goulburn Valley region.

In late February, we also announced a $50 million investment in new student accommodation in Bendigo’s CBD. The new 220-bed facility will support growing student demand in Bendigo and central Victoria and complement the La Trobe Art Institute’s Emporium Creative Hub that was recently opened in the Bendigo CBD, which is helping to revitalise the city centre and strengthen our partnerships with local creative industries.

Literary leader

Congratulations to La Trobe historian and Professor of Public Engagement Clare Wright on being shortlisted for best non-fiction work in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for her book Ṉäku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions, which tells the story of how the people of Yirrkala changed the course of Australia’s democracy by developing the first traditional documents to be recognised by Federal Parliament. You can read the judges’ report on Clare’s book here. I’ll be barracking for Clare when the winners are announced on 19 March.

Upcoming events

The first Ideas and Society event for 2025 is being held on Monday 17 March and will consider the importance of climate change action in light of two events in January 2025: the re-election of Donald Trump and the ferocious winter fires that devastated parts of Los Angeles. Lauren Rickards, Director of La Trobe’s Climate Change Adaptation Lab, will lead a discussion with renowned environmental scientist Tim Flannery, Greg Mullins from the Climate Council, and Robyn Eckersley from the University of Melbourne. You can register here.

On 24 March, a La Trobe Asia seminar will also consider the impact of Donald Trump’s re-election. Bec Strating will be joined by Nick Bisley, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ambika Vishwanath, the DFAT Maitri Research Fellow in La Trobe Asia, to discuss relationships between the US and Asian countries under the new administration’s policies, including trade, security, and diplomacy with China, North Korea, Japan, and India. You can register here.

Finally, on 1 April, I will be at the Shrine of Remembrance to introduce a lecture entitled Art, Espionage and Professor A.D. Trendall by Gillian Shepherd, Director of the University’s Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies. The lecture will uncover the life story and work of A.D. Trendall, who was the University’s first Resident Fellow, and explore unexpected connections between wartime intelligence and ancient art. To book tickets, visit the Shrine’s website.

In closing

As you can see, it’s been another busy month at La Trobe.

I look forward to talking more about campus activities at our first 'In Conversation' all-staff webinar for the year on Wednesday 19 March, which will also provide an opportunity to discuss recent higher education policy announcements and next steps in the development of our refreshed Strategic Plan.

Best wishes,
Theo