May 2026

Over the last month, we’ve continued to celebrate the University’s impact in regional Victoria.

I took part in our Bendigo student prizes ceremony that recognises outstanding academic achievement and students dedicated to community service – and 573 graduates crossed the stage at Bendigo campus graduation ceremonies, with another 270 students graduating in absentia. Beyond the numbers, what also matters is that many of these graduates will choose to pursue their careers in regional Victoria, contributing to the local workforce and economy.

Regional graduations vividly demonstrate the impact we have across our communities – and I am confident we will continue to make a difference through our regional mission. In recent weeks, I’ve visited Shepparton and Albury-Wodonga and spent time with our new heads of campus Laura Baker and Ged Bourke.

They are both eminently qualified to advance our mission in these communities and build on the exceptional contributions of Elizabeth Capp and Guin Threlkeld, who led our campuses with great distinction for many years.

Over the past few weeks, I have been undertaking all-staff briefings for each School, focusing on the work we are taking forward this year to advance our People Strategy 2026-2030, including implementation of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework and our Performance Framework, and investing in people through our Leadership Academy. A major topic of discussion was also our Responsible AI Adoption Strategy and the ChatGPT Edu rollout program to 5,000 staff and students this year.

My briefings to School staff have further covered trends shaping the higher education sector, the impact of visa restrictions on international student enrolments, our contingency planning in case the fuel shortage worsens, and our financial position for 2026. Despite challenges in our external environment, we have had excellent domestic enrolment growth in 2026 – with commencing students up 11 per cent on last year – which shows our strategic direction and investments are delivering results.

Finally, I’d like to highlight the wonderful service provided by the La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre on our Bundoora campus. Staffed by highly experienced early childhood educators, the Centre offers 3‑ and 4‑year‑old kindergarten and childcare, as well as specialist early autism expertise for families and professionals through support, training and workshops.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Centre this week to see first‑hand the quality of its facilities, the care and expertise of the educators, and the strong sense of community fostered by Centre Manager Annie Mok and her wonderful team. My visit was also a memorable reminder of the joy and energy the children bring to our campus. I understand places are currently available, so for staff with young children, I encourage you to book a tour or email the Centre to find out more.

For now, I’d like to mention some recent activities and achievements from across our campuses.

Walk for Truth

I was proud to see our Albury-Wodonga campus host a community gathering on Tuesday as part of the National Walk for Truth led by Gunditjmara man Travis Lovett. The University is pleased to be an auspicing partner in the Walk, which builds on the historic work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission and Victoria’s Walk for Truth last year. Beginning on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament on 19 April, the Walk will conclude at Parliament House in Canberra on 25 May. The gathering at our campus included a Welcome to Country, cleansing ceremony, cultural dance, short film and a truth‑telling session led by Traditional Owners. The University stands firm in our commitment to Indigenous peoples’ calls for voice, treaty and truth, and is proud to support this important national movement.

Health innovation

Congratulations to Brooke Patterson and Ebony Monson on being recognised at the 2026 Victorian Government Premier’s Awards for Health and Medical Research that celebrate research with practical, real‑world impact. There is no doubt Brooke and Ebony are making a big difference through their respective projects on injury prevention for women and girls playing Australian rules football and early immune responses to viral infections.

The impact of La Trobe’s health innovation program was also on show at a terrific event last month to formally mark the establishment of the Holsworth Biomedical Research Centre at our Bendigo campus.

Bill and Carol Holsworth are generous supporters of La Trobe and the Centre builds on projects they have philanthropically funded in Bendigo since 2019. I’m so grateful to Bill and Carol for their support of our scientists working to translate biomedical research into models of care that improve health outcomes for rural and regional communities.

AI innovation

You may have seen recent updates from our new PVC (AI) Phil Laufenberg. It’s great to have Phil on board to lead our efforts to accelerate AI adoption at scale across education, research and operations.

Phil is committed to working collectively with staff on a shared journey to shape how we responsibly adopt AI at La Trobe. The rollout of ChatGPT Edu is off to a great start, with over 2,000 accounts activated. Please do make the most of the AI at La Trobe intranet hub and online drop-in sessions.

Over the coming months, we will be launching a new La Trobe AI Institute led by Patricia Haueiss as the inaugural Managing Director. This will provide an external-facing platform to showcase AI capabilities and impact at La Trobe and promote our national leadership in digital innovation. The Institute will focus on three pillars covering research, education and industry engagement.

I invite you to engage with these programs and explore how AI can support your work. We want to empower you to experiment with these tools and welcome your feedback.

Pressing on

It was terrific to see Julie Andrews’ La Trobe University Press book Where's All the Community?: Aboriginal Melbourne Revisited launched at a packed-out event at Readings bookshop in Carlton.

Julie will be appearing at a Melbourne Writers Festival event at the State Library of Victoria this Sunday and will join with Indigenous justice advocate Eddie Cubillo, writer and mathematician JM Field, and host Tony Birch to discuss ways of centring Indigenous knowledge. You can book tickets here.

The La Trobe University Press continues to publish an impressive array of scholarly works for general readers. Over the past month, we published Desmond Manderson’s analysis of Australian drug policy, High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs, and Susan Lever’s biography of acclaimed Australian poet A.D. Hope.

The next book being published is Neighbours: Australia and the Pacific by Joanne Wallis and Jack Corbett, which traces Australia’s history in the Pacific Islands and makes the case for a new approach to the nation’s engagement with the region.

In closing

I hope we enjoy another warm spell before the end of autumn – and good luck to everyone teaching in the final weeks of Semester 1 and preparing for exams.

Best wishes,
Theo