Toadbusting

I’ve just been flicking through our latest issue of Be Magazine and in particular I am fascinated by the cover story – ‘It’s War’ about our battle with the cane toad.

It is quite astounding, that considering the cane toad was introduced to Australia to help eradicate pests that were destroying cane crops in the 1930s the toad itself has probably become the greatest pest and threat to Australia’s natural environment.

Walking outdoors at night it is evident to see that toads are a problem, but until you look at the facts and figures it is difficult to understand just how bad a problem this warty critter is.

Initially introduced to Queensland, the cane toad has multiplied and in 2009 crossed the West Australian border. In fact what I find most shocking is how quickly they spread – moving 40-60 kilometres westward every year and leaving a trail of environmental destruction in their wake! Cane toads are not only extremely ugly but are also lethal to most of our native species, releasing a lethal toxin when threatened – so hardy is the cane toad that it can kill a crocodile.

Even though much research has been conducted into eradicating the cane toad, much of this has failed – leaving many to wonder if the battle has been lost. While many have all but given up on eradicating this pest, some are tackling the problem with their bare hands, toad-by-toad because it now seems the most reliable way to stop the march of the toad is to catch them and kill them humanely.

Many communities that have been severely impacted by toads have introduced toadbusting sessions, whereby volunteers arm themselves with torches, gloves and bags with the sole mission of capturing as many toads as possible. In fact the program in Gladstone, run by Conservation Volunteers Australia, has caught close to 60,000 toads in 11 years. One can only imagine the impact on the local environment had these toads not been captured. I think this initiative really has some legs, so here is hoping it can be adopted by organisations like CVA in communities right across Australia.

Read more about the war on the cane toad in the latest edition of Be Magazine.

What the Priority Development Area means for CQUniversity Rockhampton

In the past fortnight, the State Government has approved the proposed plan for the CQUniversity Rockhampton Priority Development Area.

After a period of consultation between the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning with relevant stakeholders, CQUniversity has withdrawn its previous objections, and is now in support of the proposed plan. We believe this development will benefit the University and create a more vibrant atmosphere on campus - which will in turn help us to attract more students locally, from outside the region and internationally.

In future, as CQUniversity continues to strengthen its ties with its communities, I really believe this development will see the Rockhampton campus become a central hub for this community, incorporating educational, commercial, community and recreational facilities.

The approval of this plan signals the beginning of what will be an ongoing process for CQUniversity and I will endeavour to ensure all of our stakeholders including staff, students, commercial operators and traditional owners are kept up-to-date with all information as soon as it comes to light.

For more about the CQUniversity Priority Development Area please refer to the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning website. 

Student Awards made possible by great support

Last week we celebrated the achievements of our students at the CQUniversity Student Awards. Recognising the hard work of our students is something we do every year however this time we did it a bit differently, electing to present the awards via video conference and including all of our campuses from Cairns to Melbourne, in the one celebration.

Sometimes, relying on technology for something so important can be a gamble, but our alumni relations, information technology and corporate events teams pulled it off without a hassle and I was thrilled with the results. It was the next best thing to having everyone in the same room.

As well as being thrilled with how the event ran I was also astounded by the students being recognised, especially among our first and second years. There will certainly be no shortage of talent for employers to choose from in the next few years if these students are anything to go by – well done to you all and congratulations to you and your families!

Of course when talking about student awards I cannot go past recognising our many generous partners and donors who make this event possible. Your contribution to CQUniversity and our students is appreciated immeasurably.

In some cases it is the support of our partners and donors that can make the difference between a student being able to attend university or not. In addition to relieving financial obstacles this generosity provides inspiration and motivation to students and instills self-confidence and belief, helping them to concentrate on their studies and enabling them to make the most of their potential. 

Two good news stories in one afternoon

As a national university it is important to celebrate the achievements of our staff and students across all of our campuses, research centres and study centres and today we have been treated with two good news stories in the space of an hour.

To begin with two of our international students at CQUniversity Brisbane, have been named by Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk as 2013 Brisbane International Student Ambassadors. Azadeh Faaliyat from Iran and Edward Kasamba from Uganda will be among 33 new international student ambassadors.

As part of their new roles, Azadeh and Edward will act as advocates for international students living in Brisbane and will also help to promote Brisbane as an international study destination. As part of their role they will also have the opportunity to further explore Brisbane and experience some of the attractions including a Broncos game, Moreton Island and touring the upcoming Ekka. Well done Azadeh and Edward! I am sure you will be great ambassadors for not just Brisbane but CQUniversity as well!

Finally, I am also excited to announce that Ron Bishop (Senior Lecturer, Aviation) and Matthew Rockloff (Associate Professor, Psychology) have been named in the UniJobs Lecturer of the Year Top Ten list. This is a fantastic result for Ron and Matt, with the national honour based on votes received from students and colleagues. A well-deserved honour for both Ron and Matt as I know they go above and beyond in their teaching duties and community involvement.

Ron Bishop and Matthew Rockloff 

Setting a goal for health and wellbeing

Since the beginning of the year, I set myself a goal to get fit and healthy and have been fortunate enough to have shed 15kg so far.

I have never felt better and am so glad that I made the choice to make some basic lifestyle changes. I have lots more energy, am happier and in general just feel extremely well. I am amazed at how making just a few changes has enabled me to enjoy every aspect of my life so much more.

Whilst I made this decision for myself and my family, I have largely been inspired by the great work some of our researchers are doing here at CQUniversity, in the fields of health and physical activity. Learning about their work has really helped in this journey and made what seemed to be complex, very simple. Making changes certainly isn’t easy and sometimes just finding the time to develop new habits is near impossible, having access to useful information helps immensely though.

If you are interested in health and wellness I’d recommend having a look at our Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR) webpage and in particular the projects the Centre for Physical Activity Studies is involved in – especially 10,000 Steps.

Meanwhile, I’m still learning about new ways to optimise my health and am enjoying getting out and about to exercise in our local area. Climbing some of the local mountains has been a highlight so far.

After climbing Mt Jim Crow early one morning. 

Go Regional

Moving to the city has become a rite of passage for many school leavers from regional areas. Heading off to the big smoke can be a very exciting time for a young person, fresh out of high school.

For many years city universities have lured students because of their great facilities, activities and program offerings. There has also been a long held assumption that there are more career opportunities available in metro areas upon completion of study.

Recently, however, regional universities have begun to notice a shift in this trend, with many new school leavers from regional areas choosing to remain at home to attend their local university. 

In fact in the past few weeks I have heard about a number of new students who have not only decided to stay local to study but have migrated from capital cities to attend university at one of our regional campuses.

I firmly believe that in the years to come we will continue to see this trend grow as the cost of living in cities rises. Essentially, cost pressures mean students who also have to work to support their studies will find it increasingly difficult to find a balance between the two.

Along with being able to save money and focus more on study, students who stay local or migrate from cities will also benefit from smaller class sizes and better interaction with academic staff.

Here at CQUniversity we are also working to expand our program offerings, which will help us to attract new students, especially to in demand programs such as physiotherapy, paramedic science and medical imaging.

A strong focus has also been put on the delivery of programs via distance education. In fact CQUniversity offers one of the most diverse ranges of programs, delivered by distance education and is establishing study centres around the country to further support our students.

In terms of career opportunities, right now and in the years to come, our graduates will be able to benefit from a number of job opportunities that are becoming available in regional centres, as a result of the resources boom and the diversification of industries including tourism and agriculture. More people moving to regional areas will also mean more opportunities in service areas such as health.

Congratulations to those students who have made the decision to go with a regional university to obtain their university qualification. Life in a regional area is different to life in the city but is certainly just as good. 

One University

Today we announced an important new phase in CQUniversity’s Strong to Great journey – something I’m dubbing the ‘one university’ project.

For a number of years now, CQUniversity has operated in two separate streams – CQUniversity Australia and C Management Services Pty Ltd (CMS). This model has proven successful in past years, however since becoming Vice-Chancellor in 2009, I have thought long and hard about just how much stronger CQUniversity might be as a unified institution.

Today, we have put forward a plan to mainstream the operations of CMS into CQUniversity over the course of several months. I feel the time is now right to embark on a new path that will combine ‘the best of both worlds’ to create a truly unified institution for students, staff and the communities we serve.

This project will not be embarked upon lightly. It will be the subject of further consultation with staff and stakeholders, as per all CQUniversity change management processes. We remain absolutely committed to continuing our campus presence in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and equally committed to continuing to build our standing as a university-of-choice for international students – functions which CMS has performed admirably to date. But we will do all of this as ‘one university’ – CQUniversity.

I see this project as a great win for our metropolitan campus students. Under the ‘one university’ model, a student at the Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne campus (whether they are domestic, international or studying by distance) will have the same access to resources, support and industry engagement opportunities as a student at any one of our regional campuses, and an enhanced range of study options to choose from. They will be able to tap into the vast network of CQUniversity campuses around Australia, allowing them to attend ‘virtual’ lectures with our expert staff around the country, connect with their peers across geographic boundaries, and even enjoy an ‘exchange’ term at one of our regional locations if they so choose.

I also see the revised model being great for our academic staff, who will soon report into a single, unified faculty, with the same access to resources, technology and peer support. They will thrive in an environment which allows them to innovate, collaborate and reach a wider range of students than ever before. It will also allow the University to introduce more programs into Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, particularly those that are unique to CQUniversity and are in high demand in the capital cities.

I acknowledge the incredible contribution that CMS and its staff have made to the University over many years. Given the overlap between our two organisations, a significant number of positions within CMS will not be carried forward to the new structure and this has been discussed with staff. However, we will retain as many student-critical positions as possible, to ensure the focus remains on a continued great experience for our metro students.

I’m personally really looking forward to putting the days of ‘us and them’ well and truly behind us, and embracing the positive benefits that a unified CQUniversity will deliver to students, staff and communities alike.

 A move that will allow us to better support our regional and metro students