 Good morning everybody and welcome to the start of the 2016 academic year for those of you who don't know me I'm Margaret Harding the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, and I will be your emcee this morning I'd like to first start by acknowledging the first Australians on whose traditional lands we meet and on behalf of the University pay my respects to the elders of the number one people past and present It's my very great pleasure to welcome this full house here this morning to the first all staff address by our new Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt I'm pleased to be joined on the stage by our Chancellor, the Honourable Professor Gareth Evans, the Vice-Chancellor, the President of our Student Associations Anusa and Kaza as well as many of the leadership team from across the University It's fantastic to see such a great turnout and we're delighted that you have made time to come here today to listen to this very important address to all staff at the University I would like to also welcome everyone who was watching the address live online Today's speech is also being recorded and will be made available on the ANU website later today I would now like to welcome one of our students from the Whale One region of Central-Western New South Wales, Stephanie Pollard, who will formally welcome us to this event Before we begin the wonderful celebration of today, the celebration of a new year at ANU, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we stand today The people of the Ngunnawal tribe, whose lands and rivers form the foundation for this great city we call Canberra I pay my respect to elders, both past and present, and acknowledge their wisdom and leadership, as it is their footprints in Birney to sustain our languages, laws and cultures, more often than not in the most difficult of circumstances Let us never forget that since 1788, those who have fought on our behalf to ensure our rights and responsibilities as the first peoples of this great nation They did so to ensure that our rights and responsibilities will be preserved with dignity I also take this opportunity to thank those non-indigenous people who from the very early days to the present have showed their courage and understanding by standing alongside the first peoples of Australia The ANU is a truly unique environment and both staff and students are part of a rich tapestry that continues to enrich this great nation We students stand here as the future of Australia, but in order for us to figure out where we are going, it is the staff of this great institution that keeps us on track to a brighter future So thank you Let us all now walk together into the future in order to create a better tomorrow and to make a better Australia May the spirits of our ancestors shine their wisdom on you and may your journey be one of wonder and learning in this truly special place, the ANU Thank you. Thank you Stephanie The ANU is deeply committed to the national reconciliation process and as the national university we have an important leadership role to play in ensuring that Australia provides equal chances for all of its citizens The university recognises and respects the special place, the culture and the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first Australians Our promise is to always work hard to further scholarly learning, research and public knowledge of Indigenous issues It gives me enormous pleasure to invite Dr Azmi Wood, a senior staff member of the National Centre of Indigenous Studies to address us today Good morning everybody. I'd like to thank my sister Stephanie for acknowledging the country on which we stand and to remind us that our spirits work together in friendship, in respect, in learning and in love in this great place I'd like to acknowledge the senior Aboriginal elders on campus, Professor Mick Dodson and Aunty Anne Martin, my teachers, students, the good people of whom Steph spoke and of course everybody else as well I'd like to thank our Vice Chancellor for giving me this opportunity. He really needs no introduction so however incoherently I might speak you're not going to go with the wrong impression so that's really good for you know But I'd like to thank Aunty Anne for letting me run some ideas past and also Professor Peter Cain from the Law School I was asked to speak from the heart and I will speak from the heart and from my personal experience But like an exam script you like to get the yake things out of the way so let me say that first People sometimes Aboriginal people feel that they're a bit undervalued here One senior bureaucrat said that Indigenous cultural concerns were not relevant in staff relationship which has been worrying and Professor Margaret Thornton has written about this managerialism Or the quiet indifference which Indigenous matters are sometimes insidiously swept under the carpet The challenge I guess in this area is that it's much easier to persuade intelligent minds than is to turn red next But that's not what I'm here about. I'm here about the positive optimism that I feel because of what Professor Schmidt has done for me personally and for my people And that's what I'm going to talk about and the hope and optimism that I feel I'm optimistic because we have a leader who's intellectually self-evident But in my subjective view also has a big heart, a huge heart, an open mind and has the courage to take risks I mean how hard is it to tell everybody sorry the universe is not collapsing it's actually going the other way around And has an instinct for what is good, what is decent and for what is right and what is just For time I'll take two examples but it comes from our core business of research and teaching Several years ago I mean it was 50 years I think since a first Aboriginal person was allowed into university and graduated So we are miles behind everybody else there's no doubt about that But 50 Aboriginal PhDs got together and put together a research network I mean you know how difficult it is to get money from the ARC and the support that you need Professor Schmidt who didn't know me from a bar of soap or from Adam You know so generously said I will mentor your group and support your group I mean how risky is that to take a black fellow from the back of Burke and say brother I'm behind you That's you know of all the jobs he could have had he chose to lead our university So thank you very much Professor Schmidt We got over a million dollars from the ARC and I think the ARC might have been a bit nervous about this Because they sent all their senior bureaucrats to watch us maybe to make sure that we be here properly I don't know what people think of black people but you know but Professor Schmidt was there He supported us not just from the behind but he was actually there And when people like him turn up to one of our functions I mean he I didn't know he was going to be Vice Chancellor I mean I would you know it was a long time ago But when you have a Nobel PhD you know people tend not to say things that they have in their hearts always But there are a lot of good people and we thank those good people for supporting us all the way through And walking our difficult mile with us Subsequently we've got more than a million dollars more in tier one grants for just the law part of our network So I'm not sure what you know how the rest are doing but that's I think they're going really well So the abstract of what I've said is I think if you provide him a strong case, well researched case And if he's persuaded he will stand behind you that is my experience anyway And his weight is considerable so that's I think something to think about In terms of teaching you know I mean many of you probably saw him speak from here about how he teaches and his approach to teaching His generosity of speaking to you know maybe millions of people around the world through MOOCs I mean people who would never be able to afford to go to a university I did school of the air as a kid and I know that it takes special people who will care for people in the back of Burke Who wouldn't otherwise have access to education and to bring that to him It's critical support for our Jabal Center this is crucial for success of you know for the success of our students You know we have one of the best retention rates we have one of the best completion rates if not the best in Australia And his support by coming before he was my chancellor to our events and supporting our students supporting our people And helping us on this journey And his own kindly but gentle but firm style I mean I'm a lawyer I did physics in At university but I've forgotten most of it and you know applying legal rules to physics doesn't always work So I was talking to him one day and you know I thought that matter and energy are related in the same way as dark matter and dark energy But he very gently you know disabused me of my And I was very grateful that I didn't pursue physics as a He's a gregarious person with diverse and eclectic interests his knowledge and learning is fabulous And his love for knowledge and his love for people I'm not just talking about our mob I think you know other people have said the same thing to me is wonderful And and you know I think he said he first came to the ANU before he could spell astronomy I think he was a musician when he first came here and you know so that's another of his interests his love for viticulture His use of a Thai word for his his why my pin right I think is you know I'm not sure exactly what it means but somebody said if you translate it to English in Beatles language is like let it be brother you know so He support for the visual arts, you know he said to us that he would like to see An indigenous artistic presence on campus by having a large mural with Aboriginal Paintings leading up to the Jabal Center and for that to be done by our students and other Aboriginal people I heard he drives an electric car and it's pretty green so you know But for time I won't go through the other examples that I have but you can see that I have a deep affection for the man And I thank him for giving us a chance to get into this very difficult business of research and teaching Sometime ago he said that his dream was to look at the stars I mean he's an astronomer I guess that's what they do but his dream was to do this with an Aboriginal astronomer And to compare the the skies how we see it with the emus and the other animals of our continent and of our dreaming and of our people And to compare it with his background I guess As I said to you you know it takes a long time to get our people through into PhDs it's a long journey But I hope that in his second term as vice chancellor we would have an Aboriginal person doing astronomy And would be able to follow this dream with him In conclusion I would like to thank the vice chancellor for enabling me and my people to do what we have to do Things of really important substance not just in our profession but for our people So my dear colleagues I hope that you too can share my optimism And let me conclude by saying I think if you put a good case to him and if you can persuade him he will be behind you He's a man like I said you know if you can take a risk with a black man from the back of Burke you guys have got it made And do what is best for our students for our staff for our university for our community and for all our lands and all our peoples Thank you for letting me share my impressions with you and I thank you for your attention good morning Thank you very much as me while we are here today to welcome and celebrate the staff of this university It's also a great opportunity to remind us about what great universities are about why indeed we exist At this university that is absolutely due to the incredible group of students who come from around Australia and across the world to learn at the ANU This year the ANU will be home to more than 22,000 students And their representatives the student presidents from the ANU Students Association and the postgraduate Student Association Presidents Ben Gill and Chris Wilson here are here this morning and would like to say a few words Thanks Margaret and good morning everyone as we start the new academic year it is a great opportunity to reflect on community It's far too easy to assume competition that is staff first students first university students staff first university The reality is that all of us together make up this world-class community and it is our diversity curiosity and passion which makes ANU the place it is today It is our cultural and disciplinary diversity which continues to attract the best and brightest around the globe It is our curiosity which leads us to be the first to learn the nature of things produce world-class research and change the world And it is our passion for excellence for inclusive inclusivity and for continuous improvement which ties us all together With the start of the new vice chancellor I'm excited to see where Brian will lead the ANU in the future This is my seventh and hopefully final year as an undergraduate at the ANU Throughout my time at this university I have found I've had some amazing opportunities and experiences But what has resonated most with me is the trust though perhaps not unwavering that staff place in our students From the trust that is placed into the student associations and student leaders to the trust that is placed in students to do weird and wonderful research In my case the letter has allowed me to explore my passion for mental health technology within my engineering degree To undertake research about non-residential students and understand more about my own background And even complete an economics project about the cost of mental health conditions amongst staff at this university Or within my science degree This part in particular is what surprises many new students and many people outside the university That I have the ability to make my education my own and not be bound by traditional disciplinary constraints Though to be fair you do have to be slightly pushy or I prefer persistent for this to be the case In addition to community and trust as I welcome you to the new year I would like to acknowledge the important role each and every one of you play in supporting students From the counseling center and health service to access and inclusion and careers Academic skills, jubile, division of student admin and division of student life And so much more I would like to thank you for the tireless efforts in supporting students through the good and the bad To academic staff, thank you for referring, guiding and mentoring students through the challenge of university What we know from experience is that when students seek help their first spot of call is family and friends Followed closely by academic staff So please don't underestimate the positive impact you have when you take the time to listen and refer students to the services of the ANU Before I finish I would also like to acknowledge the work of the students who constantly make our community better The number of student leaders throughout this university who dedicate their lives and their time predominantly as volunteers For something they believe in is truly remarkable Hopefully many of you would have had the chance to meet students from fossil free ANU this morning A growing community based around sustainability and leadership on important moral issues This is just one group of students who contribute to the excellence of ANU And I would encourage all of you to engage with them openly and hear what they say Today I wear the orange square as in support of the fossil free ANU So with that I will say my final thanks and pass on to Chris Wilson, president of PASA The fossil free ANU people will be delighted that I didn't print out my speech today Distinguished professors, ladies and gentlemen For those new to the ANU, welcome For those returning, welcome back, you've been missed As you've heard, Chris Wilson, the president of the post-graduate student body at ANU If you haven't heard of PASA, I hope and pray that 2016 is the year you hear about the good work that we're doing Ben said it wasn't a competition, but this is my 11th year at university And during that time I've lost count of the number of education revolutions announced by people within and external to the tertiary system I'd rather not say how effective I've rated these revolutions But in my short time today I'd like to discuss the transition underway here at ANU Since 2014, we as a university have been discussing the very nature of tertiary education And the best way to deliver our world standard teaching The most recent step in this discussion was exploring the system as it currently sits And to analyse how students are presently consuming knowledge We now have attendance numbers at our face-to-face activities And download data of our approved material online And interestingly, the combined numbers fall short of our enrolment numbers In summary, we have more students completing courses than we have attending our courses, virtually or physically Anecdotally, this is a trend that has been increasing for a while and one that doesn't appear to be receding And one that I expect is replicated at universities here and abroad The most interesting thing about this to me is that we haven't seen a corresponding drop that you'd expect In student grades for those who aren't consuming Firstly, I don't believe that this is a university-wide national and international conspiracy to artificially raise student grades And nor do I believe that while our high school competitiveness internationally has fallen Our commencing students are suddenly a lot better prepared than they were previously Rather, I think there is an unexplored trend in student learning That is leading a transition in how universities including this one will work in the future I don't have the answers to this transition, I don't even think I have the questions But in 2016, I'd like for us as a group to continue investigating this transition And for us to set a detailed path for how it's affecting the university experience for all I'd like to finish with a short story, so please bear with me I went to a selective high school in Melbourne and a few years ago I asked my favourite and experienced teacher how it felt to teach the best students in the state And he replied, Chris, we're on first name basis at this point We take the top students from around the state And four years later, they are still the top students in the state I'm not entirely convinced I'm doing anything other than guiding these young people I mentioned the story as I find it hauntingly reminiscent of this university Which has the privilege of accepting some of the most talented and gifted students Not only in this country, but in the world, and guiding them in their journey Speaking about the transition, I think our students are both leading And being guided, and there are no better mentors for us than the staff at this university Without shining too big a spotlight onto our new Vice-Chancellor In true Australian tradition, he has boundless energy to share The words that have been spoken by him and around him include Consultation, student experience, research and excellence And I believe that it's the traditional foundations of this university, of those spirits And I'm entirely confident that he'll bring his own boundless energy to our all of activities here I'd like to wish you all a successful and productive 2016 And look forward to working with all of you Thank you both to Ben and Chris for your words The headline act is about to arrive Please join with me in welcoming our Chancellor Professor Theonus Gareth, I said about to arrive Professor Theonus Gareth Evans to speak and introduce our new Vice-Chancellor Well thanks very much Margaret and thank you all so much for coming here today For this very special opening session of the academic year Ever since the appointment was announced, Professor Brian Schmidt is our new 12th Vice-Chancellor I've had a steady trickle of people, mainly it has to be said from outside the ANU But not entirely Coming up to me in airport lounges and elsewhere and saying Courageous decision Chancellor Courageous decision And of course it did raise an eyebrow too and we knew it would to a point to run this billion-dollar enterprise of ours And although we're not by a long way One of the country's biggest universities that is the order of magnitude of the ANU's annual budget It did raise eyebrows to a point someone who manifestly has had minimal experience In a high level academic administration Somebody who has manifestly not done his or her time working their way up through the ranks of Director to Dean to Chairman of the Academic Board to PVC to DVC In the now almost universally time-honoured path for putative Vice-Chancellors But we on the University Council don't think we made a courageous decision at all We took the perhaps rather idiosyncratic view that the person we needed as leader of Australia's national university And we think with good cause our finest university was not someone who necessarily fitted the conventional experience mould But was someone who ticked all the boxes that really mattered for us We took the view that running a university, even one with all of ANU's aspirations and traditions, aspirations to greatness Wasn't really rocket science or even astrophysics Nor did it require a long apprenticeship in the dark and sorcerous arts of university academic administration What it did require, we thought, was policy nows, vision, energy, communication and advocacy skills A stellar IQ, a stellar EQ, an absolute willingness to get down into the weeds to get things done And a real capacity to bring everyone that matters along for the ride The whole university community, academic and professional staff, students and alumni The government policy making community, the Canberra community And all the other stakeholders in the business, professional, philanthropic and international communities on whom our future depends So I believe, and I hope and expect that you'll believe, if you don't already, when you get to know him That in Brian Schmidt, we have a Vice-Chancellor who ticks in abundance every one of these boxes First of all, when it comes to intellectual and academic standing Among his rather demanding and rightly demanding peers Who could possibly have more eminence and not just at a local and national but at a global level than our Nobel Laureate in physics A new academics are a very proud lot and rightly so But we don't have anything to be less than totally proud of with Brian as our academic leader You know, the basics of his CV, born in Montana, raised in Alaska but now very much an Australian citizen Masters and PhD degrees in astronomy from Harvard Brought to Canberra to our everlasting gratitude by his wife Ginny Gordon Who is, as you'll know, an outstanding economist around right Where among many other things they together make one of Australia's best pinot noirs Joining the our ANU, Mount Stromlo Observatory in 1995 And from there, of course, leading the research team Which established that the universe's expansion rate is now accelerating An enormously significant breakthrough which won him a number of major international prizes Culminating in his sharing of the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics We've had some pretty outstanding intellectual achievers among our past ANU vice-chancellors But academically, it does not get any better than that Secondly, Brian's got it When it comes to understanding the highly competitive universe In which Australian universities are now operating both nationally and internationally And the very real challenges that ANU now faces in mixing and matching it in that environment He has been an active participant in the national higher education In a particular research policy debate for some time now He knows his way around And I can say this with complete confidence He's highly respected at the most senior levels on both sides of national politics Which, for ANU, more than any other Australian universities, I hardly need to remind this audience Really matters Brian will spell out for you himself in just a moment His own broad vision of the contemporary ANU And his preliminary views on where we need to be going But in all that my colleagues on the ANU council have seen so far And in the work that we've been doing with him In shaping a new vision statement and strategic plan for the university About which we'll be consulting with you in the months ahead We could not be more satisfied with his far-sightedness with his creativity ANU is going to need those qualities and spades in the years ahead If we're going to survive and thrive at the level we aspire to I could not be prouder as Chancellor As I know you all are Of everything this university has already achieved The record, the reputation, the rankings, the respect we now have But if any of us think we can afford now just to rest on our laurels We haven't been listening to, we haven't been watching what's going on around us Both domestically and internationally Brian has been listening and watching And I think you'll have a pretty clear-eyed idea of just what we need to do Thirdly, and this has been reinforced in spades by what, as me told you earlier on Brian does very much, I know, have the personal skills To bring people along with him His style is very much open, collaborative, consultative Not imperial He understands the value of teamwork And he'll have a great team around him He understands the importance of good university governance And on all the evidence I've seen so far Will work very harmoniously with and within those governance structures Caesars can do great things And we've had at least a couple of those in ANU's history But over the long, hard haul, I think we know the style of leadership That most of us would prefer All that said, I don't think that anyone should make the mistake of thinking That Brian Schmidt will be a soft touch He knows, as the council knows, and I think you all know That sustaining the higher standards of excellence And we all know pretty instinctively what excellence is and when it's missing Maintaining those higher standards is going to require from time to time Some tough decisions to be made But I don't think there's anything about his style That you will find either arbitrary or unfeeling The remaining box, I want to mention, the remaining big box that Brian ticks And I think that even those of you who don't yet know him well Will sense the reality of this Is that he really does have the personal charisma and dynamism To deliver on our aspirations to greatness The best leaders of universities, just as with countries Are those who not only win respect because of their capacity But who can ignite sparks because of their enthusiasm As I said six months ago on the day that we announced his appointment Let me say it again in introducing him now to you Brian Schmidt is perfectly placed, superbly placed To deliver on the ambition of ANU's founders To permanently secure our position among the great universities of the world And as a crucial contributor to this nation We had a stellar field of international and Australian candidates From which to choose for our new Vice Chancellor And we've chosen an inspirational leader Brian's vision, his vitality, his global stature And his communication skills are going to take this great national university of ours To places it's never been before Colleagues, our new Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt Thank you Gareth Thank you to all my colleagues who have joined me on the stage And thank you all for taking time out of your day to celebrate the beginning of the academic year I want to begin my address by also acknowledging and celebrating the first Australians On whose traditional lands we meet and work And whose cultures are among the oldest continuing cultures in human history Let us pay our respects to the elders of the Ngunnawal people past and present I start here because this is where Australia's national university should start We must play a leadership role in the reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians And you should be the destination of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander intellectual leaders As a place of education, of research and of policy I start here because it goes to the heart of what it is to be the national university And what it means to belong to the national university We, all of us together, be we academic, professional or technical staff, are the national university It is an intellectual community, a national institution and a university of international renown That I am immensely proud to be part of and incredibly honoured to lead I certainly never imagined as an 18-year-old Alaskan boy on my first visit to Canberra Playing the French horn on this very stage, in this very hall That I would one day be standing here as Vice Chancellor of this great institution Inviting you, my colleagues, to join me as we write the next chapter of ANU history This place nurtured me It gave me the opportunity to push the boundaries as a young researcher It provided me with the environment to develop and grow through the stages of my career To learn and to be mentored by those who came before me My ambition as Vice Chancellor is to pay that forward To foster a culture where we can all reach our full potential Where excellence is cultivated, expected, understood and most of all celebrated A culture that attracts the best and brings out the best A culture that provides opportunity equally to women and men Equally to indigenous and non-indigenous Australians Equally to people living with a disability And equally to those who aspire to do great things regardless of sexuality, religion, ethnicity or socioeconomic status A culture that promotes a happy workplace and a safe place to study A culture ultimately defined by trust and respect It is a culture where we are all proud to be part of the National University My vision for this community is one that is defined by trust and respect A community that is open, accountable, where we engage with each other And with the community outside of the campus Seventy years ago, on the first of August 1946 The bill establishing the Australian National University was passed by federal parliament And marked, in part, the beginning of modern Australia We were founded to develop Australia's intellectual leaders And give this country the research that would, in the language of the time Ensure Australia took its place amongst the civilized nations of the world ANU has been integral to building of Australia as a prosperous country with a unique national identity Our alumni populate the universities of this nation, the corridors of parliament and our governments The boardrooms and engine rooms of industry and the front lines of civil society Our staff and alumni have created a modern Australia Let's just take one example ANU alum, Susan Ryan Australia's current aging and disability discrimination commissioner She changed the country forever as cabinet minister when she introduced the Sex Discrimination Act in 1984 And the Affirmative Action Act in 1986 In the past decade, we have produced not one but two Australians of the year Aboriginal leader and champion of reconciliation, Professor Mick Dodson in 2009 And just announced, and current Australian of the year, an ANU alum, General David Morrison Both will be on stage to welcome our newest additions to the ANU community at the commencement address for our incoming students next week I ask you to come out next Thursday as we begin a tradition A tradition where we, the staff of the ANU, welcome the next generation into our community A welcome like you've given me here today And I look forward to seeing you there then We have much to be proud of as we write the next chapter But we are at a crossroads We could be a very good regional Australian university Or we can now reassert ourselves as the national university And one that stands alongside the very best universities of the world The challenges confronting Australia today are far removed from those in the aftermath Of global war 70 years ago Just as ANU played a critical role in the post-war development of Australia The national university has a critical role in shaping contemporary Australia Contemporary Australia needs a highly educated population Whose intellectual leaders shape national, regional and global ideas To ensure for future generations a world that is healthy, sustainable and peaceful As your Vice Chancellor, it is my ambition that we shape Australia By producing and nurturing intellectual leaders of national, regional and global standing We shape modern Australia through excellence in research, in education and in societal transformation Nurturing global intellectual leaders like our own multi-award winning immunologist Professor Karola Vinwesa who has led the discovery of genes that are important for immune regulation Paving the way for new drugs to be developed to fight autoimmune diseases such as lupus, juvenile diabetes and certain cancers We will undertake research of distinctive strategic value for the nation We bring our unique combination of discipline, strength across arts and humanities, social sciences, engineering, medicine and science Into interdisciplinary inquiry and innovative application to the challenges facing contemporary Australia We contribute to the policy building blocks of our nation in the areas of diplomacy, law, economics and defense To the understanding of languages and culture of our own peoples and the peoples of our Asia-Pacific region The Australian government and the Australian people through the National Institutes Grant Endow us with the responsibility to ensure our research is internationally excellent and nationally important We can each meet this obligation. We must not shy away from ambition Our research will be second to none in Australia, but it must be much more than that We should aim to have each of our areas of research sit beside the best departments in the world And without exception be in the top 100 departments of the world Our focus should be on quality, not quantity We should invest in young people for whom we have to compete against the best universities in the world to keep and retain here We must have the patience and the confidence to invest in people and in ideas which we know are right Investing in people like distinguished professor Chenopati Jagadish, or Jagadish to most of us Who last week was awarded Australia's highest honor for his services to physics and engineering Jagadish in his own words arrived at ANU from India 25 years ago with a two-month-old baby and a two-year contract His research has led the world in nanotechnology and he has influenced the lives and academic careers of hundreds of students and researchers He not only leads research that is second to none, but as a mentor, a philanthropist and as just a great person He is one of the most beloved and respected members of our community As your vice chancellor, it is my ambition to offer an education unique in Australia and amongst the best in the world Our diverse student body will receive an education distinguished in its excellence with a very low student-to-staff ratio High research intensity and an integrated on-campus experience Our students will be drawn across Australian society and across all nations of the world Students like Steph Pollard, who you've already met, who gave the welcome to country earlier Steph is the embodiment of the quality of students we seek The first in her family to attend university, she has combined her studies here at ANU with a promising career on the athletics track As a science student and as a representative at the Australian University Games Steph has shown the excellence in the pursuit of both her career and dreams can be achieved I have actually known Steph since she was nine years old My boys and her ran together at Little Athletics in Queenbyn And I know how much hard work and determination she has put in And I am proud of what ANU has offered her and even more so what she has offered back I want more young leaders like Steph to have the opportunity to join our community As your Vice Chancellor, it is my ambition for our students to have an education program defined by excellence Excellence in student cohort, excellence in the teaching we provide, excellence in their student experience and excellence in outcomes Our ambition is for every mom and dad in this country to want their children to come here And work with us at the ANU My commitment to you is to work with all of you to deliver the most interesting student cohort this nation has ever seen But I am going to need your help It means all of us getting out and telling prospective students why they can and should come to the ANU It means making the experience of our students here different to anywhere else It means showing in everything that you and I do that ANU is extraordinary Our graduates will be intellectual leaders They will have excellent employment outcomes and make a difference in the world But we will measure the success of our education program not only on graduate employment and income But on the breadth and quality of the institutions where our alumni work The contributions they make to their institutions and on their satisfaction with their experience here at ANU As your Vice Chancellor, it is my ambition that ANU transforms our society In a contemporary mission built upon our history ANU will serve Australia and our region as the Asia Pacific leader in policy research, design and analysis We will provide outstanding education and training for policy leaders of our nation and our region We will identify emerging areas of need for the nation and provide research and education that will equip Australia to cope with challenges not yet imagined We will play a national role bringing together the best thinkers in academia, government, business and community sectors To foster capacity for nimble responses to what is most certainly a rapidly changing world As your Vice Chancellor, it is my ambition that we will be the national leader in breaking down the walls between universities, government, industry and civil society We can build on the legacy of people for example like Bruce Chapman Bruce's groundbreaking work for the Hock government on an income contingent loan scheme for higher education has changed our education system forever Since 1989 his system has ensured that millions of Australians could go to university regardless of the wealth of their parents While simultaneously providing our universities with the income stream they need to be great The result is that the Australian university system has emerged as one of the strongest in the world Bruce has had a career between both academia and government and continues to be one of the most influential leaders in higher education policy today A&U will ensure that its people can move between university, business and government Providing the linkages and experience that reduce the barriers to working together We will improve collaboration between business and universities not just because the government thinks it's important because it really is interesting Interesting like the work based on some of the most fundamental physics that we do that has led to the development of quantum cybersecurity technology And the establishment of the successful A&U spinoff quintessence labs This company last year was named as one of the top emerging innovation companies by the Global Security Innovation Network And is working closely with the banking and government sectors to help safeguard organizations from cyber attacks The Australian National University is also central to life here in the nation's capital As your Vice Chancellor, it is my ambition that we will nurture an intellectual and cultural environment in Canberra worthy of a great nation's capital city We will bring national, regional and global intellectual leaders to Canberra, fostering public discussion and debate across the breadth of our research Our artists and musicians will be of international standing and form the cultural foundation of our national capital And we are partners with our national cultural institutions in reflecting, understanding and shaping our national identity Reflecting upon and shaping our understanding of our national identity, like for example, Professor Joan Beaumont has done through her long work as historian Challenging the accepted version of our war history and encouraging us to look beyond myths We are all here to work together for the collective good We should work together to educate our students, to do research that is cross-disciplinary and to look at how we interact with the outside world I can promise you many more initiatives and incentives to get the different parts of the university to work together And to engage with the world outside of the campus over the coming months And I will be working my way around campus talking to hopefully each and every one of you Seeking your contribution to building a contemporary national university Our motto first to learn the nature of things has guided us well in our first 70 years But we can build on it over the next 70 Yes, first to know the nature of things But second to teach what we have learned and third to use what we have learned for the greater benefit of all Thank you everyone Thank you Vice Chancellor I'm sure very confident from the applause from the reaction of the group here That I speak on behalf of the ANU community that we look forward to the opportunity We embrace the opportunity to work with you to deliver this vision To ensure that we continue to make this university a great university on the world stage Thank you again for your words We do invite you to remain behind please Meet your colleagues, talk about your ideas, share with us this great opportunity And discuss your ideas with the Vice Chancellor and the leadership Please join with me in thanking our Vice Chancellor, Professor Brian Schmidt