VC’s plans for his second term

With his first term ending this week, Brian Schmidt announced his hope for a second in his state of the university speech to staff. “So, if someone else is giving this address next year, you’ll know the meeting didn’t go as I planned…”

Professor Schmidt’s objectives for a second term include.

* student experience: “By 2025, every student at ANU should be able to say they received a distinctive education that is second to none. We need to be seen as the Oxbridge/Ivy League institution of the southern hemisphere, but with an inclusive and distinctively Australian character.”

* “research that transforms society.” “Since our researchers train the future leaders of Australia, our region, and the world, we have to do that well.”

* ANU becoming the public policy university. “I cannot emphasise enough: this is not an optional extra for ANU: this is a core reason why we exist – and we must excel, and do better than we have been doing.”

* being the place of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to engage in higher education and undertake research.