Australian Higher Education Heads of Campus
Annual Conference 2015 1-3 July CQU Bundaberg
Program as at 8 May 15
Wednesday 1 July –MC Graham Young, Chair AHEHCF
08:30-08:50
Registration
08.50-09:00
Welcome and housekeeping
09.10-10:00
Professor Scott Bowman: Vice Chancellor Central
Queensland University
‘Keynote Address’
10.00-10:30
Morning Tea
10.30-11:20
Dr Caroline Perkins: Executive Director Regional
Universities Network
‘The Regional Universities Network perspective of the higher
education reforms and their impact upon regional universities
and their satellite campuses’
11:30-12:20
Jonathan Chew: ACIL Allen Consulting
‘Quantifying the role of regional campuses in a competitive
and deregulated market’
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-14:20
Associate Professor Robbie Collins: Head of Campus,
Shoalhaven Campus, University of Wollongong
‘Community engagement, the regional development process,
and the Head of Campus Dilemma’
Dr Doug Fraser: University Project Manager Moreton Bay
Regional Council
‘The head of campus dilemma – balancing the expectations of
the university, community and accrediting bodies’
Afternoon Tea
14:30-15:20
15:20-15:40
15:40-16:10
Assoc Prof Philip Hider: Head of the Virtual Campus
Charles Sturt University
‘Moving toward a Virtual Campus’
16:10-16:30
Open Forum on ‘The issues of accommodating and supporting
distance students at satellite campuses’
17:00
Sunset networking drinks and canapés on the beach
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Thursday 2rd July – MC Dr Doug Fraser, Deputy Chair AHEHCF
09:10-10:00
Trent Pohlmann: Head of Campus - Sydney
S P Jain School of Global Management|
‘The Head of Campus role in a private higher education
provider – less students but more hats to wear’
10:00-10:30
Morning Tea
10:30-11:20
Dr Wayne Graham: Lecturer faculty of Business, University
of the Sunshine Coast
‘Enabling the embracement of new university campuses in
communities: A regional Australia case study’
11:30-12:20
Steven Holliday: Associate Vice-Chancellor (NSW Region),
CQU
‘The challenges of a predominately International student
satellite campus’
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-14:20
15:20-15:40
Ms Lisa Wirihana: Lecturer – School of Nursing QUT
Caboolture Campus
‘The lived experience of satellite campus nurse academics: a
phenomenological study.’
Jodie Duignan: Associate Vice Chancellor, CQU Cairns
Round table discussion: ‘The operation of CBD campuses and
hubs.’
Afternoon Tea
15:40-16:40
Conference discussion:
14:30-15:20

Report on the US National Association of Branch
Campus Administrators annual conference
16:40-17:00
Election of 2014/15 Steering Committee
19:00-22:00
Conference Dinner – Catalonia Mediterranean Restaurant 58
Miller Street, Bargara
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Friday 3 July
9:00 – 11:00
Professor Andrew Bridges: Associate Vice Chancellor
(Wide Bay & Burnett) CQU -Dean of Human, Health &
Social Sciences
Visit to Primary Industries Research Station. – (transport
provided)
The Bundaberg region is the highest value vegetable growing
region in Australia. It produces over 90% of Australia’s sweet
potatoes and is home to the country’s largest chilli farm. The
region is also one of the biggest producers of a number of
other crops including macadamia nuts, tomatoes and
capsicum. The Bundaberg campus of CQU supports this
industry through a strong research group which includes
innovative collaborations between horticulture and other
disciplines such as Psychology. The group have been
successful in securing Category 1 grant income to fund their
research and is headed up by Professor Phil Brown. Phil’s
appointment is jointly funded by the University and the
Queensland Department Of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry and he therefore splits his time between the
University campus and the Primary Industries Research
Station in East Bundaberg. On Friday morning we will visit
the research station and some local producers to gain an
insight into this industry and the precision research which is
now so important to its viability and sustainability.
An industry of historical importance to the region is aviation.
Pioneer aviator Bert Hinkler grew up in Bundaberg and tested
gliders on the beach at Mon Repos. We will finish the
morning tour at Bundaberg Botanical Gardens which houses
the Hinkler Hall of Aviation. Delegates can purchase a late
morning tea / early lunch from café 1928 and will have the
opportunity to visit the Hall of Aviation which includes
Hinkler’s house that he lived in when based in the UK. It was
transported brick by brick and re-assembled in Bundaberg
when it was threatened with demolition.
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Abstracts and Biographies
‘Keynote address’
Biography for Professor Scott Bowman
Professor Bowman began his professional life as a radiographer, undertaking radiography
training at the Northampton School of Radiography in the UK. He worked as a senior
radiographer in a number of hospitals in London before becoming a student teacher at Guys
Hospital Radiography Education Centre. He became a principal lecturer at South Bank
University when the centre at Guys amalgamated with that university. Professor Bowman
then became the Head of the Department of Radiography and Imaging Sciences at the
University College of St Martin. He was also appointed the foundation Dean of the Faculty of
Health Science and Community at St Martins before moving to Australia to take up the
position of Head of the School of Medical Radiations at Charles Sturt University. At Charles
Sturt University he later became the foundation Head of the School of Clinical Sciences.
Professor Bowman then moved to the University of South Australia where he was appointed
Dean of the Whyalla Campus and the foundation Director of Regional Engagement. He then
moved on to James Cook University to become Pro Vice Chancellor (Cairns and Academic
Planning & Development) with further appointments as Pro Vice Chancellor Corporate and
Commercial and Deputy Vice Chancellor University Services and Registrar. In August 2009
he was appointed the Vice Chancellor and President of CQUniversity Australia.
___________________________________________________________________________
‘The Regional Universities Network perspective of the higher education reforms and
their impact upon regional universities and their satellite campuses’
The Regional Universities Network (RUN) supports the Government’s higher education
reforms as the sector is under financial pressure. The participation of regional Australians in
higher education must continue to grow for regional development and the good of the nation.
Sustainable funding is required to retain and grow the demand driven student system,
including to sub-bachelor degrees to provide more pathways for less well-prepared students.
Government cannot be relied upon to provide increased funding per student place into the
future. Satellite campuses may be under more pressure in an environment where sustainable
funding of the sector is not assured. RUN supports reforms based on the principles of access,
participation and fairness; efficiency and effectiveness of operations, that respects the
autonomy of institutions and the need for accountability and value for money of the public
investment in higher education; and a powerful and innovative culture across each
university’s research, teaching and community engagement activities. Continuing funding
uncertainty will be detrimental for the sector and students.
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Biography for Dr Caroline Perkins
Caroline is a geologist by training and has a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Melbourne
and a Ph.D in geology from the University of New England. She has worked as an
exploration geologist in Australia and Fiji, and undertook post-doctoral research at the
Australian National University determining the age of gold, silver and copper, lead, zinc
deposits in eastern and northern Australia.
She has 15 years’ experience as a senior public servant working for the Commonwealth in
higher education, research, science and radioactive waste management policy and programs.
In February 2012 she was appointed as the inaugural Executive Director of the Regional
Universities Network, a group of universities with their headquarters outside capital cities.
___________________________________________________________________________
‘Quantifying the role of regional campuses in a competitive and deregulated market’
The role of regional university campuses are an accepted truism in the Australian tertiary
education landscape. Regional university campuses both stimulate aspiration and create
opportunities, and in doing so make a direct contribution in terms of regional participation
rates, educational attainment, and the knowledge and skills based of the region as a whole.
Despite the recent stalling of mooted higher education reforms in Australia, the debate around
necessary policy and regulatory changes to improve sustainability, accessibility and the
prospects for growth and innovation will persist. This presentation will look at the role
regional university campuses and how this could change under various reform scenarios. For
Australia’s regions, there are three key areas of reform to consider: deregulated prices and the
impact this could have on not only the institutions but individual campuses; the impact of
non-university higher education providers receiving public subsidies and implications for
regional competition; and the likely benefits of the extension of demand-driven funding to
sub-bachelor courses.
Biography for Jonathon Chew
Jon is a Principal at ACIL Allen Consulting’s Brisbane office. He undertakes public policy
development, modelling, analysis, and program reviews with a focus on the VET and higher
education sectors. In recent years, Jon has undertaken a number of projects analysing
participation in tertiary education at a regional and sub-regional level in North Queensland,
the Sunshine Coast, the Moreton Bay region, and eight regions in Western Australia. These
projects collate, analyse and benchmark regional performance for a range of education and
labour market indicators, drawing on a wide variety of national, state, and institutional data
sources.
In 2007-08, and again in 2010-11, Jon worked with Professor Ross Garnaut on the Garnaut
Climate Change Review. Jon is on the board of Conservation Volunteers Australia, one of
the largest environmental organisations in Australia, which works to attract and manage
volunteers to participate in projects that protect or enhance the environment.
__________________________________________________________________________
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‘Community engagement, the regional development process, and the Head of Campus
Dilemma’
Heads of Campus are intricately involved in developing strategy at their campus level. This
needs their careful orchestration across the range of stakeholders in the campus. Being alert
to the lens with which the Head of Campus views their University, their campus and their
community/region and then finds how to dance across those differing perspectives makes the
Head of Campus role a synergistic dance of leadership and networking. Robbie believes you
have to be mindful of which hat you are wearing and when, while dancing with all of them at
once. She reflects on her experiences and the importance of the narrative at UOW
Shoalhaven, a small campus of University of Wollongong on the South Coast of the state of
New South Wales, Australia.
Biography for Professor Robbie Collins
Associate Professor Robbie Collins leads UOW Shoalhaven, a Regional Campus of
University of Wollongong. Robbie’s appointment to UOW Shoalhaven in 2003 was to effect a
change management process. Through her career she has a history of operating strategically
to facilitate development in organisations, individuals and the community.
Robbie has worked in Universities, Schools and in Not for Profit organisations. In all her
roles she reached out into the community for solutions that benefitted the organisation, the
community and business and the students/learners/customers of the organisations for whom
she worked.
Robbie’s academic and research activities are focussed on campus, community and regional
development with a cross disciplinary orientation. Her career has always involved linking
education with the community, businesses and government to create strategic mutual benefit.
___________________________________________________________________________
‘The head of campus dilemma – balancing the expectations of the university,
community and accrediting bodies’
There are many explicit and implicit expectations placed upon a satellite campus. These can
be grouped under those stemming from the university, the community, and accrediting bodies
including the profession and government. Explicitly the university will require brand
consistency, revenue generation, and a contribution to corporate objectives. Implicitly
though, it may require deference to existing power structures, restrained initiative and limited
decision making authority to remind the campus who is ‘boss’.
The expectations from the community are more pronounced with local comprehensive
campuses and relate to quality teaching for their students, employment outcomes,
contributions to the social and economic wellbeing of the region, and genuine localised
community engagement. In the case of specialist campuses, they will usually focus on their
responsibilities to the profession and accreditation requirements.
It is the role of the head of campus to balance and manage these expectations, but their ability
to achieve this is a function of their authority as determined by the campus management
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model under which they operate. The head of campus dilemma relates to where these
expectations are misaligned, or where a sudden change upsets the established balance,
leaving the head of campus exposed, and in some cases, in an irreconcilable situation.
Biography for Dr Doug Fraser
Doug Fraser is currently the Manager of the Moreton Bay Regional Council University
Precinct Project. Prior to this he was the Director of the USQ Springfield Campus from
December 2005 to December 2013. Before this he was employed as the USQ Springfield
Project Manager, responsible for all aspects of establishing the Campus. Included within this
role was the development and implementation of the high autonomy business unit model for
the campus. Doug extended this work through the completion of a Doctorate examining
management models for satellite university campuses throughout Australia.
______________________________________________________________________________
‘Moving toward a Virtual Campus’
About two thirds of CSU’s students study outside of a physical campus. Philip’s talk will
highlight some of the issues of particular importance to online students at CSU, and some of
the major challenges in building a virtual campus that aims to be more than the sum of its
parts.
Biography for Assoc Prof Philip Hider
Philip is a full-time head of school as well as a part-time head of campus. Whereas he’s been
the latter for less than a year, he’s been the former for over six years, and is an Associate
Professor of Library and Information Management. He’s been at CSU since 2003 and is
based partly on its campus at Wagga Wagga, NSW, and partly in Melbourne, where he
resides.
___________________________________________________________________________
‘The Head of Campus role in a private higher education provider – less students but
more hats to wear’
The S P Jain School of Global Management commenced operations as an Australianregistered higher education provider in December 2012. It operates offshore campuses in
Dubai, Mumbai and Sydney. Interestingly, the institution was founded more than ten years
ago with its first campus in Dubai opening in 2004. It subsequently expanded to other
regions. Trent’s presentation will cover the journey of the School from its inauguration in
2004 to becoming Australian-registered in 2012, along with the strategies behind S P Jain’s
choice of campus locations. In discussing the global structure and profile of S P Jain, Trent
will highlight the responsibilities of the Head of Campus role in this smaller and specialised yet widely dispersed - private business school.
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Biography for Trent Pohlmann
Trent joined the S P Jain School of Global Management in July 2013 following four years at
the University of New England (UNE) as a Head of College. Prior to joining UNE, Trent was
at Central Queensland University (CQU) where he completed his first degree. During his
time at CQU he worked in senior roles responsible for student welfare and operations. He
also held part-time teaching and research responsibilities and served a twelve-month tenure
on the Council of CQU. As Head of Campus at S P Jain, Trent’s role encompasses overall
management of the School’s Australian operations and ex-officio membership on the
Academic Board. Trent holds a first class honours degree in science from CQU and a Master
of Business Administration with distinctions from Curtin University.
___________________________________________________________________________
‘Enabling the embracement of new university campuses in communities: A regional
Australia case study’
The value of a higher education teaching and research institutions in regional areas is well
recognised. Contributions to the community include skills development, creation of
knowledge and the retention of young adults. Other activities include opinion leading,
identity, networks, problem solving, provision of community facilities and contributions to
the local economy. It is unclear however which of these attributes is considered most
important within a region and whether that varies from region to region. It relates to what the
priority/targets of a new university presence should be and what may be the main
barriers/obstacles that emerge especially in the early years of operation. This study attempts
to address the above concerns by developing a theoretical framework based on research
undertaken by way of a case study analysis (Yin 2003). Data collection methods consisted
mainly of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from the business community of
two regions that have an enhanced university presence as a result of the recent Higher
Education reforms. This has the potential to inform future developments involving the
development of new university campuses and their communities in regional Australia.
Biography for Dr Wayne Graham
Dr Wayne Graham is a lecturer in Management in the School of Business, and is the Program
Coordinator for Management and Human Resource Management. Wayne has presented his
research at national and international conferences and he has published his research in peerreviewed journals. Additionally, he has co-authored three case studies for an Australian
strategic management textbook. As well as working in higher education, Wayne has worked
in the vocational education sector, the automotive industry and local government. He is a
Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and has supervised higher degree research
students studying management. He is part of a research team that was recently awarded a
National OLT grant to study the postgraduate learning experiences of School Principals in
regional Queensland.
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‘The challenges of a predominately International student satellite campus’
The needs of international students are varied and different to the needs of domestic students.
This alone is a challenge to the management on a predominantly international student satellite
campus; however there is also the additional challenge of having the rest of the university
understand these differences on an operational basis.
International students have a different legal framework, varied cultural perspectives, and they
often view the world totally differently to typical Australians. Expecting them to adapt to our
way of life, is easier said than done. Having a mix of international and domestic students can
be beneficial to both groups, however getting that working is a challenge.
Biography for Steven Holliday
Steven has been the Associate Vice Chancellor (NSW Region) of CQUniversity since the new
campus leadership model was commenced in July 2014, prior to this Steven was the Head of
Campus for Sydney. Steven was with C-Management Services for 10 years in both campus
management and financial management positions, C-Management Services was a company
which was fully owned by CQUniversity and operated the university’s international
campuses. Steven’s background is in finance and management, he is fellow member of CPA
Australia and a member of the Australian Governance institute and has also worked in
management roles with BORAL and GIO Australia and was also the business manager of a
private school in Sydney. He has nearly 18 years’ experience in the education sector.
_________________________________________________________________________
‘The lived experience of satellite campus nurse academics: a phenomenological study’
Education has been deemed a priority for measurable community health and wellness. The
value of university education as a crucial pathway for employment, culture, values and
personal autonomy is also recognised. In the past, access to tertiary level education was often
difficult for people who live in regional areas. To address that difficulty, the delivery of
higher education in satellite campuses has become an increasing occurrence in the
international and Australian landscape. Satellite campuses of universities in regional areas
have enabled access, research, economic development and local services to improve
community outcomes. Consideration should be given to the fact that the cohort of students at
satellite campuses starts their university journey with different attributes to their urban
counterparts. They are predominantly mature age, first in family to attend university and of
low socio-economic status, with family and time commitments. Academics who teach these
students at satellite campuses provide a significant contribution to successful student
outcomes. However, the role of an academic at a satellite campus is often misunderstood. It
is multi-dimensional, frequently undervalued and poorly resourced. This research provides a
new and essential insight into the experiences of nursing academics who teach at satellite
campuses of Australian Universities. Using a phenomenological approach, 21 nursing
academics from universities around Australia were interviewed to provide a detailed,
descriptive explanation of this phenomenon through the eyes of those academics that live it.
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Biography for Lisa Wirihana
Lisa is a Registered Nurse, Endorsed Midwife, PhD candidate and Lecturer. Her current
role is the Academic Coordinator for Nursing at the Caboolture campus of QUT, where she
has worked for the past eight years. Her previous experience spans 30 years of Nursing in a
variety of areas including Intensive Care, Maternity and Nurse Management. Lisa has a
keen interest in social justice and equity.
__________________________________________________________________________
Round table discussion: ‘The operation of CBD campuses and hubs.’
University Campuses can range from large regional self-contained communities with
sprawling grounds, purpose built buildings, and recreation facilities; through to inner city
office block operations with little to no recreation related facilities. Over the years some
Universities have trialed operating both styles – in effect providing two distinct campus
operation sites (regional and CBD) in one geographical location.
This will be an interactive session that aims to draw upon the experience of participants with
regard to the challenges and opportunities associated with the different campus models in a
rapidly changing social, economic and political landscape.
Biography for Jodie Duignan-George
Jodie has recently assumed the position of Associate Vice-Chancellor (Cairns and Far North
region) at CQUniversity where she is tasked with the establishment of a new CBD Campus.
With a background in Social Science and close to 20 years experience working in higher
education (from teaching through to commercial and corporate management) Jodie has broad
knowledge of issues facing the sector.
Jodie has a keen interest in community development with particular expertise in business
development. She is a member of a number of boards and committees and is an active
member of the communities she services.
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