Horizon 2020 is a development strategy for UniSA
for the next ten years but it says a great deal more.
The plan is about aspirations, not only for the university
but for the vibrant development of education and innovation in Australia
and the social and economic benefits that delivers.
It is a vision for the future, developed in consultation with
UniSA staff, alumni and partners
and passionately championed by UniSA Vice Chancellor
Professor Peter Høj.
The importance of us having worked on a new
vision, Horizon 2020, is that it has
reminded us about how far we've come
in the last twenty years and reminded us
that we now have the track record and the self confidence
to set very aspirational goals for where we want to be in 2020.
Horizon 2020 is in the end
about doing the very best we can for our graduates
and in deciding what to do for our graduates
we look at the world around us, because
this is the world they have to operate in.
The world is changing very rapidly
it gives lots of opportunities for new graduates
but it also gives challenges.
We believe they can meet the challenges if they operate
from a sound base of knowledge
but also supplemented by a sound
degree of innovation potential.
If we want our graduates to go out with those qualities
we must link our research and our
teaching and learning efforts very closely.
Many things about this plan should be really exciting for students.
First of all, it reminds them about how good
University of South Australia already is.
Second it tells them that we have aspirations
to increase the quality of the student experience
enormously at University of South Australia to be
among the best, not only in Australia, but globally.
We're going to ensure that our staff
are becoming even more research active
so your degrees can be even more informed
by the latest development in whatever discipline you're interested in.
Second, we are going to invest
over the next decade, a billion dollars
to improve the infrastructure
both the soft and the hard infrastructure
in which students will learn at UniSA.
That should be very exciting for them.
We want to double the amount of research active
graduate students that we have.
We want to double the amount of research active
academic staff that we have
and we want to be able to enhance
rightfully, the reputation of our university
such that, a student that comes with a UniSA
degree will be accelerated to the top of the
shortlisting pile every time they apply for a job.
Professor Denise Bradley threw a challenge to the nation
and the challenge was to educate Australia better.
We believe firmly that this is an aspiration
we must do everything we can to meet.
The only way to survive in an ever changing
global economy is to have
the population able to cope with that change
able to deliver new and better services
new and better innovation
and for that to happen, we need to equip
more Australians better.
That means that more Australians have to get an education.
For that reason, we have invested money
to now start a college
so people that perhaps are able to go to university
but not prepared for university yet
will be able to start their academic trajectory
by enrolling in our university college
and after completing that successfully
get into our ordinary programs.
It's through those mechanisms that we know we can enhance
participation in higher education
but stay true to our strong
and uncompromising standards.
