Introducing the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success

Dear colleagues

It's with great pleasure I announce a pivotal moment for the Centre, for its proud partner Curtin University, and, indeed, for higher education in Australia.

The Centre has long been dedicated to advancing equitable access and success in higher education. It celebrated a series of remarkable milestones as it closed the chapter on 2023. These were achieved in the wake of the Australian Government Department of Education's visionary grant.

The grant set in motion the meticulous curation of a diverse and dynamic new team. In preparation for an impactful 2024 and beyond, the Centre has strategically refocused its efforts, consolidating achievements across three core programs: Research and Policy, Data, and Trials and Evaluation.

These pillars, bolstered by the Centre’s active participation in the Australian Universities Accord, set the stage for a paradigm shift in cultivating inclusivity, accessibility, and success in higher education for all Australians, while forging a path into the international conversation on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4, to: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Today, we stand on the brink of a significant transformation as the Centre unveils its rebranding to the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success – otherwise known as ACSES.

"Universities for All"

Curtin University Vice-Chancellor and ACSES Advisory Board Chair Professor Harlene Hayne has now officially launched our new name at the Universities Australia Plenary Session in Canberra.

This renaming reflects not just a change in nomenclature, but a reaffirmation of the Centre’s core values and commitments. ACSES is driven by a vision of a nation where every student, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

It reflects the Centre’s transformative shift toward a What Works operational model, driven by an evidence-based approach to equity in education.

Today, we celebrate more than just a name change. We celebrate a renewed mission towards fairness, accessibility, and success for all. ACSES’s commitment to growth, innovation, and excellence in equity remains unwavering as it embarks on this new chapter.

I extend my deepest gratitude to each one of you for your role in achieving this milestone.

Your support, collaboration, and deep commitment to our students - both past, present, and future - are instrumental as we work to create a brighter future for generations to come. The sum of our work is far greater than our parts, and has afforded us diverse insights into student equity. I invite you to continue to share these insights with ACSES.

Stay tuned for more details on the many new initiatives ACSES has planned for the year ahead and beyond.

Yours sincerely
Professor Shamit Saggar
Executive Director
Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success