No images? Click here Research and Policy updatesDear colleagues The Research and Policy program at NCSEHE has been buzzing with activity in the past few months. Successful recipients of our First Nations Fellowships, Equity Fellowships and Small Research Grants were announced in late 2023, with work beginning on some projects already and others commencing shortly. Our six First Nations and Equity Fellows will be coming to Perth in late February for an event to kickstart their Fellowships. Calls for applications to our Visiting Fellowships scheme closed recently, and I am greatly encouraged by the quality of the numerous applications and the strong calibre of the applicants who are interested in coming to Perth to collaborate with NCSEHE staff. We will be announcing the successful Visiting Fellows shortly, so please watch this space on our visitors and the exciting collaborative research we will be kicking off in 2024. Capacity building is a priority at NCSEHE, and we have launched a new funding initiative facilitating this mission. Our NCSEHE Higher Degree by Research Student Stipends are currently open for applications from students enrolled in research degrees at Australian Table A Universities. Applications for the HDR Stipends close at the end of March 2024, and we encourage promising candidates working on Australian higher education equity to consider putting forward a proposal. Details on this initiative can be found here. We are currently gearing up for the next round of our research funding opportunities. To assist prospective applicants with work planning, we have prepared a draft plan of the application timelines and announcement of outcomes for our funding schemes. Please find the draft plan here. We are pleased to welcome Avishi Milentis (B.Comm Hons Curtin) and Varun Mehta (B.Comm Hons UWA) as research assistants in the program. We are thrilled to have two young economists on board and look forward to working with them on higher education equity research throughout their tenure at NCSEHE. Finally, the Research and Policy program is working on an exciting policy event later in 2024. We are at the final stages of working on the program and I hope to share details of this student equity and University Accord focused event very shortly. Yours sincerely In other news...NCSEHE is growingNew StaffCanki Yuan is our new Business Manager. Canki holds a Master of Finance and double degrees in International Business and Asian Studies from Curtin University. She has been working in the higher education sector for 13 years and awarded twice as a professional staff member for the year for different areas. Her areas of expertise include project coordination, communication, and organisation, and she is passionate about working with people from diverse backgrounds and understanding their cultures. Gobinath Subramani joins our Data Program Director Associate Professor Gemma Cadby as a Senior Data Scientist. Gobinath is a seasoned Data Scientist with a Master of Data Science from The University of Queensland, and brings seven years of experience leading impactful machine learning projects for top organisations. Recognised for optimising salary structures and implementing cost-saving automation, Gobinath is committed to delivering strategic, data-driven insights to drive organisational success. Varun Mehta joins our Research and Policy Program Director Professor Ian Li as a Research Assistant. Varun is a junior economist who recently completed an Honours degree at The University of Western Australia. He worked in the public sector for the last two years across a number of roles in labour market research and economic modelling. His research interests include labour market dynamics, behavioural economics and welfare economics. Applications open: NCSEHE HDR Stipend SchemeApplications are invited from Master and Doctor of Philosophy students with an interest in student equity in higher education to participate in the NCSEHE Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Stipend Scheme. The NCSEHE HDR Stipend Scheme is an opportunity for the Centre to help develop Australia’s next generation of researchers. Successful applicants will receive $10,000 to scope out a research project that will lead to the development of a journal paper manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal in the field of higher education. For more information, including details on how to apply, please visit our website. Applications close at 4pm (AWST) on Friday 29 March 2024. We need your insights!The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) is on a mission to shape the future of fairness in Australian higher education, and we want you to be a part of it. Your valuable perspectives will help us identify priority equity groups, crucial student outcomes, and tackle emerging thematic issues in the higher education sector. By participating in our survey, you contribute to achieving student equity outcomes and shaping the policies that will make a real difference in the lives of students. Ready to make a difference? Click here to take the survey. Don't forget to share with interested colleagues and friends. Exciting news for high school studentsDesigned by students, for students, Uni Ready is a toolkit aimed to assist students with their transition from school to university. Hear from fellow students who've walked in your shoes. Get insider tips, study strategies, and peer support to help you navigate the leap from high school to university. * Uncover the differences between high school and uni learning. The Uni Ready toolkit is a free resource created by the Access, Equity, and Inclusion team at UNSW in partnership with the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle, supported by funding from the NSW Government. |