As Australia’s national university, our purpose is to serve the nation through transformational research and education. The ANU Council has directed us to make the changes necessary to ensure we can continue to fulfil this mission.  

For information on the proposed changes, please visit the Renew ANU microsite. We encourage all staff to register for your area's townhall and take part in the consultation process. Please share your feedback with org.change@anu.edu.au. 

Support is available for our community, and we encourage you to make use of our free safety and wellbeing services. Services include counselling and mental health services, resources to help with adjusting to new roles or opportunities and career transition support.

One of the meaningful ways we can look after ourselves and the University is to look at our leave liability. For more information, please read the Vice-Chancellor's latest update.

World Mental Health Day on 10 October is an annual observance designed to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilise efforts in support of mental health. 

Here at ANU, there are many free and confidential services to help you with your wellbeing, mental health and adjustment needs. Support is available to ANU staff through the Employee Assistance Program.  

Don’t forget – ANU staff are allocated two days of wellbeing leave per calendar year. These are designated days of leave that can be taken by a staff member to focus on their own mental and physical wellbeing. 

If you would like to talk more about support around mental health, you can connect with the Staff Respect Consultant by emailing staffrespect@anu.edu.au or call 02 6125 6763.

Further information and resources for health and wellbeing are available here

Join us for next week’s Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Expo on Thursday 17 October, 10am-3pm at Yukeembruk Village Hall, featuring stalls from internal and external vendors, plus a raffle with fantastic prizes. Don’t forget to visit this week’s expo on Thursday 10 October at the Research School of Biology. 

Learn more: Health, Safety and Wellbeing Month 

Tuesday 15 October, 6-7pm 

Andrew Leigh will be in conversation with Lin Hatfield Dodds on his new book Battlers and billionaires: the updated story of inequality in Australia. 

Register now: MTA – Andrew Leigh 

Wednesday 16 October, 12.30-1.30pm 

In this seminar, Dr Nina Araneta-Alana, will explore the challenges and opportunities for human rights in the Philippines following the populist policies of the Duterte administration. She will discuss the weakened human rights landscape and highlight research pointing to ongoing international engagement as a path toward reform.   

Register now: The Philippine human rights landscape

Wednesday 16 October, 6-7.30pm 

Australia-Pakistan relations have evolved significantly since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1947. In this lecture, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Australia, His Excellency Mr Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri will discuss the history of Australia-Pakistan relations and examine how to strengthen ties to create a more robust and resilient partnership.

Register now: Australia-Pakistan relations 

Thursday 17 October, 4-5.30pm 

Dream production is one of the main ways of seeking direct contact with the divine world in many religions. Both ancient Greece and Song China developed dream production practices to facilitate the divine dreams of gods. Qin Yang from the University of Nottingham will compare types of dream production from both societies and examine how gods intervened in dreams.

Register now: Ritual production of divine dreams

Wednesday 16 October, 5.30-7.30pm 

The College of Law is proud to welcome Professor Shae McCrystal from the University of Sydney as the keynote speaker at the Phillipa Weeks Lecture. This annual lecture highlights key issues in labour law. Professor McCrystal will explore the gradual de-collectivisation of representation in collective bargaining. 

Register now: 2024 Phillipa Weeks Lecture

Thursday 24 October, 6-8pm 

The 2024 Robin-Griffiths Environmental History Lecture will be presented by internationally renowned environmental historian of southern Africa, Professor Sandra Swart. Our earliest roads were elephant paths. Even today, in Africa's most impenetrable undergrowth, it is the trails maintained by elephants that enable human mobility. In this lecture, Professor Swart explores what a doomed experiment taught us about animal cultures. 

Register now: 2024 Robin-Griffiths Lecture 

There are new arrangements in place for securely disposing of ANU IT assets to ensure we remain compliant and eco-friendly through eWaste recycling. Request the removal of your ANU tagged technology through the ANU Service Desk by entering ‘Request hardware disposal’ in the search bar. For bulk IT equipment disposals, call the ANU Service Desk on (02) 6125 4321. You can find more information on specialised recycling through the Building Operations webpage.

The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Awards are a celebration of the depth and diversity of talent of ANU staff. The awards are an opportunity to recognise staff achievements and contributions to the University. 

Send your nomination to awards@anu.edu.au. Find the nomination form under the relevant award category. 

Nominations close Friday 11 October, 5pm.  

Learn more: Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Awards

Inward Bound is a navigation-based ultra-endurance team footrace held annually in bushland surrounding the Canberra region. Competing in teams of four representing their residential halls, participants will be dropped off in an unknown location in the bushland around Canberra. They must then determine their location and complete an ultra-marathon footrace to reach the finish line. 

We are expecting a record number of almost 350 participants in this year's 60th anniversary Inward Bound event and hope to see hundreds of spectators at the endpoint, ready to cheer for contestants. 

If you would like to come along to the Inward Bound endpoint, please fill out the spectator bus form. Use this form for on-campus residents or fill out the VIP spectator form for all staff, family members, alumni or spectators. 

If you have any specific accessibility requirements to notify event coordinators of, please use the accessibility form.

We are delighted to announce that Anthony (Tony) Oates has been appointed as the Director of the Drill Hall Gallery and ANU Art Collection. Tony has been with the Drill Hall Gallery since 2001, and has established a reputation for curating highly successful exhibitions. 

Learn more: Tony Oates appointment

Great leaders are able to develop the people around them. Learn how to help your teammates to identify, stretch and master the skills they need faster. This skills coach course is designed for people managers.  

As an ANU staff member, you have access to skills coach development courses. Use your U number email address and then click ‘Sign in with SSO’. 

Learn more: Skills coach people development 

Australia’s universities are at the forefront of global research, making them targets for those seeking to exploit valuable intellectual property. Protecting your research is crucial to ensuring its integrity and future opportunities. 

Be cautious of unsolicited requests to collaborate, especially in sensitive areas of technology or research. Invitations to conferences, offers of hospitality or access to your unpublished data could be attempts to misuse your work. 

Stay proactive by conducting due diligence on research partners and reporting any concerns. By staying aware, you can safeguard your research and its impact. 

If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to ciso@anu.edu.au.

A team of researchers led by Dr Lou Farrer from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health has launched a new digital mental health support tool for university students. The Uni Virtual Clinic provides brief videos and strategies to help students manage their mental health at university. The online resource has been trialled nationally and is available for ANU students to access anytime. 

Learn more: Online mental health support tool 

Thanks to the Canberra Writers Festival, On Campus staff readers have a chance to win 2 tickets to a programmed event of their choice (Opening night and Masterclasses are excluded).

To enter, simply select what programmed event you wish to attend and then fill out the entry form. 

The competition closes at noon AEST on Friday 11 October. 

Enter now: Canberra Writers Festival 2024

If you are dealing with a personal or work-related issue, including distress related to the conflict in the Middle East, the University encourages you to seek support through the Employee Assistance Program.

If you need to support a student in distress, please refer to this guide that was developed by the Student Safety and Wellbeing team.