There have been some questions circulating about the future of Medicine and Psychology at ANU. Both programs remain a critical and valued part of the University and they are not closing.

ANU has a proud history of training top medical practitioners to support health services for the ACT and surrounding region and remains committed to the medical program. A program review and restructure is currently underway to ensure it continues to thrive and attract leading practitioners and produce outstanding graduates who will work in the ACT and Southeast NSW.

Similarly, ANU has a long track record of high quality research and education in psychology, including externally accredited clinical training programs, and the university is committed to ensuring these will continue to train psychologists for the ACT and beyond.

The revitalised School of Medicine and Psychology is part of the new College of Science and Medicine, creating opportunities to strengthen teaching, training and research. More information on Renew ANU including FAQs for students can be found on the Renew ANU website.

Image: Linnaeus Building, The Australian National University. Photo: ANU

Campus is a little quieter this week, as we begin the two-week teaching break. I know I have friends and colleagues traveling, attending conferences, visiting family and catching up on paperwork and email. And I know that many are still at work too, and helping keep things moving forward, including setting us up for next year. My thanks to all.

Read more: VC's update – Future growth

Image: The MakerSpace team pivoted to producing PPE during the pandemic. Credit: Rachael Hanrick and Jamie Kidston/ANU

Rachael Hanrick is in a room filled with tools – 3D printers, sewing machines, soldering stations, CNC mills and a laser cutter.

The ANU MakerSpace is in the Research School of Physics but a fly on the wall would see people from all colleges and schools passing through. There are design students working on projects, engineers creating prototypes for their innovations and demographers creating models to demonstrate their research.

“It’s a melting pot of ideas,” Hanrick says. “You’ll find an artist talking to a scientist, and they each bring their own knowledge to the table and can combine their skills.”

Read more: Bring your wildest ideas to life at MakerSpace

Image: A man sitting on the ground, waiting in an airport. Photo: Jon Tyson

Why are tens of thousands of Australian citizens being forced to wait years – and pay thousands of dollars – just to live with their partners? The ANU Migration Hub’s Peter McDonald and Alan Gamlen explain how to fix Australia’s unlawful Partner visa crisis.

Read more: Love on hold: fixing Australia’s broken Partner visa system

Professor Susanne von Caemmerer FRS and Professor Graham Farquhar AO FRS, among other prestigious international researchers, have been recognised in the 2025 Royal Society’s Premier Awards.

The ANU researchers are jointly awarded the Royal Medal 2025 for refining the ways we monitor and model photosynthesis in leaves from molecular to global scales.

Read more: ANU researches win Royal Society’s 2025 Royal Medal award

In May this year, we invited staff and students to provide feedback on the University’s draft five-year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. We are grateful for the honesty, candour and respect given to us in the feedback, and the trust and desire to help. We appreciate the concerns, weaknesses and problems identified. We also appreciate your encouragement and have revised the Strategy to reflect your feedback (this is still a work in progress).

The updated Strategy and an implementation plan with actions, responsibility and timelines will be released in November, supported by monitoring and reporting plans.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing videos recognising ANU staff and students who are taking action to support wellbeing and mental health in our community. We will also release the full report which details the data, voices of staff and students, and the evidence behind the Strategy actions and recommendations. Thank you again for your feedback.

Monday 8 September – Friday 12 September

Immersia, the ANU School of Culture, History & Language's (CHL) annual festival of ideas and traditions, is less about spectacle and more about connection. Conceived within CHL as an experiment in cultural engagement, its driving question is simple: can a university create a space where cultures aren’t just studied, but lived, felt, and playfully shared?

Learn more: Beyond the Festival Poster – The Spirit of Immersia

Tuesday 9 September, 6–8pm

This Social Sciences Week public panel brings together a group of scholars and landscape practitioners whose work challenges the artificial distinctions often made between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’.

Register here: Natureculture: rethinking socio-ecological relations

Thursday 11 September, 9.30am–1.30pm

Australia is known as the land “of droughts and flooding rains”. As these events increasingly impact lives and livelihoods, preventative policy responses are needed. UNICEF Australia and Deloitte Access Economics launch their report on the economic and social impacts of disaster on children and young people in Australia.

Register here: ANU Disaster Solutions Update 2025

Friday 12 September – Saturday 13 September

This year’s theme, Navigating Climate Change in Indonesia, explores pathways for mitigation and adaptation, from clean energy transitions to community resilience. Hear leading experts debate how Indonesia can balance emissions reduction, economic growth and social justice.

Register here: Indonesia update 2025 - navigating climate change

Friday 12 September, 9.30am–3.30pm

Join the Symposium on Gender and Population, bringing together experts from academia, government and policy to explore gender disparities in health, work, education and family life. Gain insights into shifting identities, evolving trends and future policy needs shaping Australia’s demographic landscape.

Register here: Symposium on Gender and Population

Saturday 13 September – Sunday 14 September

Globe4Globe 2025 is a 24-hour live online event featuring the world’s leading Shakespeare scholars on the topic of “Shakespeare and Environmental Justice”. The event is supported by Shakespeare’s Globe (London) and the Centre for Early Modern Studies.

Learn more: Globe4Globe 2025 - Shakespeare & Environmental Justice

Wednesday 17 September

Join six weeks of mixed social netball, among other activities, with ANU Sport. Get a team together or register as an Indvidual and they'll find a team for you.

Learn more: Social netball competition

The University’s Poster Policy is now undergoing its scheduled six-month, campus-wide review following implementation. Since implementation, a number of dedicated noticeboards have been installed across campus for community use. We invite all members of the ANU community to share feedback on how the Policy is working in practice and any suggestions for enhancement.

Please send your comments or recommendations to fixmycampus.fs@anu.edu.au.

Image: English Bijou Almanac, 1839, the smallest book in the Menzies Library. Photo: Tangyao Zhang/ANU

Rumours of secret passageways and spy headquarters housed in the underground tunnels beneath the ANU campus have been around for decades, but these tunnels, spanning over 21kms are actually repositories storing the ANU archives from the 1800s and the rumoured 6ft tall books.

While these tunnels are not accessible to the public, tucked away in the quiet stacks of the Menzies Library are two treasures that spark the same kind of wonder.

On one end of the spectrum is the English poetry book, English Bijou Almanac, 1839 which is the smallest book in the collection, barely larger than a postage stamp. Its tiny pages require careful fingers and a magnifying glass to truly appreciate. Despite its size, the book carries an enormous weight of meaning: it’s a reminder that knowledge and stories don’t need to be big to be significant.

At the other end stands the largest book on campus, the A1-sized botany volume The Banksias, 1981, a giant that could practically serve as a coffee table on its own. Turning a page feels less like reading and more like unfurling a tapestry of words and images.

One is a tiny volume of English poetry, and the other a giant botany book filled with life-sized illustrations of Australia’s Banksia species.

Learn more: Rare books, special collections & manuscripts

Image: Flex Gainnes. Photo: ANU Green

Have you seen Flex Gainnes in action at ANU Sport?  

Flex is our recycling “binfluencer” who represents the Other Recycling stream on campus. Flex is one of five big personalities from our Bin Appétit crew, bringing passion and panache to our new waste bins. Flex represents the other recycling stream – the white (sometimes yellow) bins for plastics, glass bottles, foil and empty takeaway containers.

Learn more: Bin Appétit flexes at ANU Sport

PaperCut, the University's new printing system, has now been rolled out across campus. Print from any PaperCut-enabled multi-function printer using your ANU ID card.

Did you know…?

To learn how to use the new system, visit the website below.

Learn more: Print, copy, scan

Help is available if you need it. If you are dealing with a personal or university-related issue, ANU encourages you to seek support through the Student Safety and Wellbeing team by emailing student.wellbeing@anu.edu.au or calling 02 6125 2211, Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm.

You can also visit our Urgent Support page for a list of 24/7 and crisis support options. 

For life threatening emergencies first call 000 (or 0000 if dialing from an internal phone), then call ANU Security at (02) 6125 2249