Council advises that Ms Alison Kitchen AM has resigned from Council on 25 April 2025.

Ms Kitchen has made a significant contribution to the University, initially as a member of the ANU Foundation Board and from 2021 as a member of Council.

During her tenure, she undertook a number of key roles, including serving as Pro-Chancellor and as chair and member of several committees, most recently as Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee.

Council expresses its appreciation to Ms Kitchen for her commitment and professionalism in carrying out her roles.

Ms Ewelina Przybyszewski has been elected as the Professional Staff member of Council, succeeding Mrs Megan Easton, with her two-year term commencing on 26 May 2026.

Council thanks Mrs Easton for her two years of dedicated service and commitment to representing professional staff and supporting the work of the University’s Council.

Earlier this week, staff and students received updates from the Pro-Chancellor, Dr Larry Marshall, about the Council's search for a new Chancellor, following the conclusion of the current Chancellor’s term at the end of 2026.

The Pro-Chancellor is currently undertaking a range of stakeholder engagements which will be used to shape further consultation with the ANU community. A dedicated webpage, with information about the search process and ways for staff and students to contribute, will be available in the coming weeks.

Over 60 of you attended the observer session at Council last week and we appreciated your participation. We look forward to the next session on Friday 12 June.

There's still time to have your say in shaping the next ANU University Strategy.  

A range of facilitated sessions are available online and in person until Wednesday 13 May. There are targeted sessions for early career researchers and PhD candidates, digital humanities and social sciences, Indigenous issues, third space staff, data science and statistics, creative arts and humanities, and engaged research and impact.

Want something a little different? Stephen Dann is running a Lego Serious Play session – a hands-on and creative way to contribute your thinking.

View all sessions and register

The April 2026 ANYOU staff survey is now open.

All staff* received an email on Tuesday 28 April, with their individual 2026 ANYOU staff survey link, and have until Tuesday 12 May to take part.

Results from all staff surveys are used to improve the ANU staff experience and it only takes 5-10 minutes to have your say.

*Continuing, fixed-term and continuing-contingent funded staff who commenced on or before 13 April 2026.

This week’s trivia question is:

How many students are currently enrolled at ANU?

Congratulations to our recent trivia winners, staff member Wei Lerr Wong and student Kuba Meikle. Please contact ANU Corporate Communications to collect your prize.

Last week's question and answer:

What is the name of the non-residential Hall in ANU. Answer: Griffin Hall.

Did you know? Griffin Hall originally ran as a pilot program in 2010, testing whether a non-residential hall model could work at ANU.

Nominations are now open for the 2027 ANU Alumni Awards, recognising alumni who are making a meaningful impact across professions, industries and communities in Australia and beyond.

Staff and students are encouraged to nominate and celebrate our alumni community, and those whose achievements reflect the University’s values and global influence.

Nominations close on Friday 31 July.

Scholarships at ANU help students focus on study, embrace opportunity and take steps towards their future careers.

From Friday 1 May to Tuesday 30 June, ANU alumni, donors and friends will be invited to support scholarships through this year’s tax appeal.

Staff can contribute through workplace giving or by making a one-off gift.

From 4 May 2026, ANU Parking will be operating at reduced hours for card printing services at Level 1, Fulton Muir Building (95) during the hours:

The front counter is unable to provide on-the-spot access checks or changes. Please email security@anu.edu.au for access enquiries.

Big Night Out is an annual, music festival-style event run by the Interhall Arts Committee, which takes place on the grass area between Willows Oval and the ANU Sport building.

Elevated noise levels on campus are expected during the following periods:

For further information, contact anuinterhallarts@gmail.com

ANU has signed the Nature Positive Pledge, joining a global network of universities committed to starting a nature positive journey.   

As part of this pledge, ANU is conducting a biodiversity baseline assessment of its campuses and establishing a Biodiversity Advisory Group, bringing together ANU experts, professional staff and students. This baseline will inform the development of biodiversity targets and action plans suited to ANU, with progress reported annually.

Since introducing monthly leave reminders in March 2025, we have been tracking balances in On Campus to encourage staff to take regular breaks and reduce their leave liability.  

In April 2026, the University’s annual leave balance increased by $43,773 from March 2026, and down from the same period in the previous year by $1,583,087.

Planning leave can help support a healthy work-life balance. Read the ANU Enterprise Agreement to understand how best to utilise your leave.

The payroll remediation program is progressing well, and ANU continues to work closely with the Fair Work Ombudsman. All active and 75% of former Casual Sessional Academic (CSA) staff have now been paid, totalling $1.06 million. Payments to former CSA staff are continuing. Payments to active and former professional casual staff are expected to be made from August 2026. 

Further information can be found on the dedicated website at Payment remediation.

Canberra-based company Liquid Instruments, founded on ANU research, has secured $70 million in investment to accelerate its AI-enabled technology for engineering systems. The globally used platform aims to simplify complex measurement tools, supporting advances in fields such as aerospace, defence and semiconductor manufacturing.

ANU is partnering with First Nations communities and government agencies on one of the first landscape-scale trials of cultural burning on travelling stock reserves in NSW. The project is exploring how Indigenous-led burning practices can support biodiversity, restore ecosystems and reduce bushfire risk.

The University's digital infrastructure has been upgraded, increasing available bandwidth from 10Gbps to 100Gbps – up to 10 times more capacity to better manage peak demand.

This upgrade will directly support a more consistent and responsive online experience for our students, particularly during peak teaching and assessment periods, and provides a stronger foundation for digital learning, research and collaboration across the University.

New workshops are now available to help you manage courses in Canvas.

As the examination period approaches, join a short, practical workshop covering SpeedGrader, marking workflows, Proctorio-based exams and mark extraction.

Feedback from recent workshops shows participants reported noticeable improvements in their teaching after attending.

Register for a session

Request additional support with a one-on-one Canvas consultation.

The May edition of the University’s Health and wellbeing newsletter is now available and features information about:

Some learning is best done alongside colleagues who understand the context and complexity of the work. Leadership in Practice offers a shared learning environment grounded in conversation and experience.

Two new online Skill Builder sessions, led by expert facilitator Paul Donohue, leader of the University’s Leadership in Practice Program, are now available to supervisors and managers.

The Recognition Course equips you with practical frameworks to provide authentic, high-quality recognition that boosts team morale and retention.

Register here for Skill Builder Recognition Session

The Feedback course offers neuroscience-informed tools to turn challenging conversations into highly constructive ones.

Register here for Skill Builder Feedback Session

For further information email: HRD.Development@anu.edu.au

The Iran war and Geelong refinery fire have prompted dozens of journalists to interview College of Business and Economics lecturer David Leaney about fuel security. In a recent interview, Leaney agreed it would be useful to increase Australia's fuel reserves but noted that stockpiles would need to be held in a range of locations for ease of distribution. Meanwhile, Honorary Fellow in Sociology Dr Simon Copland writes that key figures in the "manosphere" who have adopted Fight Club, may be taking the 1996 Chuck Palahniuk novel out of context.

Over the past week, more than 20 Australian National University experts provided commentary across a wide range of issues, including marine conservation, forest regeneration, landscape-scale cultural burning trials, the Iran War and geopolitical situation, the Vietnam War and arrival of Vietnamese refugees in Australia, and the history of farm machinery.

Saturday 2 May, 11.30am–8pm

Teams of four will design, build and pitch an AI-powered product from scratch in eight hours. Every participant receives six months of Claude Pro and Claude API credits to build with on the day. The top three teams will share $1,200 worth of Claude credits, courtesy of Claude.

Monday 4 May – Sunday 10 May

This year’s Privacy Awareness Week theme is Trust is built here. In every privacy complaint. In every resolution and is an annual initiative that promotes awareness of privacy rights and responsibilities and the importance of protecting personal information.

Monday 4 May, 5–6pm

The ANU School of Music is pleased to welcome two-time ARIA Award winner, Dr Lachlan Goold, for a public conversation on music production and practice.

Friday 22 May – Sunday 24 May

Sign On Screen is a rare opportunity for those working in the Australian screen industry to network and build bridges with deaf and hard of hearing key creatives.

Caitlin Vincent in conversation with Helen Musa

Thursday 7 May, 6–7pm

Annastacia Palaszczuk in conversation with Dr Jill Sheppard

Wednesday 13 May, 6–7pm 

What are you most passionate about in your work? 

“I love working on hard problems, and the University Strategy is deceptively hard. The value and hardest work is in the translation of the words into action.”

What is your favourite spot on campus and why?

“It's too hard to choose! I love walking around the campus and appreciating both the architecture and the natural beauty.”

What makes you most proud about working at ANU? 

“I am constantly reminded that the University is absolutely amazing. I’m awed by our research, excited about the potential of our graduates, impressed by our positive impact on the world, and genuinely delighted that I get to play a small part in supporting the University to realise its full potential.”

As part of a carefully managed deaccession process, a unique selection of furniture from the ANU Design Unit Furniture Collection will be offered for public sale.

Saturday 2 May and Sunday 3 May

10am–12pm
Viewing of items for sale. Card payments only.

12.30–3pm
Pick up.

1/5 Callan Street, Mitchell

Only the collection’s surplus items have been selected. This is a rare chance to take home a piece of University history. All pieces will be sold as-is.

ANU Security – (02) 6125 2249 

For life-threatening emergencies first call 000 (or 0000 if dialing from an internal phone), then call ANU Security.

Media hotline – (02) 6125 7979 

Contact the media hotline during business hours or email media@anu.edu.au for media queries regarding the University and its operations, or to track down experts that aren’t listed in our Experts Guide.

Help is available if you need it. The University has a range of information and services that can be accessed by managers and staff.

Whether it's a work-related issue or a personal one, the University encourages you to seek counselling support through the Employee Assistance Program.

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