Vice-President Student Success, Professor Jonathan Powles
More broadly, the VP Student Success is the voice of students on the University Executive, and in national, regional and international fora.
Through this role, Professor Powles leads the end-to-end student experience, with a clear focus on delivering sector-leading practices that help students thrive from their first interaction with the University as a prospect, through to first-year study, graduation and beyond. His portfolio is dedicated to ensuring that every student receives the personalised, inclusive and effective support they need to achieve their goals and realise their own success.
A champion of CQUniversity’s Solutions, Personalisation, One-University, and Trust (SPOT) philosophy , Professor Powles is driving new and transformative approaches to student engagement and success. This work aims to ensure that systems and services deliver all students with an accessible, equitable and engaging experience. Another focus of the student success portfolio is on leading the University to continuously improve how it delivers outreach, drives recruitment, and supports learning and wellbeing in a holistic and personalised way to empower all students to reach their goals.
Student Success Division
The Student Success Division brings together the teams and services that support every stage of the student journey, from first interaction and enquiry through to graduation and becoming part of CQUniversity’s global alumni community.
The portfolio includes responsibility for:
- Admissions
- Alumni engagement
- Brand management
- Equity and outreach
- Global marketing and student recruitment
- Graduation and events
- International engagement and partnerships
- Student administration and governance
- Student engagement
- Student retention and equity
- Student support and wellbeing services.
At the heart of this division is a strong commitment to student outcomes and achievements. All teams work together to deliver accessible, responsive and personalised support. Guided by CQU’s “One University” approach. Services are designed to reflect the diverse and evolving needs of students and to help every individual thrive, academically, personally, and professionally.
About Professor Jonathan Powles
Professor Jonathan Powles brings more than 30 years of experience in the university sector, having held academic and senior executive roles in Australia, Scotland and England. With a background in music, he studied composition under Peter Sculthorpe and Ros Edwards at the University of Sydney, and completed a doctorate at the University of Oxford, focusing on the music of Stravinsky. He has research publications in the fields of music, astrophysics, education and change leadership.
Over the past two decades, Professor Powles has dedicated his leadership to enhancing learning and teaching delivery, improving student success and wellbeing outcomes, championing online and flexible education, and increasing access to education through equity and widening participation initiatives. He is particularly passionate about the transformative role universities play in regional communities by creating life-changing opportunities for students and their families to access tertiary education and gain the skills and qualifications needed to contribute to regional workforces.
Key Contacts
- Postal Address: CQUniversity Rockhampton North campus, 554-700 Yaamba Road, Norman Gardens, QLD 4701
- Phone: +61 7 4930 9816
- Email: VP-Student@cqu.edu.au
Bryanne Vowles
- Postal Address: CQUniversity Bundaberg campus, 6 University Drive, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670
- Phone: +61 7 4150 7722
- Email: b.vowles@cqu.edu.au
Skye McLauchlan
- Postal Address: CQUniversity Rockhampton North campus, 554-700 Yaamba Road, Norman Gardens, QLD 4701
- Phone:+61 7 4930 9368
- Email: s.mclauchlan@cqu.edu.au
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