CQUniversity welcomes new executive for student success
CQUniversity has welcomed Professor Jonathan Powles as its new Vice-President Student Success.
With a passion for the transformative student experience and the unique importance of regional universities, he is well-poised to drive the division forward under the University’s new Strategic Plan We Change Lives.
Professor Powles has hit the ground running since his commencement in December 2023, with a new whole-of-university plan to further enhance student equity and retention now developed.
Within the CQUniversity Student Success portfolio, Professor Powles will also cover Global Brand and Marketing, International Recruitment and Student Support and Wellbeing from his base at the Rockhampton North campus.
With an impressive and lengthy academic career in both Australia and the United Kingdom, holding roles including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Students) at the University of West Scotland, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation) at the University of New England, Director of Teaching and Learning at the University of Canberra, and roles at the Australian National University including Director of Education within the School of Music – to name a few – Professor Powles brings with him a wealth of expertise - and surprisingly, has found more commonalities than disparities between different institutions and regions in the higher education sector.
“Over the last 10 years as I’ve journeyed between Canberra, Scotland, regional New South Wales and now here (Central Queensland), it’s been such a tremendous privilege to get that different set of perspectives on the transformational student experience,” Professor Powles said.
“And in all of those places I’ve found much more in common than there are differences around student experience, and the university culture that supports those experiences.”
As universities around the nation are working with government to bring about change, reform and sustained funding support, Professor Powles’ endeavour to champion student equity groups and enhance support for students in the regions has been paramount in his career, embedding his position in the Student Success Division at CQUniversity as one of boots-on-the-ground support.
“The first thing that excites me about CQUniversity is that we genuinely care about our students – they are the top priority here and it is evident that CQUniversity is the best university in Australia in terms of outcomes for its equity groups, and that’s something that already gives me a sense of enormous pride and high bar to live up to,” Professor Powles said.
“All universities make a difference to the communities, regions and the students they serve, but I think we in regional universities like CQU make more of a difference than anyone else – and it is seen in the way that the university is embedded in the culture, infrastructure, economy and history of its region in a way that a metropolitan university never can be. That inspires me for my time ahead at CQUniversity.”
With his guidance that will drive objectives of achieving student growth, enhancing access and participation, further improving student retention and graduate rates and overall student satisfaction, Professor Powles realises the key to driving change is in working in unison towards a common goal.
“If you genuinely want to make a difference and change the student experience on the ground, you have to do it as one university, working together towards the same goals – when that happens, effecting change can be very powerful,” Professor Powles said.
“The three-word maxim in our Strategic Plan We Change Lives is the thing that makes everything work for me, and my passion is around respect: for students, for the integrity and importance of their own journeys – while not all will be immediately successful and they will meet obstacles and difficulties – it’s part of our job to support, not just to overcome, but also give them the tools to overcome.
“The mission of enabling that student journey is what drives me in everything that I do.”
Professor Powles recently responded to the Australian Universities Accord Report with a lens on regional student equity as seen in The Australian.
