Lift Fellowship Scheme Recognised Nationally at 2025 CAULLT Academic Development Awards

12 November 2025
Image of a man and woman standing in front of large screen which reads '2025 Academic Development Awards winner'
Marie Foreman, CQU, and Steven Warbuton, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education Innovation), University of Newcastle, President of CAULLT.

CQUniversity and The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) were successful and recognised nationally for excellence in academic development, with their joint Lift Fellowship Scheme named a winner in the 2025 Council of Australasian University Leaders in Learning and Teaching (CAULLT) Academic Development Awards for building scalable, equitable professional learning across regional universities.

The CAULLT Academic Development Awards celebrate sector-leading innovation, collaboration, and impact in academic development across Australian higher education. Invited as a finalist, Marie Foreman, Lift Lead for CQU, presented ‘Lift Fellowship Scheme, Collaborative Academic Development Across Regional Universities’ in Melbourne on 23 October 2025.

The Lift Fellowship Scheme is accredited by Advance HE, enabling both universities to award Advance HE Fellowships across Associate, Fellow, and Senior Fellow categories, recognising excellence in learning and teaching, leadership, and reflective professional practice.

Image of a group of people
Matt Riddle, Deputy Director, Learning Design Futures; Marie Foreman, Senior Educational Developer & CQU Lift Lead; Dr Julie Lindsay and Dr Lisa Jacka representing UniSQ.

Jointly led by Marie Foreman, Senior Educational Developer, Learning & Teaching Futures Directorate (CQU), and Associate Professor Seb Dianati, Senior Academic Development Consultant, Learning & Teaching Futures (USQ), the initiative represents an enduring collaboration between two of Australia’s leading regional universities.

The Lift Fellowship team has established a rigorous framework for peer review, mentoring, and professional recognition. The program was originally conceptualised in 2022 through collaboration between Professor Kate Ames (CQU) and Associate Professor Ian Davis (USQ), both distinguished leaders in academic development and Advance HE Principal Fellows.

Staff interested in becoming a Fellow of Advance HE in 2026 are encouraged to contact the Lift team at lift@cqu.edu.au for more information on upcoming application rounds and mentoring opportunities.