Column piece: CQ Today

Professor Nick Klomp' Vice-Chancellor and President' CQUniversity Australia

Well' here we are now in the second month of 2022' and plenty has already happened here at CQUniversity in the first month of the year.

One of the more exciting things to happen in the first month of the year' was the Queensland Government's announcement that the State would re-open its borders to international travellers and more specifically to international students.

This was welcome news for all universities' and the early signals for CQUniversity are promising' with international students accepting offers in the hundreds and surpassing our conservative predictions.

Last month I also made a quick trip to Indonesia where' in a major milestone for our University' I had the opportunity to attend our first graduation ceremony in the country where a cohort of Jakarta-based graduates crossed the stage to receive their dual degree of Master of Management and Master of Business Administration' co-delivered by our Australian lecturers and the team at Universitas Bakrie.

While on the topic of Indonesia' this year we will continue to work with the Indonesian government to establish our purpose-built campus in Medan' the capital of North Sumatra. The campus is set to deliver undergraduate' postgraduate' research and PhD programs in the North Sumatran agricultural hub and forms an integral part of our future strategy and our vision to be a truly global university.

Back on home soil' CQUniversity recognises that the emergence of an Australian hydrogen industry has the potential to be a game-changer for Australia' and particularly for Central Queensland. So hydrogen will play a large part of our research focus in 2022 and beyond.

Gladstone has been identified as a focal point for hydrogen development in Queensland by both the Federal and State governments' and in response' CQUniversity has set-aside five hectares on our Gladstone Marina campus to accommodate a Gladstone Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Precinct.

We are committed to leading world-class research into the manufacture and application of industrial hydrogen and other renewable energies' right here in regional Queensland.

I am committed to growing the Centre as a focal point for collaboration and knowledge sharing' accelerating our understanding of key issues and problem solving' and maximising opportunities for local and regional industry.

I know I am not alone in saying that I'm really looking forward to seeing the return of students to our campuses when Term 1 kicks off next month. To top off a great start to the year' we're thrilled to welcome our first cohort of the Bachelor of Medical Science (Pathway to Medicine) degree. This is an exciting milestone for CQU and one that will make the entire CQ region very proud.

I look forward to sharing many more stories with you as the year progresses.