From the Editor

In February, we welcome back staff and students for the beginning of the academic year, and with it, a new group of undergraduate students beginning the next phase of their education. 

Joining the University community will be the first of many new experiences for these students, educational and otherwise. 

The University works to instil in these students a social mindset throughout their time at Melbourne, challenging them to become active global citizens. 

While ‘social equity’ sounds like an important concept, it can mean different things to different people. 

‘Equity’ and ‘equality’ are often used interchangeably, and to a large extent, they have similar meanings, but treating people exactly the same - equally - can lead to unequal results. Treating people in an equitable way requires taking into account their individual needs and circumstances.

Melbourne encourages social equity and the development of a social mindset in several different ways, and this commitment to equity extends to all aspects of the curriculum and through our research priorities. 

Undergraduates complete wide-ranging degree programs to give them the time to explore their options and interests, and to learn from their peers before having to decide which career to pursue. This course structure also means they meet and work with an incredibly diverse range of researchers and students, across faculties, rather than only in one field. 

Students are also encouraged to undertake activities that add depth to their university experience, such as designing and implementing projects through the Dreamlarge Student Engagement Grants, which connect student groups with community or industry partners to work together to improve the economic, social, environmental or cultural life of our region locally, nationally or internationally.

And as a research-intensive institution, the emphasis on and importance of social equity extends to the research agenda and program, namely through the Melbourne Social Equity Institute (MSEI). 

Social equity is the starting point for researchers from different disciplines to examine what they perceive as unjust or unfair social practices and to devise options to redress them.

The Institute supports interdisciplinary research on social equity issues including health, law, education, housing, work and transport. It brings together researchers from across the University to identify unjust or unfair practices that lead to social inequity and work towards finding ways to ameliorate disadvantage.

The University doesn’t only support and highlight equity concerns through its research and teaching agenda - it also actively promotes equity in society by offering specific criteria for those from disadvantaged financial or rural and isolated backgrounds. 

This year, applications through the Access Melbourne program comprised about one-third of all offers made, up eight per cent from 2013. 

It’s through this mix of teaching and learning, research and corporate action that the University of Melbourne is helping to create an equitable future for people here in Australia and around the world.