From the Vice-Chancellor

This month’s edition of Voice focuses on one of humanity’s great challenges: understanding our place and purpose.

It is a particularly germane theme for all of the nation’s universities at this time of year as we welcome new undergraduate and post-graduate students.

For these new students, finding place and purpose in these first few weeks of tertiary study is typically more about where to buy lunch and how to locate lectures quickly than engaging in deep personal reflection. 

But as well as dealing with the practicalities of a new place and routine, new university students make a less obvious transition. 

Education is transformational and, in the next few weeks, the way these new students learn begins changing as they become responsible for their own learning and development, they question and explore, and make their own discoveries. 

Such personal development is just the first step on the educational journey that is university and, for many Melbourne students, it will be only the first of many, different tertiary experiences. 

The University of Melbourne nurtures the personal and educational growth of all its students and works to give them opportunities to curate their learning experiences within and outside the classroom. 

Part of each student’s personal learning journey is achieved in their formal classes – lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical laboratory sessions – through engagement with the University’s research leaders who are also its lecturers and tutors. 

But this is only part of the equation; at Melbourne, students are encouraged to build on the foundation their studies provide through participation in many other activities, from clubs and societies to volunteering and internships to complement their formal education. 

And this year, students at all stages of their learning journey can engage with national and international thought leaders at the 2013 Festival of Ideas. 

As with previous festivals, this celebration of learning will bring students, staff and the wider Melbourne community together on campus and in the city to begin national and global conversations around the central theme of ‘The Art and Science of Wellbeing’. It will focus on key health issues of concern to Australians.

Led by Festival Director Professor Fiona Stanley, a team of staff and students is assembling a diverse program of speakers including the noted chef, Stephanie Alexander, who will be part of the day of events focused on food and nutrition. 

Spurring informed debate and discussions through events such as the Festival is part of the University’s role furthering intellectual endeavour giving the public the chance to engage with leading national and international experts and thinkers. 

And like the new students joining the University community this month, the very thought leaders who will lead discussions of national and international importance at the 2013 Festival were once new undergraduates: they too started on an educational journey which changed their lives, and set them on a path to help transform the lives of others for the better. 

Glyn Davis
Vice-Chancellor