News Archive

Colleagues,

More than 18,000 smiling faces filled the grounds of the Crawley campus on Open Day and they all told a story.

The faces of teenagers, about to finish school, and their parents showed anxiety but at the same time excitement at the possibilities we presented to them. When they discovered a discipline that spoke to them, you could see their "This is what I want to do" smiles.

Not all the visitors were searching for a starting point for the next stage of their lives.  They were simply curious about what we do here and their faces reflected the joy of learning something new.

I particularly noticed a lot of younger high school students, perhaps from year nine and 10, who were clearly absorbed in the displays, experiments and activities. Well done to all the staff who created these interactive exhibitions that captivated our visitors.

The other smiles I saw were on the faces of you, our staff, and the student volunteers. You made our visitors feel welcome, you helped them, you advised them, you inspired them.

Open Day was an opportunity not only to help future students make wise choices but to reach out to the community and show them how and why UWA is such a great university.

I felt proud to be able to do this and I thank all the staff who worked for months to make it happen, and the volunteer staff and students for their energy and commitment on the day.

The energy and commitment of our researchers is reflected in our rise up the Academic Ranking of World Universities to 88, from our former rank of 91: yet another reason to feel proud of our fine university and our achievements.

Paul Johnson

Vice-Chancellor