From the Head of College

Florence Kearney, Head of College & CEO

Welcome to our first issue of Connect for 2022, in which we take the opportunity to provide an update on the happenings and events around the College in Semester 1.

We commenced the year at full capacity, with 254 residents plus a waitlist and almost 50 associates in the College community. Women’s College is thriving and our students continue to achieve excellence in their university studies and in every corner of College life.

Our new Deputy Head of College – Students, Gayle Harris, joined us at the beginning of the year, followed by our new Dean of Students, Emma Campbell, in April. Gayle and Emma have brought a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills to the Student Services team. Both educators, Gayle has served in a number of senior leadership positions in a variety of schools and Emma holds additional qualifications as a registered psychologist. We also welcomed our new Admissions Officer, Petra Mildenhall, to the Student Services team during the semester. Petra is likewise a great addition to our team, with extensive experience in student enrolment management and processes.

Academic results for Semester 2, 2021 were once again outstanding, testament to the focus on scholarship and the strength of the academic support program in place, coupled with the wellbeing program provided to care for student needs. The culture in the College, underpinned by the Wooza sisterhood, is a strong point of difference for us and is central to our vision of empowering women to lead lives of meaning and purpose.

The College is in its second year of our Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025, with strategic goals to move Women’s forward across the five key and interrelated areas of Student Experience, Investment in Infrastructure, Connected Wider Community, Financial Sustainability and Brand Awareness. The Strategic Plan can be found on our website (click here to view the plan). We have now commenced the development of a new Master Plan to design the ongoing enhancement of our campus in response to changing student needs.

We have enjoyed many special functions and celebrations during the semester, along with a very full program of ICC cultural, sports and community events. In addition, a comprehensive range of Ready to Lead workshops has been provided for the students’ personal growth and development. O Week proved to be a highlight for First Year residents and associates, and in early March we acknowledged the exceptional academic achievements of our 2021 students at the 2022 Academic Dinner & Alumnae Awards. Dr Kirsty Short, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences was our guest speaker and presented our Academic Prizes with UQ’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Debbie Terry AO. Lady Mayoress of Brisbane Nina Schrinner presented the Alumnae Awards.

We also gathered with many alumnae from across the generations to celebrate the College’s 108th birthday in March and shared a sell-out Mother & Daughter Dinner in early May.

Top: Students and exhibitors at the inaugural Women’s Industry Night.

Above: 2022 Alumna of the Year Dr Margie Bale was a guest speaker at a Formal Dinner in Semester 1.

Semester 1 Snapshot

College at full capacity with 254 residents and almost 50 associates

Celebrated outstanding academic results for 2021 at the Academic Dinner & Alumnae Awards on 10 March

Unveiling of the first red bench on the UQ Campus and in St Lucia

Our fortnightly Formal Dinners have featured an outstanding array of guest speakers — all alumnae of the College — who have shared their career journeys, insights and advice for students. These amazing women included 2022 Alumna of the Year and world-renowned camel veterinarian, Dr Margie Bale; iSeekPlant's CEO, Sally McPherson; musical theatre performer, Georgina Hopson, who was the recent female lead in Phantom of the Opera on the Sydney Harbour; and Joanne Bergamin, Communications Director at QEM Limited.

The Women’s College is proud to have partnered with the Red Rose Foundation and the Brisbane Women’s Club to install the first red bench on the UQ campus and in St Lucia. The Red Bench Project builds a visual reminder to highlight the prevalent issue of domestic violence in all communities. As a College that places importance on women’s issues, we took this step to demonstrate our alignment with this project. There are Red Benches popping up all around Australia, symbolising the strong stance that Australians are taking to address this problem.

During May, we also held our first Women’s Industry Night — a networking and career-building experience to connect our students to industry groups and employers — with an outstanding response from across all industries. We can already see our students reaping the benefits of this initiative with the establishment of new contacts and the introduction of a new Career Opportunities webpage on the Student Portal. Left: Partnering with the Red Rose Foundation and the Brisbane Women’s Club, the first red bench on the UQ campus and in St Lucia was unveiled at The Women's College in May.

Top: Recently appointed Student Ambassadors undertake a Ready to Lead training workshop with Gayle Harris and Emma Campbell.

Left: Celebrating multi-generational families at the Mother & Daughter Dinner.

Right: Joan Robinson Prize winner Lucy Zarew with her parents at the Academic Dinner & Alumnae Awards.

Top 3 finishes in a range of ICC cultural and sports competitions, and extensive community engagement

High-impact events with the sell-out Mother & Daughter Dinner on 6 May and inaugural Women’s Industry Night on 17 May