Statement from Caretaker Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor

A message sent by Caretaker Vice-Chancellor, Professor Matthew Clarke, and Chancellor, Claire Higgins, to all Deakin staff regarding the proposed organisational changes.

Deakin exists to deliver outstanding research, teaching and student support. That purpose guides every significant decision we make, and it has guided this one.

After listening to colleagues and the community, we have decided not to proceed with the two proposed organisational changes, in the Academic Portfolio and in Infrastructure and Digital. Neither will go ahead. Council and the Executive support this decision, and we wanted to tell you as soon as it was made.

Thank you to the many staff who engaged so openly with us over recent weeks. These were substantial and complex proposals. We know this period has been unsettling, and that the uncertainty has weighed on many of you. We are sorry for that.

Our focus on research, teaching and student support will not change, nor will the financial realities facing the sector and the University. Change will still be needed in time. But it must be the right change, shaped with you, and that is the lesson we are taking from this.

For now, please keep sharing your views. We are listening, and we will keep listening as we work out the best way forward.

For those of you in the areas that were in scope, the proposed structures will not be implemented, and your roles continue as they are. The focus now is on stability and getting on with the work that matters.

Thank you for working with us over the past fortnight. Your views and experiences are essential to our thinking.