Message from the Vice-Chancellor (dKin Times alumni newsletter - April 2020)

Dear Deakin alumni and friends,

This edition showcases both the strength and compassion of our University community.

Powerful evidence of this is how our community has rallied around our international students – I cannot thank you enough for your expressions of concern and your positive actions and contributions.

Just before Easter, Deakin put in place the most substantial support package in the country for international students, along with increased assistance for domestic students. We believe it was our moral duty to do so. Alongside this, our community has been donating generously to the Student Emergency Assistance Fund, established to support students who face significant financial distress – you can find out more about the Fund in this edition, including how to make a pledge.

This edition also features some of Deakin’s innovative education resources – all of which are available to our alumni – including our:

• wide range of digital resources, such as free webinars and podcasts
• MOVES wellness app
• free, short (two week) courses hosted on our FutureLearn platform, and
• Deakin's postgraduate study promotion – you and your family may be eligible for our alumni bursary.

Increasingly now, our attention is turning to the remainder of 2020 and the university that Deakin will be next year and beyond. Inevitably, we will be different than we were at the end of 2019.

Our values and purpose will not change and nor should our core activities in education and research. But we will have to be extraordinarily focussed on what we do to make the most positive impact we can with the resources we have.

As always, for the latest information on the pandemic and our responses, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 web page.

Best wishes,

Professor Iain Martin
Vice-Chancellor