La Trobe University has today started an organisation-wide consultation to explore and shape the University of the future. The change proposal has been developed to ensure La Trobe is in a strong position for future growth.
For a summary of the La Trobe University proposal, read the statement on our website.
The proposal strongly reinforces our ongoing commitment to our regional campuses, including Shepparton.
Part of La Trobe's Transformation Program, the proposal will ensure the University achieves its strategic goals as outlined in its Strategy for Regional Victoria published in 2020 in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key elements of the change proposal which reinforce our commitment to regional Victoria include:
- A range of new, location-independent roles that, pre-COVID, would have been offered to Bundoora staff, will be available to staff across all campuses;
- The La Trobe Rural Health School - Australia's largest rural health school - is proposed to expand further by taking on the disciplines of pharmacy and biomedical science, which currently sit in the School of Molecular Sciences. Headquartered in Bendigo, the La Trobe Rural Health School has impact and reach across regional Victoria and in the communities surrounding our four regional campuses;
- Strengthened Indigenous academic leadership and support for Indigenous students and staff across all of our campuses;
- A greater choice and depth of subjects and electives in some areas, such as a range of online Business courses and in the online Bachelor of Arts, which will see the number of majors available to regional students increase from three to 14, and with many more subjects on offer;
Reflecting work already underway pre-pandemic, we will offer a greater choice of subjects and flexible modes of learning across all of our campuses, in response to evolving student need;
Our new Regional Connect program, which gives students access to networking opportunities, events and project partners - means that whether studying online, face-to-face or a mixture of both, they will continue to reap the benefits of regional study.
Shepparton
Shepparton students will continue to be able to study courses addressing strong rural workforce need - including nursing, social work and education - as well as popular courses across arts, business and IT. This includes the new Diploma of Health Science launched this year and the fully online Bachelor of Psychology. Both are designed to address rural health workforce need.
Staffing impact - Shepparton
- There is very minimal proposed staffing impact at our Shepparton campus;
- Where possible, redeployment will be the first option for people displaced in the proposed structure.
- As appointments have not yet taken place and are contingent on the change proposals being adopted and the outcomes of Expression of Interest and 'open selection' job opportunities, it is not currently possible to confirm exactly how many staff will be made redundant at Shepparton;
- More than a third of new roles being created in the structure (about 100) are location-independent, providing greater opportunity to staff across all of our campuses including those whose roles are displaced.
NOTE: This is a proposal only and potential impacts will depend on the outcomes of the consultation. Decisions will be made following the 3-week consultation and then a period of analysis and review.
