RMIT Strategic Plan to 2020: Ready for Life and Work
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RMIT’s strategic plan to 2020 November 2015 Chancellor & Vice-Chancellor’s Statement The urban RMIT exists to create In the great tradition of RMIT, transformative experiences we must empower everyone communities in which for our students, getting them to thrive in an exciting new we live and work are ready for life and work, and era. “Everyone” includes going through deep to help shape the world with Aboriginal and Torres Strait research, innovation, teaching Islander students, international and transformative and engagement. students, students with a disability, students of all ages, change. RMIT has a unique approach to staff and partners – academic, meeting the challenge of being professional and industry-based, ready for life and work: we offer across all our campuses – an education deeply grounded everyone involved in RMIT. in ideas and cross-disciplinary understanding, applied through Our goal is to offer life- innovative, enterprising practice changing experiences, and to solving problems and meeting to shape the world with the the needs of our community. talent, knowledge and learning capability that we share. This approach is well-captured in RMIT’s founding motto, “A skilled RMIT is an amazing institution. hand, a cultivated mind”. It is just We all have a role to play in as apt in the 21st century as it was renewing it. Join us. in the mid-19th, and it leads us to the driving focus of RMIT’s next chapter: “Ready for life and work”. As an institution, we must remake ourselves in ways that are true to our founding purpose and embrace the disruptive changes taking place around us. Renewal means supporting our students, staff and partners to adapt to a changing economy and society so that RMIT contributes to sustainable Dr Ziggy Switkowski AO prosperity and responds Chancellor successfully to changing demands, funding pressures and global opportunities. In this strategic plan, we lay out the values, goals, directions and priorities that we will pursue together over the next five Martin Bean CBE years, in order to transform Vice-Chancellor the ways we work and learn to and President achieve innovative, sustainable impact in the communities that we work with. 1 2 RMIT TODAY Who we are RMIT is a global institution Our creative edge is enhanced offering credentials at all levels by design, technology, innovative RMIT’s original motto – “A skilled from advanced research to the research, entrepreneurship, hand, a cultivated mind” – foundations of post school- global outlook, social change speaks to our founding purpose, age learning. Our programs are and student diversity. helping students, enterprises global in focus and practical in and communities to succeed application. We are an institution of in an era of rapid change with a excellence in teaching, research distinctive approach to education More than 20,000 students and engagement, driven by combining new ideas, rigorous complete a qualification at RMIT impact and collaboration. Our scholarship and technical and each year, including foundation expertise is applied to equipping vocational expertise. studies, vocational certificates, students to succeed in an ever- diplomas and advanced diplomas, changing world. Our areas of We are defined by our relevance associate degrees, bachelors, research and cultural creation to contemporary society. For honours, masters, higher degrees help to shape the world around many thousands of years our by research and short courses. us in numerous ways. central location has also been an important meeting place for the Our programs cover many of five Aboriginal nations that make the issues of most vital and up the Kulin Nation. We engage pressing practical concern to positively with the fast-evolving global cities, emerging and world, no matter how disruptive advanced economies and it gets. We are champions of the global environment: how innovation and inclusion. we design and construct our buildings, the digital world, RMIT’s programs are aligned environmental sustainability, and connected with industry health and ageing, science, and the changing world of work. education and social cohesion. We collaborate widely with other experts, innovators, institutions Our students are incredibly and entrepreneurs. diverse: 40 per cent of our undergraduates join RMIT from We fully embrace the digital high school, and a growing world in all its dimensions number are mature-age and possibilities. students with experience of the workforce. Some 15 per cent of We are accountable to our our students come to study in students and community and Australia from overseas. Eight we are therefore unafraid to per cent of RMIT’s domestic measure the results of what we students have a non-English do. We create solutions together speaking background and 1 per with our partners and listen cent are Aboriginal or Torres intently to feedback. Strait Islanders. This diversity We embrace change in our is a great advantage and a economy, and are committed to source of pride. RMIT students Our Vision making it work for our society. are defined by their passion, We speak out on matters of interests, talent and drive. A global university of technology, importance for our community design and enterprise. and respect the rights of others and our role in securing the health of the planet. STRATEGIC PLAN 3 RMIT TODAY Our Mission The innovation and pace of • draw upon the leading edge change now under way is of industry practice RMIT exists to create immense. New industries are • introduce students to transformative experiences for our being created while others are potential employers and students, getting them ready for life destroyed. Yet more are being investors and work, and to help shape the transformed and renewed. The • encourage students to belong world with research, innovation, mass factories of the past are to the life of their cities and teaching and engagement. being replaced by clusters of their world production centred around RMIT embraces the task of • help students to start and extending the benefits of a fast- new knowledge, technology, skills and creativity. Students, succeed in enterprises of innovating, high-skill knowledge their own economy to our whole community workers and institutions need and our world. We are dedicated entrepreneurship and teamwork We will deploy our distinctive to helping shape a new urban to adapt and succeed. research capabilities to make and industrial renaissance in the Today, how we learn is just new discoveries, to innovate global economy. as important for success as through practice and to generate ideas and culture that enrich the We are driven by impact and where and what we learn. Being ready for life and work means economy and community. Our focused on the challenges and unique mix of interdisciplinary opportunities emerging around us. combining contemporary ideas and deep knowledge with expertise and collaborative As the world economy transforms, cutting-edge learning skills and clustering will help to solve we have a responsibility to make methods. complex local, national and the resulting changes work for the global problems. whole of society. We are passionately committed to growing interdisciplinary For RMIT, this approach is both Our distinctive approach to expertise and creative thinking, historically grounded and firmly connected education and research together with practical application contemporary. This is how we links creative ideas with technical and problem-solving directly were established and how we knowledge. We empower students relevant to the lives of the have developed over almost to shape their own lives, achieve communities we serve. 130 years. Being a university impact and create valued places of technology, design and for themselves through work Our commitment to serving enterprise and a great urban and engagement in the wider students from all backgrounds university located in some of community. RMIT understands how is equally strong. This includes the most dynamic and creative to do this during a period of deep a responsibility to lead in cities around the world gives us technological change–because we supporting Aboriginal and Torres a major advantage. have been through it before. Strait Islander students, to ensure access and effective support for By building on what we have RMIT began helping people all students, and to embracing the achieved and embracing the and organisations make the global diversity and talent of all possibilities of digital, economic transition to an industrial our students and staff. and social transformation, RMIT society more than a century will help to shape the future in a ago. RMIT remains a meeting In the coming years RMIT will way that no other university can. place for people from diverse offer programs and research in ways that will: Our task is to bring the talents origins, a place of exchange and of our staff and students dialogue, creative conflict and • enhance creativity and impact together with industry and the collaboration where knowledge • fully embrace the digital community to renew ourselves and skills are applied to create environment through teaching, learning, new understanding and value. research and collaborative Today, we embrace the challenge • get students, experts and employers working together innovation, all supported by of helping to shape a new urban new technology. and industrial renaissance in a • apply learning through work global economy. and enterprise STRATEGIC PLAN 4 Passion We take pride in RMIT and its achievements and we are deeply committed to extending and Impact deepening RMIT’s positive impact. RMIT achieves impact through an applied, practice-based approach to meeting contemporary needs. We shape the world for the better through collaborative design, research, learning and problem-solving. Inclusion RMIT creates life-changing opportunities for all, welcomes students and staff from diverse backgrounds, honours the identity and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations, and is an accessible and open institution dedicated to serving the needs of the whole community. STRATEGIC PLAN 5 Courage We are honest and fair in our conduct and relationships.