Faculty of Arts strategy map 2019-2025

Mission

What we are for


The Faculty of Arts is committed to benefiting the peoples, cultures and economies of Melbourne, Australia, the region and the world.

We do this across our distinctively broad range of Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines by creating, transforming and sharing knowledge that deepens and enriches understanding of what it means to be human and by developing graduates whose skills, values and empathy enable them to shape better, fairer and more sustainable societies.

Cultural diversity
Courage and creativity

Values

What we believe in

  • rigour and integrity
  • generosity and humility
  • intellectual freedom and critical independence
  • diversity and inclusion
  • trust and mutual respect
  • social justice and civic responsibility
  • courage and creativity
  • openness and transparency
  • environmental sustainability

Vision

Who we want to become

Building on our achievements to date, by 2025 the Faculty of Arts will be:

  • the leading faculty of our kind in the Asia-Pacific region and one of the most compelling in the world, known above all for the difference we make locally, nationally, regionally and globally
  • home to a dynamic, diverse and inclusive community of staff and students who are committed to achieving our full potential by working together and with our partners in a spirit of courageous generosity
  • transformed by recognising and engaging the ways of knowing held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, on whose land we work
Diversity and inclusion

Priorities

what we need to focus on

Transformative Learning

We will:

  • enable high student engagement and performance, including through experiential learning and new models of academic support
  • embed a focus in our programs on students’ personal and professional development, including an emphasis on digital literacy
  • build on the strengths of our diverse student body by weaving intercultural competence and Indigenous ways of knowing through our teaching

Research that makes a difference

We will:

  • define, support and promote world-class research excellence
  • foster a collegial community of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarly enquiry, embracing staff and students
  • ensure that all our research results in the delivery of high-quality outputs
  • extend the reach and impact of our research, including through digital scholarship
  • value, support and promote Indigenous research

Partnerships that add value

We will:

  • ensure that our relationship to place contributes to a positive sense of culture and identity
  • be strategic in developing and maintaining our local, national, regional and global collaborations
  • coordinate our approach to developing and maintaining alumni relationships
  • encourage and support equitable and mutually beneficial collaborations between staff, students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Support for all staff

We will:

  • put people first, recognising, developing and celebrating their strengths
  • set clear expectations of all staff, aligned to our values, and hold each other to account
  • offer structured and holistic support for career development, advancing equality of opportunity for all
  • enhance our leadership capacity and capability
  • increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment and retention at all levels
Enablers

Enablers


What will make it happen

Environmental and Financial Sustainability

  • allocating resources in accordance with our strategic priorities
  • maintaining a robust and sustainable portfolio of programs, centred on the needs of our students and aligned with our academic strengths
  • embedding a commitment to environmental sustainability in all our activities
  • developing environmentally sound infrastructure and space plans that enhance the staff and student experience

Operational effectiveness

  • fostering a workplace culture that is positive and inclusive and in which the wellbeing of others is a priority for everyone
  • coordinating our breadth and diversity within a cohesive and collegial Faculty community, removing barriers to collaboration and enabling interdisciplinarity
  • developing systems thinking and encouraging creative problem-solving
  • improving our communications and bringing greater visibility and transparency to our decision-making processes
  • collaborating with the rest of the University in pursuit of our shared objectives

Download the Faculty of Arts strategy map 2019-2025