2030 and Beyond:

As a society, we are experiencing extraordinary change and over the next decade we will witness unprecedented transformations in many areas of our lives. In this time, we will also no longer be a “young’ university as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2025. This era demands a new response, a brave and confident response to lead and shape this change.

Our purpose is to inspire a better future through education, research and partnership.

In 2018 a diverse group of over 100 members of the UOW community deeply considered how we could lead and shape our future over the next decade. We developed creative and ambitious ideas to harness the opportunities our changing environment may provide. We synthesised these ideas into our 2030 and Beyond Green Paper, released in 2018. In 2019 we held two forums with senior staff and Council to build these ideas into core concepts for our future.

We crafted the outcomes of this consultation into this, our 2030 and Beyond White Paper. This White Paper is our strategic intent and it will guide us through the next decade. It will be our constant over this time, steering our direction, providing flexibility for new opportunities and guiding the development of our five-year strategic, education, research, and partnership plans.

The passion, pride and commitment of our people has created our 2030 and beyond aspiration captured in this White Paper. We look forward to a purposeful future.

Professor Paul Wellings CBE
Vice-Chancellor
University of Wollongong

2030 and Beyond White Paper

• Download 2030 and Beyond White Paper (PDF)

Global change presents unprecedented opportunities

Our collective futures will be characterised by a rebalancing of economic power, scarce natural resources, the rapid adoption of intelligent technologies, and seismic demographic and political shifts across the world. Coupled with societies evolving expectations, these changes will have a significant impact on how we work and live.

We look ahead to a future defined by a rapid rate of change and new opportunity. We know that tomorrow’s leading institutions are those that will harness and direct this change to create a positive future.

This is a time for opportunity. 

We inspire a better future through education, research and partnership

We are grounded by our intellectual openness, excellence and dedication, empowerment and academic freedom, mutual respect and diversity, recognition and performance. These are our values.

They have navigated us through our first 40 years and will strengthen us as we create our future.

Intellectual openness

We are driven and determined, yet collegial and ethical in all that we do. We are always looking to serve our communities and share our knowledge and expertise with them for mutual betterment.

Excellence and dedication

We work tirelessly to excel in our research and education, and to address complex, real-world problems in partnership with our communities.

Empowerment and academic freedom

We celebrate the freedom to have different opinions and different ideas. We encourage the asking of difficult questions and discovery of innovative solutions.

Mutual respect and diversity

We aspire to set the standard for inclusiveness, diversity and equity. We welcome – and benefit from – the diversity of our communities within Australia and internationally. We will continue to champion Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation.

Recognition and performance

We celebrate the hard work and dedication of our staff, and recognise and reward their achievements. We expect all our staff to meet the challenges of our changing world by seizing opportunities that deliver continuous improvement.

Global Outlook

We will continue to focus on interdisciplinary teaching and research that harnesses the collective ideas, innovations and strengths of our global network.

We will understand our responsibility as global citizens and the enormous scope of positive change that is possible as we address the local and global challenges of today and tomorrow.

We will embrace the changing landscape of learning for life to ensure students and our alumni continue to have access to a personalised supportive learning environment wherever they are in the world.

Trust built through partnerships

The strength of our partnerships and willingness to engage with our communities will continue to see us prosper as a trusted global University.

We will collaborate with and learn from academic, policy makers, and industry leaders so that we fearlessly pursue innovations that have a positive and tangible impact for our society.

We will build and enhance valuable relationships with our alumni, recognising the significant role they play as a link to the ever-changing workforce and as UOW ambassadors.

Change that matters

Career ready graduates will be assured through the ongoing transformation of our curriculum, ensuring it meets the changing needs of our students and industry partners.

We will create and use new and transformational technologies that enrich the learning and working environments of all our students and campuses.

We will boldly tackle the health, social and environmental challenges of our time by focusing on purposeful initiatives and innovations.

We will work collaboratively to embrace and drive change to maintain an environment that builds on our financial sustainability and agility.