Download - University-for-the-sunshine-coast.pdf · physiology and engineering. By 2015, four of these were still in the top five most sought-after study programs at the University, according

U N I V E R S I T Y F O R T H E S U N S H I N E C O A S T

The University of the Sunshine Coast’s estimated direct and indirect contribution to the region and the state of Queensland

from its operations has been $2.38 billion. A groundbreaking economic development strategy being implemented by the region

designates the University as one of five major “game-changers” to 2033. This year, USC will partner in teaching and research

at the new $1.8 billion public university hospital – the first new tertiary teaching hospital in Australia for 20 years. USC staff,

students and graduates have spent two decades working to improve the health and wealth of this fast-growing region.

WHEN ROD SIMPSON was guiding the introduction of a raft of new professional degrees that doubled USC’s size in the first decade of the millennium, he knew the value of those graduates to the Sunshine Coast region. In December 2010, he discovered their value to his own life. That was the year Emeritus

Professor Simpson decided to retire as Dean of the Faculty of Science, Health and Education. His farewell was delayed, however, after he had a heart attack.

“I was picked up in an ambulance and helped by one of our paramedic science students on placement,” recalled the public health expert and internationally recognised air pollution researcher. “I was taken to Nambour Hospital (the Coast’s biggest public and emergency hospital) and the nurse who looked after me was one of our nursing science graduates. Then, when I went through rehab, my exercise physiologist had also come from our university.” All three degrees were within his faculty. “Well, I’m still here so we must have trained them okay,” he laughed. “People always said how USC changed their lives, but that really struck me personally.”

Now enjoying rural life on his property in the Coast’s Blackall Range and taking an active interest in the politics of sustainable development and public health issues, Brisbane-born Professor Simpson has witnessed the impact of USC on its surrounding region since his appointment as Dean of Science in 2001. He had arrived from another South-East Queensland university, Griffith, where he was Director of the Queensland Centre for Public Health after a career in environmental sciences, including work for the CSIRO in Melbourne and the Australian

National University in Canberra. With a physics PhD from the University

of Queensland in 1971, Professor Simpson always intended to ensure

that scientific knowledge be used to make a difference to the quality of

people’s lives and, especially, the environment.

“I’d seen a staggering rate of growth on the Sunshine Coast over the

years and it was exciting to join a university campus that was only

five years old,” he said. “I was attracted to the attitude and the vision

of people here; that this was a university for the Sunshine Coast. We

listened to what people wanted and fought for that and pushed hard

to support the development of the region.”

I believed such a region should have its own uni, to provide a tremendous boost to the local economy and to be a focus

for innovation and development.

The population of the former Maroochy, Caloundra and Noosa

shires that comprised the Sunshine Coast more than doubled

between 1986 and 2006, to 287,000 people. The same geographic

area now houses 335,000 residents and is planning for half a million

by the 2030s, given the projected average annual increase of 2.1

percent. “I believed such a region should have its own uni, to provide

a tremendous boost to the local economy and to be a focus for

innovation and development,” Professor Simpson said.

In the almost 10 years that he led the faculty, its annual student

numbers jumped from 800 to 3,800 as undergraduate and

postgraduate programs were developed in nursing science,

education (primary, secondary, early childhood), occupational

therapy, paramedic science, nutrition and dietetics, exercise

LECTURER NIGEL BARR WITH THIRD-YEAR PARAMEDIC STUDENTS TRAINING IN THE AMBULANCE SIMULATOR


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UNIVERSITY

FORTHE SUNSHINE COAST

physiology and engineering. By 2015, four of these were still in

the top five most sought-after study programs at the University,

according to semester one offers for new enrolments. He also began

setting up research groupings around the themes of biotechnology,

exercise science, health and sustainability, laying a foundation for

future developments.

Nursing science, in the top spot in 2015 for the ninth year, was

positioned with allied health disciplines to take the University’s

engagement with its region to an unprecedented level in the lead-

up to the planned 2016 opening of the $1.8 billion Sunshine Coast

University Hospital at nearby Kawana. According to Kevin Hegarty,

Chief Executive of the Queensland Government’s overarching

Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, USC staff and graduates

had already made their mark at regional health facilities such as

Nambour General Hospital – the region’s busiest hospital – and

were entrenched in planning for training and research opportunities

at the even bigger Kawana tertiary teaching hospital.

“In 12 years of dealing with USC I’ve found it to be a dynamic

organisation that’s determined to achieve and produce outcomes,”

said Mr Hegarty, who had two daughters striving for their own USC

outcomes, in nutrition and journalism respectively. “The common

reference point for our institutions is that we’re driven by what is

best for the local community.”

On campus at Sippy Downs, USC completed its own biggest ever

infrastructure project last year. The $37.2 million Engineering

Learning Hub, a joint initiative with the Australian Government’s

Education Investment Fund, is a multi-storey building that contains

technology capable of revolutionising learning and researching

across diverse scientific areas. Its centrepiece is the CAVE2TM,

a massive, 320-degree, immersive environment that combines

visualisation techniques with 3D and virtual reality technology. (See

‘Innovation’) One of only two of its kind in Australia, the CAVE2TM

was quickly embraced by mechanical and civil engineering students

who recorded their testing of structural materials in the adjoining

industrial building for playback in the visualisation theatre. The

entrepreneurial discipline has risen fast at USC since it was initiated

in 2008 by Dr Richard White and Professor Rod Simpson, to dovetail

a regional economy based on construction, retail and tourism.

Foundation USC Head of Engineering Professor Mark Porter

recalled, “Since I arrived in 2009 to establish an accredited

engineering program, we have constructed major infrastructure

including an engineering workshop and state-of-the-art laboratories

for undergraduate teaching, physics, structures, robotics and

manufacturing. Together with the Engineering Learning Hub, this

represents about $50 million of investment. Our civil and mechanical

engineering degrees are accredited by the national body, Engineers

Australia, and the educational experience we give students has been

recognised in a national survey by the Social Research Centre as the

best in South-East Queensland.” (www.qilt.edu.au)

Civil engineering emphasised ecologically sustainable development

– another strong community aspiration – and its first group of

graduates in 2012 walked straight into jobs. “As the growth of the

Coast creates the need for more roads, buildings, infrastructure and

new housing developments, USC will increasingly need to provide the

right engineering expertise to meet the needs of local industry and the expectations of students, graduates and employers,” Professor Porter said. The discipline became part of the School of Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, led since 2012 by nanotechnology scientist Professor John Bartlett. (See ‘Research on target’)

Georgia Keeshan changed her life when she enrolled in civil engineering in 2010. The then waitress from Victoria had been good at physics and maths at school and felt ready to knuckle down to study after travelling. “I had a passion for finding out how and why things work and I wanted to do a degree that guaranteed a job,” she recalled. “I knew engineering had a wide range of employment and lifestyle opportunities and I listened to a talk about it at USC’s Open Day. I decided to do it.”

The engineering industry connections of USC staff, along with the focus on

students as individuals, were highlights of her degree.

Ms Keeshan is now a coastal engineer with Sunshine Coast Council, the local government authority serving a population of 285,000 and managing an area of 2,291 square kilometres from Eumundi in the north to Beerburrum in the south. She works indoors and outdoors, contributing to the sustainable growth of the region she loves, coordinating projects and inspections of council infrastructure involving revetment walls, beach groynes, canal dredging, locks, weirs and sea walls.

“As my work is usually in the tidal zone, where construction and maintenance are subject to approvals, I’m liaising with state and federal governmental agencies, council departments, community groups, customers and external contractors,” she said. “I’m exposed to a variety of jobs, such as the maintenance of the Cotton Tree sandbag groyne at the Maroochy River mouth to make the beach nice and help protect the caravan park (from erosion). Going back to uni was tough but I feel proud to be really achieving something.”

The engineering industry connections of USC staff, along with the focus on students as individuals, were highlights of Ms Keeshan’s degree. “I’d done a year of an arts degree at Monash University in Melbourne in 2002, so I knew the rhythm of uni life. However, I didn’t expect to have such close contact with my tutors and lecturers at USC, which was a great change to a big university. Then, in February 2012, I gained casual work at the council through contact with its then Infrastructure Services Manager Brian Peebles, who was also my tutor. I knew a dozen students who also got work through USC links.” Mr Peebles, with 45 years of engineering experience, is now a Lecturer in Civil Infrastructure Design and Operation at USC.

That initial opportunity led to Ms Keeshan winning the full-time council job when she graduated with Honours in early 2014. Her research had examined water infiltration in permeable pavement, which was part of a bigger, ongoing project by her supervisor Associate Professor Terry Lucke, in collaboration with the council.

I HAD A PASSION FOR FINDING OUT HOW AND WHY THINGS WORK

AND I WANTED TO DO A DEGREE THAT GUARANTEED A JOB. I KNEW ENGINEERING HAD A WIDE RANGE OF EMPLOYMENT AND LIFESTYLE

OPPORTUNITIES AND I LISTENED TO A TALK ABOUT IT AT USC’S OPEN

DAY. I DECIDED TO DO IT.

GEORGIA KEESHAN


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Ms Keeshan recalled her first lightbulb moment with Dr Lucke, who

seemed to ask the right questions at the right time. “We were one

week away from our exam in Engineering Statics, notorious as the

‘culling subject’, and Terry asked if we knew how to resolve force

triangles. It was basic really, but he saw our blank faces,” she laughed.

Force triangles were resolved. And Ms Keeshan was not culled.

In five years at USC, Dr Lucke has

been awarded by the Australian

Government for his teaching

quality (a $10,000 Office for

Learning and Teaching citation)

and for his research (the

University’s first Australian

Research Council Linkage

Project – worth $150,000 – to

improve streetscapes through

water-sensitive pavement design

and tree plantings). He leads

USC’s Stormwater Research

Group and in 2014 received one

of 12 staff Advance Awards for

his commitment to blended learning, or the merging of technology

with face-to-face teaching.

“This ‘flipped’ learning model means students never enter a lecture

theatre cold,” said Dr Lucke, whose background is in residential and

commercial construction. “Students are encouraged to participate

in the learning experience via mobile phones, the internet and

through viewing online streaming before, during and after lectures.”

A strong believer in practical skills development, he is famous for

his spaghetti bridge competition, a popular event that teaches

students of the Mechanics of Materials course how to build load-

bearing structures out of raw pasta.

Academic awards were also on the menu for Ms Keeshan at USC:

a $500 engineering prize sponsored by USC Facilities Director Mark

Bradley and his wife Susan; and a $5,000 scholarship from global

professional services company GHD which led to further industry

networking. (See ‘Helping make dreams happen’) That scholarship

was presented at the same annual awards night in 2013 when

Ms Keeshan’s fellow civil engineering student Stephen Kime collected

an inaugural $10,000 scholarship from Unitywater that included work

experience and a future job offer. Last year Mr Kime took up the

offer, launching his career at the large local business that provides

24-hour-a-day water supply and sewerage services to 16 percent

of Queensland’s population, across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and

Moreton Bay council areas.

Ms Keeshan, who has lived at Sunrise Beach near Noosa for eight

years, is amazed by USC’s “phenomenal” growth. The Sippy Downs

campus was certainly an engineering student’s delight, as she

watched the construction of at least one new building a year. “I think

this university is great for the community. It should keep younger

people on the Coast and improve business opportunities here.”

Those have always been twin objectives of the University. Founding

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas said decisions about degree

choices and research areas were heavily influenced by regional

needs, such as a desire to reduce the number of high school

graduates moving to Brisbane, an hour’s drive south, for tertiary

studies and careers.

“We chose arts and business programs initially (when the University

opened in 1996) because that’s where we had most market presence

and saw the best opportunities for people going into jobs in the

region,” Professor Thomas recalled. Changes were made over time.

He said one of the earliest was the introduction of more social

sciences after the first Dean of Arts Professor Robert Elliot found

that some fine arts courses “had attraction but did not produce jobs”.

ENGINEERING ACADEMIC DR TERRY LUCKE WATCHES STUDENTS ENJOY USC’S FAMOUS

SPAGHETTI BRIDGE COMPETITION

Business-related programs bolstered the University’s first decade

because of employment prospects. In 2004, for example, 100

percent of students in accounting, marketing, management and

journalism found full-time jobs after graduating. By 2005, Business

had more than 1,700 students and became the largest of three

faculties. While the sciences have worn that mantle more recently,

business programs such as accounting continue to shine with job-

ready graduates thanks to industry links.

A table published in late 2014 in the Australian Financial Review, and

based on data in the annual Good Universities Guide, ranked USC fifth

highest of all Australian universities for the percentage of accounting

graduates finding work within four months of course completion.

Senior Lecturer in Accounting Dr Peter Baxter said the program had

a strong reputation among local accounting firms. “They contact us

to promote job opportunities direct to USC students,” he said. “An

increasing number of our students are also gaining vacation and

graduate employment positions with the ‘big four’ firms in Brisbane.”

BDO Maroochydore partner Bruce Swan recalled 15 years of links

between his accounting practice and USC. “Each year we’ve provided

a BDO scholarship to the student who achieves the highest mark in

the ACC321 Auditing and Professional Practice subject,” Mr Swan

said. “We also offer USC student internships in our audit or tax

service lines. In fact, many interns who have come through our

doors have joined our team as graduate accountants. This allows us

to share our technical knowledge with tomorrow’s future leaders and

give them real-life opportunities to apply their skills.” BDO is one of

Australia’s largest associations of independently owned accounting

practices, with more than 170 partners.

The current Faculty of Arts and Business, headed by Professor

Joanne Scott who has worked at the University for 19 years, offers

77 programs with diverse work placements, clinical skills training,

professional accreditations and regular industry events. “I think

our professional programs are

having a very direct impact on the

region, particularly disciplines

such as clinical psychology

in terms of graduates and in

terms of actually contributing to

health services that are needed,”

Professor Scott said. “One of our

early challenges was the lack

of fully qualified people in the

region who could supervise our

students, but over time we’ve

entered a great cycle where

USC psychology graduates are out practising and they in turn can

supervise new students coming through.”

The transition has been overseen by Mary Katsikitis, USC’s Foundation

Professor of Psychology who has attended every graduation since

2008 to see students shine, and whose own research focuses

on mother-daughter relationships, aged care and retirement, and

positive psychology. “It’s a real reward for staff to see our accredited

psychology graduates recognised at these ceremonies and then go

on to careers or further study or research,” she said.

Since 2013, USC has also invested in new community clinics

related to degrees in health. These range from the Blue Care Wound

Solutions Clinic to the Mobile Health Clinic. Bronwyn Doyle, project

manager of Health Workforce Australia-funded clinical partnerships

in nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, paramedic science and

medical laboratory science, said USC students were gaining an

unprecedented level of local placements. “In just three months in

2015, the new clinics generated 202 placement days for students

and more than 500 occasions of service to clients ranging from in-

utero to the elderly,” she said.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY STUDENT KATIE-ANNE HAUSER ASSISTS JUNE GLANVILLE IN A USC CLINIC

MASTER OF MIDWIFERY STUDENT JILLIAN CLARKE WITH REBECCA BIDDULPH AND BABY WILLIAM

Joanne Scott

Terry Lucke


90 91

Professor Thomas said USC had from the earliest days consulted

with community and business leaders when setting academic

goals, to assist the region deal with its rapid population growth and

financial vagaries: “We had a strong emphasis on not only recruiting

people into courses but getting them jobs on graduation.” Retired

from USC in 2010, he remains committed to the region’s health as

Chair of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Board.

The region’s economic health was at the heart of USC’s first research

institute, the Sunshine Coast Research Institute for Business

Enterprise (SCRIBE), led by then USC academic Dr Scott Prasser,

a management and government policy expert who went on to be

Professor in Public Policy at the Australian Catholic University in

Canberra. Dr Prasser has since been appointed as Senior Adviser

to the Federal Minister for Education and Training. SCRIBE operated

for five years from 2001 with a mission to “create collaborative

infrastructure for regional and business development” and was

involved in the Sunshine Coast Business Council, of which the

University is still a member. SCRIBE’s 2004 annual report highlighted

projects investigating the impact of ecommerce on regional business

and the need to monitor the sustainability of the Sunshine Coast

“to balance the economic, social and environmental aspects of

development in the region”.

The three tiers of sustainability have long underpinned USC’s

academic and operational activities, including the development

of its Sustainability Research Centre over the past nine years.

(See ‘Sustainability’) This focus again matched wider community

aspirations, crystallised in 2008 when ratepayers went to the

polls to elect the first Sunshine Coast Regional Council after the

amalgamation of Maroochy, Caloundra and Noosa shires into one

local authority. They voted in Mayor Bob Abbot, a long-time Noosa

councillor known for his environmental values, and the new council

announced its 2009-14 corporate vision was “to be Australia’s most

sustainable region – vibrant, green, diverse”.

The vision is reinforced in the 2014-19 corporate plan under the

current council led by Mayor Mark Jamieson, a businessman elected

in 2012 on a platform of jobs growth and sustainable regional

development. While Noosa Council has since been re-established,

it is led by veteran Noosa Mayor and environmentalist Noel Playford

with a corporate vision of “engagement with our community to

protect and enhance our lifestyle”.

The development of USC in connection with the region has impressed

John Knaggs, the former chief executive officer of Sunshine Coast

Council and now CEO of SunCentral Maroochydore Pty Ltd. “It’s

been fantastic to see the way the University has built its education,

research and physical infrastructure as the years have ticked by,” said

Mr Knaggs, who has worked with mayors and councillors, state and

federal governments, and community and external organisations

since arriving in the region in 2002 to take up the position of Planning

Director with the then Maroochy Shire Council.

(That was the same year the Sunshine Coast’s assets were

promoted globally as it hosted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Ten years later, the

inaugural Australian Prime Minister’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond

Jubilee Award would be awarded to USC science graduate Dr Laura

Bray (nee Sinfield) to support her world-leading eye research. (See ‘Graduating by degrees’)

Mr Knaggs said he had quickly discovered the importance of the University to the local community, “particularly in terms of it growing the region from a very young place”, and the benefits it offered prospective students of all ages, residents and businesses. “I think the leadership shown by Paul Thomas during his tenure and Greg Hill currently has been central to that success,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Hill, who co-steered USC’s growth with Professor Thomas from 2005 before being appointed to the top job in 2010, said there was a new synchronicity in the capabilities of the University and the expectations of people wanting to connect with it in some way. “Half a dozen years ago we just didn’t have some of those sought-after high-tech facilities and staff resources (to contribute to the region),” said Professor Hill in 2015. “Now we do.” (See ‘Innovation’)

The next generation of technology-related university jobs were reflected in the weekly Positions Vacant emails at USC. In one week in 2014, the Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering advertised for a 2D/3D graphical simulation software developer and a creative designer for 2D/3D simulation, while C-SALT (Centre for Support and Advancement of Learning and Teaching) sought a learning designer for simulation and visualisation and a digital learning resource developer. Those types of jobs just didn’t exist the previous year.

In the past 20 years, more than 15,700 alumni of the University have taken their newfound skills, knowledge and attributes into workforces and societies across the globe, as well as into their own neighbourhoods. Mr Knaggs said the council was one beneficiary. “The organisation employed a significant number of graduates from the University in different ways – people with business or design degrees, engineering or planning degrees,” he said. “Council staff had also completed qualifications at the University in areas like sustainability. My observation would be that these graduates are passionate about the region. They’re often local people juggling work and family with further ambition. They appreciate the opportunity to gain further experience and education locally.”

Mr Knaggs said it appeared the University had cemented its foundation phase and was spreading its wings, just like the Sunshine Coast. “Originally, people wanted to see the University grow and establish a reputation as a centre for learning and research. It’s done that very well. Most people understand that universities take time to bed in, both physically on their site and also in building their reputation, and I think locals have seen it grow in leaps and bounds and are very proud of what the University of the Sunshine Coast has become.

“Now it is continuing to grow its reputation nationally and internationally, particularly in research. As our region builds up its own infrastructure and communities, and with the upcoming new teaching hospital at Kawana and the development of the new CBD at Maroochydore, we are entering a new phase in the development of the Sunshine Coast. I call it early maturity. It’s something the University is a significant part of, and advocate for.”

This maturity means creating jobs as well as filling them, as the Coast strives to diversify its economic base from its agricultural roots and reliance on construction, retail and tourism into knowledge-based

industries. Mr Knaggs cited the influence of USC’s high-tech flagship, the Innovation Centre, which accepted its first tenant companies in the year he arrived on the Coast. (See ‘Innovation’)

Opened by then Premier Peter Beattie, who pushed to make Queensland the “Smart State”, the $7 million facility received funding from all three levels of government for its purpose-built business incubator to nurture technology-based small and medium enterprises, alongside a large auditorium for networking and events.

The University made an important decision about innovation, about

the way business thinking could be propagated in this young region.

“The University didn’t have to build an innovation centre but the region is better off for it,” said Mr Knaggs, who once served on the centre’s board with other government and business representatives. “We discussed often the growth of the region and the University and how our combined efforts as a council, as a university, as a community, would benefit the region as a whole.

“It’s not been without challenges, but so many startup enterprises have come through that facility and it has continued to support bright business ideas and create leadership around entrepreneurship. The University made an important decision about innovation, about the way business thinking could be propagated in this young region, and it recognised that people with fledgling ideas in business need some form of incubation and support. The Innovation Centre has done a great job and I think it will continue to be successful as it shows its wares more widely to the region.” Mr Knaggs said he was looking forward to continuing a close and productive relationship with USC in his new role with SunCentral Maroochydore, a council-owned company tasked with designing and delivering a new city centre on 53 hectares of greenfield land in the heart of the Coast.

2014 was a remarkable year for the Innovation Centre Sunshine Coast (ICSC). Ten member companies received business awards and the centre gained international recognition when it was named

one of the UBI Index’s top 10 University Business Incubators for the

Asia and Oceania region. Given the volatility of the sector post-global

financial crisis, the top 10 rating was especially satisfying for CEO

Mark Paddenburg. He said the centre was benchmarked against

more than 300 similar facilities in 60 countries for its performance,

including economy enhancement, talent retention, competence

development and access to funding.

“Since 2002, the ICSC has supported the growth of more than 140

member businesses that created more than 580 jobs and helped

to raise more than $32 million in early stage capital for member

companies,” he said. It currently accommodated 25 firms in the

ICT and digital, clean technology and health technology industries.

Mr Paddenburg, who took over from founding CEO Colin Graham in

2012, said the centre’s goals were to: enhance the local entrepreneurial

ecosystem; directly assist startup and high growth companies to

expand globally; attract and connect with entrepreneurial talent

locally and across the world; and help diversify the local economy

and strengthen connections with students and the University. “The

USC and ICSC member successes have certainly contributed to the

region being recognised as an ‘innovation hotspot’ by CNBC, Google

and PayPal,” he said.

A former senior investment manager with the Queensland

Government, Mr Paddenburg and his ICSC team have backed the

expansion of annual events such as the inaugural ICSC Business

Pitch Competition (2012), Startup Weekend Sunshine Coast (2014

and 2015 with USC) and Mentor Blaze (2015). USC students were

among 305 people who participated in the Startup Weekend events,

staged at the ICSC with great support by the University’s School

of Business in May of both years. Modelled on similar Google-

sponsored events held around the globe, it allowed people with

diverse skills to pitch new ideas and test new venture concepts

over three days.

Among the winners were USC students who pitched a new 3D

immersive headset linked to a smartphone (Phenomec) and Hitched

In, an online platform connecting brides with wedding planners,

and wedding planners with industry professionals, resulting in

better communication and most importantly, happy brides. An

THE INAUGURAL STARTUP WEEKEND SUNSHINE COAST


92 93

In 2015, the University enrolled 12,600 students and employed 870 full-time equivalent staff. Ninety-five percent of the 324 academics had higher degree qualifications. If knowledge was power, USC was certainly empowering the region. Its analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed that the Sunshine Coast’s tertiary education levels had more than tripled since 1996, with 13.5 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds attending university or tertiary education. USC expected to watch that figure rise in the next 10 years, especially after national data for university enrolments in 2014 showed it had the fifth highest growth rate in Australia, with an 8.5 percent increase in total students on the previous year compared to a national average of 4 percent.

In addition, the University is aggressively expanding its catchment and campuses north, south and west. “We need more educated people because the new great divide in the global workforce is education,” said Professor Hefferan. “These tend to be the knowledge workers, innovators who earn money from outside the region in what’s known as the trading part of the workforce rather than the service part. And education is what USC provides.”

He said USC was an active member of chambers of commerce, professional and industry associations and the business council, while its Office of Engagement provided a strong evidence base for community decision-making in areas as diverse as amalgamation, greenbelt studies and economic sectoral analysis.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson, who has lived in the region since 2001 when he was general manager of the Sunshine Coast Daily newspaper company, has seen the growth in the educational aspirations of residents. “Our area is known as a great place for a holiday and that’s important, but there’s a

flipside,” he said. “It’s also a great place for economic development and establishing businesses, and that’s very much what the council and the University seek to do with the ‘Natural Advantage’ strategy. The University has a pipeline of talent and local, state and federal governments need to be ensuring there are career opportunities

Mark Jamieson

SUNSHINE COAST UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 2015

impact report by USC Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship Dr Retha de Villiers Scheepers and MBA graduate Marcus Holland Eikeland also found the creation of #Siliconcoast, a non-profit movement established at the first Startup Weekend, grew from 54 to 626 members in two years and would continue to promote innovation and entrepreneurship on the Sunshine Coast. These outcomes followed the celebrations of 2013 when the Sunshine Coast received a Google eTown award as Queensland’s fastest growing region in adopting digital technologies, primarily in ecommerce.

“It can be quite lonely being an entrepreneur and the ICSC network excels at providing a dynamic ecosystem to support them in a variety of ways,” said Mr Paddenburg, pointing to the activity around the two-storey centre as he greeted Gavin Keeley, the chief technical officer of Cloud DC, a member company specialising in cloud-based business computing solutions that had recently signed a global IT deal and raised $2 million in venture capital for its OfficeBox product. (In mid-2015, Cloud DC also secured $1 million from an Australian Government accelerating commercialisation grant for entrepreneurs and CEO Steve Robinson announced its imminent launch into the North American market.) The ICSC ecosystem includes an extensive calendar of events, commercial grade infrastructure and a burgeoning mentorship program headed by highly experienced entrepreneur-in-residence Dean Alle, with a background in intellectual property, startups, university collaboration with industry, and commercialisation of new technology. Dr Alle, whose PhD was in atomic and molecular physics, also works closely with the University’s researchers, students and staff to help take ideas to the market. “The ideas boom will underpin the next wave of growth and we are already working on joint industry projects,” he said.

USC has fought for the health and wealth of its region from the moment it opened, “against all odds, when it was as poor as a church mouse”, according to its Professor of Property and Development Mike Hefferan. Recalling his dealings with USC since the late 1990s when he was executive director of Queensland’s Department of State Development, Professor Hefferan said the institution’s proponents had been tenacious in their intent to provide educational, economic and

cultural opportunities for the people of the Sunshine Coast. The plan

to build a business incubator so early in its growth was one example.

“At first it seemed crazy to want an innovation centre so soon, but

they were brave and won support – and ‘Smart State’ money – and

look how it’s survived and prospered,” said Professor Hefferan, who

joined USC in 2007 and is now chairman of the ICSC board.

Appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement in 2009 to spearhead

strategic relationships outside the University, he said USC was

taking a more overt role in addressing issues relevant to a region

dominated by micro and small businesses (98 percent) and with

only three large employers – the council, the hospital and itself.

An exciting case in point was a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based,

regional economic development plan devised by Sunshine Coast

Council in collaboration with nine stakeholders including USC,

which played a major role. Called ‘Sunshine Coast – The Natural

Advantage’, the long-term strategy named the University’s expected

$54 million expansion as one of the region’s five “game-changer

projects” from 2013 to 2033, alongside the new public hospital at

Kawana, the council’s new central business district underway at

nearby Maroochydore, and airport and highway upgrades.

It also highlighted seven high-value industries vital to the future of

the Coast – with USC’s academic and research expertise relevant to

every industry bar aviation. (The six others were: health and wellbeing;

education and research; tourism, sport and leisure; knowledge

industries and professional services; agribusiness; and clean

technologies.) “Education and health are right up there as critically

important to this region and we represent both,” said Professor

Hefferan. “I’ve never seen another place in Australia that’s done an

economic strategy that so favours or presents the local university.”

USC has injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the regional

economy in 20 years. Its direct contribution in capital and operating

expenses since 1996 has been more than $747 million. “With

multipliers to capture the ripple effect, this spending by USC and

its staff, students and alumni generated more than $954 million

towards Queensland’s gross state product,” Professor Hefferan said.

It can be quite lonely being an entrepreneur and the ICSC network

excels at providing a dynamic ecosystem to support them.

M ARK PADDENBURG

USC has fought for the health and wealth of its region from the moment it opened, “against all odds, when it was

as poor as a church mouse”.

MIKE HEFFERAN

for them as they complete their education. We want to lay the

foundation for a strong, more diversified economy that respects the

environment and creates opportunity for the community.”

By the end of 2014, the strategy was starting to pay dividends. Mayor

Jamieson said statistics showed the Sunshine Coast had created

the largest number of jobs of any region in Queensland that year, and

had received more development applications in one quarter than for

all of 2013. The Coast was also targeting international opportunities,

particularly in Asia. Mayor Jamieson, Professor Hefferan and a

group of local business leaders travelled to China in 2013 to build

these relationships.

The collaborative Digital Sunshine Coast Action Plan was launched

at USC in 2014 by the council and Regional Development Australia

Sunshine Coast to foster innovation by increasing the adoption of

digital solutions in the region. Its current focus is on improving

digital infrastructure, investment, skills, culture and leadership.

By 2015, as new private student accommodation and retail

businesses also took shape in the University’s neighbourhood

of Sippy Downs, hopes were renewed for the long-awaited

development of the Sippy Downs Town Centre as a business and

tech hub in connection with USC.

Professor Hill, who was attracted to the position at USC in 2005

because of the special relationship between the University and its

community and the potential for mutual growth, said recent council,

hospital and economic plans were ushering in a new era. “Now, that

history of goodwill is generating really productive partnerships,” he

said. “And it’s making a difference when we go to funding agencies

and show them how important we are to the future of the Coast.

“We’re in a situation where the Sunshine Coast Council identifies

USC as a key driver of the economy of the region. The new hospital

is going to be enormous for both the Sunshine Coast and USC and

not just in new doctors and nurses, it’s all the other things that will

keep a $1.8 billion, 700-bed hospital running: the human resources

consultants and managers, the IT technicians, the pathology labs.

That’s the next major thing the Coast has to come to grips with.” ■


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OP1 student chooses to be nurse instead of doctorGrowing up in Caloundra, Sarah Finn had always wanted to do

medicine. When she earned the highest possible score – an Overall

Position 1 – on completing Caloundra State High School in 2006,

Sarah enrolled at the University of Queensland, known for its large

medical school. After a year studying physiotherapy and living on the

big Brisbane campus, Sarah moved back to the Sunshine Coast to

do nursing science at USC. During her degree, she sat the Australia-

wide medical school admissions test and gained results high enough

to study medicine elsewhere. But something had changed.

“My results meant I would have been accepted but I just fell in

love with nursing,” she recalls, enthusiasm overflowing despite just

waking from a night shift at Nambour General Hospital. Sarah has

worked at the region’s biggest hospital since 2011, the year she

officially graduated from USC with a Faculty Medal for academic

excellence. Now a clinical nurse on Nambour’s main surgical ward,

Sarah describes the joy of finding her life purpose:

“I feel like I was made for this. When I enrolled at USC in 2008 I chose

nursing as my undergrad as a fallback career or for work while I was

studying to be a doctor. But now, every single day, I’m so happy to

have chosen nursing. When I started at USC I was very surprised

at the differences between the universities. Class sizes were much

smaller and I felt like a person, not a number. I loved it.

“The lecturers made it much more personalised and that really helps

in a degree like nursing because it’s not just an academic program,

it can be emotionally draining and you need a lot of support. It

was really good to be taught by working nurses too, because what

happens on paper is not necessarily what happens in practice. I liked

hearing people with current experience explaining why we do things.”

(Examples are lecturers Janice Layh, whose nursing career since

1979 has included eight years on the Sunshine Coast Helicopter

Retrieval Team; and Ann Framp, who has clinical experience in

surgical, practice, endoscopy and rural nursing and is doing a PhD

on the experiences of families predisposed to hereditary gastric

cancer. Janice recalls former student Sarah as “a lovely, caring,

organised and great nurse”.)

“Like medicine, I love using my brain in nursing,” Sarah continues,

“but I also love having the time to spend with patients, to connect

with them. And there’s huge potential to expand your career, climb

different ladders. On my ward I’ve been a clinical nurse in charge of

the shift team, a clinical facilitator guiding TAFE students through

their prac experience, and a clinical coach providing support and

education for staff. We look after patients before and after they have

elective procedures or emergency surgeries. Their stories make you

laugh and cry but I’ve got a really good team for support and I come

home feeling proud and grateful that I’ve made a difference.”

Sarah says she has found the job that fits her personality. “I’m a

people person and every day patients say, ‘You look like you love

this.’ I also love the Sunshine Coast, the beach, socialising and

dancing. And I recently got married and bought a house.”

Two of her close colleagues at Nambour Hospital are fellow USC

nursing science graduates, Donna Fairweather in the intensive care

unit and Jenna Peckston in emergency, while another friend from USC,

Melinda Lengren, works at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

USC’s inaugural and current Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery

Professor Margaret Barnes has overseen the meteoric rise of the

discipline, in both teaching and research, since she and now-retired

USC academic Dr Leonie Williams launched a simple joint program

with Central Queensland University in 2005.

Professor Barnes recalls: “Nursing rapidly went from a joint program

with small numbers to our own standalone program in 2007 to the

University’s biggest and most popular program. As the undergraduate

program sustained growth, we introduced postgraduate programs

and midwifery and in 2012 became a school.

“We have a good reputation with industry and work closely with the

Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service and private hospitals,

while a lot of our academic staff members come from recent clinical

backgrounds. USC students do 800 hours of clinical placement at

services from Gympie to Caboolture, or in rural and remote areas

where they may also get Indigenous health perspectives. So we’re

providing a workforce but we’re also building a research profile,

especially since the appointment in 2013 of two research-focused

professors of nursing, Marianne Wallis and Jeanine Young.”

Professor Barnes, who has research interests in midwifery and

maternal and child health, said USC was looking forward to

opportunities in health training and innovation at the new Kawana

hospital and its Skills, Academic and Research Centre (the SARC

was named the Sunshine Coast Health Institute in late November).

STUDENT ENROLMENTS IN USC NURSING PROGRAMS

I CAME BACK TO USC IN 2014 FOR A TRAINING DAY WITH MY STUDENTS AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY HOW MUCH IT HAS CHANGED. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY NURSING SCIENCE DEGREE WAS TRAINING IN THE PRAC LABS AND NOW THE FACILITIES THERE ARE EVEN MORE AMAZING.

SARAH FINNCENSUS

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

214 232

374 369

578 534

640 609698

645743 710

792 810897

949

1,0691,132

Data supplied by USC’s Strategic Information and Analysis Unit


96 97

Hospital boss values USC involvement, past and futureAs USC celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016, the Sunshine Coast

Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) will celebrate the birth of the

region’s largest ever piece of infrastructure, its first tertiary teaching

hospital. While Kawana residents have watched 10 giant cranes

get to work on site, USC academics have been working behind the

scenes to align with the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital, a

$1.8 billion public/private partnership expected to be a catalyst for

the region’s growth and wellbeing.

Offering new and expanded public hospital services, it will open with

450 beds in November and start training large numbers of staff and

students while developing health and medical research programs.

The public hospital and its adjacent Skills, Academic and Research

Centre (the SARC was named the Sunshine Coast Health Institute

last November) are part of a 20-hectare Kawana Health Campus

that also includes a private hospital.

The University has been one of our most important partnerships.

As Queensland’s then Attorney General, the Kawana-based Member

of Parliament Jarrod Bleijie, summarised in a brochure just before he

was re-elected in 2015: “Opening of the new $2 billion public hospital

means that around 10,000 patients each year will not have to travel to

Brisbane for complex medical treatment. Constructing the new hospital

will provide employment for up to 2,000 workers and 2,500 additional

nurses, doctors and allied health professionals.” (The Liberal National

Party MP, incidentally, studied politics at USC early in his career.)

For SCHHS Chief Executive Kevin Hegarty, the involvement of USC in

the new hospital will build on an excellent relationship between the

two organisations. At 3pm on Monday 2 March 2015, coincidentally

the exact time that his middle daughter Nicole attended her first

lecture of a journalism degree at USC, Mr Hegarty recalled:

“The University has been one of our most important partnerships,

particularly over the last decade. The regular meetings I had with

Paul Thomas have continued seamlessly since Greg Hill became Vice-Chancellor (VC). Of course it’s an interesting twist now with the inaugural VC of USC (Paul Thomas) now the inaugural chair of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Board.

“The relationship with the University is based not only on mutual interest in developing health services and professionals within the health workforce, but on doing the best for the local community from Caloundra to Gympie. Our links are not contractual, they are natural. They occur at various levels of the organisations and will become more evident structurally with this November’s opening of the university hospital and the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, of which USC is a foundation partner. Our service appointed a number of USC academics as visiting fellows in nursing and midwifery here (in 2013) and likewise a number of us, including myself, are adjuncts to USC. (See ‘Research on target’)

“I’ve directly seen the University grow since 2003 – not only its student base and physical presence, but also how it’s seen by opinion-shapers in the community as a very influential organisation. For example, the research it’s done on issues of importance in the local economy, work that Professor Mike Hefferan was at the forefront of, ensures the University is a participant and a leader in the community. When information or input is needed, the University is the first port of call.

“In the future, as well as continuing to produce nursing and allied health graduates, USC is increasing its focus on research and that’s something we’re keen to engage with. Our hospital and health service foundation Wishlist is formally sponsoring combined research that involves staff from both organisations.” The Wishlist Research Grants scheme delivered $130,000 to projects involving USC health researchers in 2015.

As for his daughter Nicole’s decision to study at the USC campus, following in the footsteps of her elder sister Fiona who is nearing completion of her USC nutrition and dietetics degree, Mr Hegarty says he’s pleased. “The courses they have chosen, the offering and the reputation of the courses, as well as the internships, practical aspects, and the personal contact with lecturers were all positives that appealed to them.”

USC HAS ALREADY POSITIONED ITSELF TO ENSURE IT IS A KEY PLAYER IN THE GROWTH OF HEALTH SERVICES ON THE SUNSHINE COAST, PRIMARILY WITH NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH GRADUATES BUT INCREASINGLY WITH RESEARCH.

KEVIN HEGARTY

THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY IS BASED NOT ONLY ON MUTUAL INTEREST IN DEVELOPING HEALTH SERVICES AND PROFESSIONALS WITHIN THE HEALTH WORKFORCE, BUT ON DOING THE BEST FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FROM CALOUNDRA TO GYMPIE. OUR LINKS ARE NOT CONTRACTUAL, THEY ARE NATURAL.

KEVIN HEGART Y

Top: Jassmyn Evans, 2012 Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduate, working as a medical technician at the Jobfit Health Group. Middle row, left to right: occupational therapy students Ange Vitler (right) and Amy Cornelius (left) get practical experience at the Wound Solutions Clinic on campus at USC. Paramedic science graduate Patrick Gough working at Atherton Ambulance Station. Occupational therapy student Sarsha Pincini works on correcting balance during a session at the USC clinic. Bottom row, left to right: biomedical science students learn techniques alongside highly experienced IVF (in vitro fertilisation) scientists and lecturers in the USC laboratory. Master of Midwifery graduate Helen Egan working for Queensland Health as a clinical nurse/midwife at Caboolture Hospital. Chloe Dann and Christine Beutel learning new skills in the kitchen for their Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics.


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Meetings of the mind: Psychology degrees put graduates at forefrontMary Katsikitis came to USC from Melbourne in 2007 after six years as a senior manager at the Australian Psychological Society, looking after the accreditation of national university psychology programs, and a prior research role at the University of Adelaide’s department of psychiatry. Her academic and management experience, and desire to return to research, were the perfect combination for USC’s Foundation Professor of Psychology.

Mary wasted no time setting up an innovative curriculum that stood out from the crowd and drew on the talents of her team of academics and clinicians that started with two staff – Dr Kay Pozzebon (Lecturer in Psychology who under Mary’s supervision became a PhD graduate of USC) and (Emeritus Professor) Graham Davidson:

“Most students are drawn to psychology because it’s a helping profession and that’s what they want to do. Some mistakenly think it’s just talking to people about their feelings. When they learn about clinical psychology, many become interested in the science behind complex mental health issues.

“Psychology is a science, with its own history and philosophy. USC’s curriculum introduces students to ‘normal behaviour’ first, then to psychopathology, then to co-morbid cases (patients with multiple conditions) by their fifth and sixth years of study. It’s wonderful to see students’ fascination with the ways that science and practice come together in this profession. That framework has helped make our psychology degrees so popular.

“In 2007, this university had courses in psychology but they weren’t accredited. You can’t get registered as a practising psychologist in Australia unless you have a degree accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). So in 2008 we set up three accredited programs: a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology); an Honours degree that attracted students from across the country, because that fourth year is the gateway into the profession; and a Master of Clinical Psychology, which attracted many students from other institutions and states.” Mary is now a director on the national APAC board.

“When I’m lecturing, I look at the mix of students and it’s just terrific. There are so many mature-age students who add real value to the tutorials with their own work and life experience. Some have travelled widely or raised families, while others have come from different careers. For example, engineering is one that sticks in my mind because it seems like an unusual change – an engineer giving it all away to come back to USC to study psychology – until you get to know people’s circumstances and realise how well suited they are to a career in psychology.

“We also launched a training clinic in 2008, where fifth year students could get the chance to work with real clients, under supervision. It was a significant investment by the University because we did not charge members of the public for our services. We still don’t. We’ve since moved into a bigger clinic in USC’s Health Tower, with four consultation rooms and a two-way mirrored room. Psychology now has 11 academic staff, many sessional staff and 420 students across the courses (as at semester one, 2015). We continue to consult widely with school principals, guidance officers, doctors, specialists and other mental health professionals.

“USC is very committed to providing access to mental health services on the Sunshine Coast. Our psychology discipline will play a major role in the research centre at the new public hospital at Kawana, as well as in USC’s recently announced Thompson Institute at nearby Birtinya. I completed a grant project that collected data on what this community wants from a facility focused on mental illness and neuroscience, both in research and in practice.

“Our greatest asset is our students. Many graduates stand out. Some work in forensics, corrections and private practice. Christian Inglis, who worked at non-profit group Interact Australia, was invited to Parliament House in Canberra in 2014 to present his undergraduate research on the mental health of fathers in relation to childbirth trauma. He won best paper out of 33 universities in Australia and has gone on to study medicine at the University of Notre Dame Sydney, where he is also tutoring in psychology. Izzy Durkin, who often joked with me about the emotional issues of the lead character in the popular television series ‘House’, moved to Brisbane for work after graduating and hopes to return to USC to do his Master’s. Jacinta Walker, a clinical psychology graduate, now works part-time in the USC Psychology Clinic. There are so many success stories.”

When I’m lecturing, I look at the mix of students and

it’s just terrific.

M ARY KATSIK IT IS

THOMPSON INSTITUTE BUILDING

‘When you use your skills to save a life, it’s wonderful’A lot has happened in Suzette Dakin’s life in a decade, but the

paramedic science graduate has done a lot more in that time to help

others in crisis. After eight rewarding years as a volunteer ambulance

“emergency first responder” around Imbil, near Gympie, the mother-

of-three studied at USC to become a paramedic and walked into a

dream local job after finishing her degree in 2012.

Her generosity and resilience has also featured in the media. In a

2006 Sunshine Coast Daily report, she was first on the scene of

a car accident where a teenage girl had used the first aid skills

recently taught to her class – by none other than Suzette. In 2008,

Suzette won local ambulance committee achiever of the year in the

Queensland Ambulance Service’s (QAS) Sunshine Coast awards.

Last February, the Daily photographed her with an injured five-

year-old boy as his family thanked Suzette for her kindness on the

ride to hospital. In August, however, the Noosa-born woman was

the one receiving kindness, as the community rallied behind her

in the aftermath of a terrible fire that destroyed Suzette’s home.

She recalls:

“I loved my volunteer work with the ambulance and wanted to take

the next step. When my youngest son was in school, I took the

opportunity to do a paramedic science degree. I applied and got in,

and it totally changed my life. When I get up each morning, I want

to go to work. When I come home, I feel good about what I’ve done.

“I’m stationed at QAS Maroochydore, which is a busy station, and

I often deal with elderly people. The stories they tell are fascinating.

When you use all your skills to truly save a life, it’s wonderful.

I remember arriving at a 52-year-old man’s house at 2am and he

was in cardiac arrest. After CPR and two shocks, we got him back.

We caught up with him in the hospital, four days post-stenting,

and he was sitting up in the ICU (intensive care unit), alert and

watching football.

“The real challenge is when we do everything we can and it’s not

enough. I use my own life experience to help people deal with pain

and loss. It’s best to be honest and suggest support. Some people

have to switch off but I think it’s okay to show you care.

“I studied an enabling course at USC before the degree, which was

well worth it because I hadn’t been at school for 20-odd years.

It prepared me for what classes would be like. The QAS was

outstanding with offering placements for paramedic students,

and I really enjoyed the courses in public health, law and ethics,

and mental health.

“While I was studying, my mother died and my son was diagnosed

with a bone marrow disease and started chemotherapy. All of

my lecturers were aware of what was happening and helped me

through it. It was great having something else to concentrate on

and I knew Mum would not want me to give up. I didn’t go to my

graduation though – I was rostered on-road that day. My three kids

are really proud of what I’ve achieved and it’s a good feeling to set

that example for them.” (Suzette has returned to campus on several

occasions – to treat sick university staff!)

Phot

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SUZETTE DAKIN


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