2013 will be a busy year

It’s with great pride that as of the AGM, yesterday, I’ve taken over the presidency from Maggie May, who decided to leave the committee now that she has reached the final stage of her PhD journey.

She will be dearly missed as it was under her leadership that we managed to bring Gupsa back to life. It’s safe to say that without Maggie’s zeal we wouldn’t be where we are today. Maggie, thank you very much indeed!

The year 2013 will be a busy one. As I mentioned yesterday, we are planning a variety of events many of which are not just a great opportunity to socialise and meet new people, but will also help you in gaining the skills and knowledge essential to your employability. We will, among other things, organise a symposium on the future of the university. Not just our very own Griffith University, but the university in general.

Times are changing and there is every appearance that the university of 2023 will look quite different from the university of today. Online education for example is likely to play a much more important role. What are the implications for you? How do you best prepare for the challenges ahead of us? And last but not least, how do you yourself envisage the university of 2023? These are just some of the questions we will discuss during the symposium.

Speaking of the future: we may have a wonderful committee, the reality is that we can’t do everything on our own. We need your help. If you have any questions or comment, please do not hesitate to contact us. Your feedback is more than welcome. Moreover, we are always looking for new ideas. Maybe you’d like to organise a Gupsa event yourself? Let’s talk about it! Gupsa, that’s you!

I look forward to working with you in the time ahead.

Niels Kraaier
President

P.S. Thank you, too, to Tinashe Shito, who handed over the coordination of our Nathan Campus to Eduardo Jordan Pérez yesterday, and to our former International Officer, Michael Ayala, who unfortunately had to resign in January due to his return to Ecuador. Gentlemen, you’ve done a wonderful job!

Impression of the AGM on Thursday 15 March 2013. Photo by Tatheer Faiq.