Staff conference first of its kind
Published on 25 May, 2011
CQUniversity held its first ever Conference for Professional Support Staff recently on the Rockhampton Campus.
The full day program was about bringing staff together from around the region to meet each other, enhance their knowledge about the University and to demonstrate the value of professional support staff at CQUniversity.
Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Scott Bowman officially opened the inaugural Conference by saying "Professional staff at all levels and areas throughout CQUniversity are leaders in their own right with insight and perspective on the University that I find invaluable. Often the first point of contact external stakeholders have with the University are with professional staff and we need to recognise how important this group of staff are to the organisation."
Key note speaker, Dr Tim Baker, provided some insight and fun to the group as they workshopped ‘Understanding People and Their Personalities' and worked out if they were peacocks, lambs, bulls or owls. "Treat people how they want to be treated and understand how their personality works" was the advice Tim gave to staff, and "don't underestimate your role in the organisation".
Other conference highlights included two ‘Power Panels' comprising of CQUniversity professional support staff and CQUniversity managers. Guest speakers Dr Brendan Humphries, Associate Professor Peter Reaburn, Dr Leone Hinton and University Secretary Jenny Roberts all contributed to the program with their very unique and inspirational presentations.
Twigg Wolfenden, ex-CQUniversity staff member, now PA to the Headmaster at Rockhampton Grammar School spoke about "taking the time to get to know people and develop relationships, and being creative with professional development funds - think outside the box when it comes to your career opportunities".
Staff tested their knowledge of CQUniversity with the "How well you know your university" quiz. If you would like to test your general knowledge, click here to complete the quiz. Staff had loads of fun on the day competing for prizes that had kindly been donated by the CQUniversity Bookshop.
Sponsorship from the Vice-Chancellor and President's Division allowed the conference to be offered free-of-charge to university staff which resulted in over 100 staff attending from all of the regional campuses.
Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive.
Loved the Professional Support Staff Conference, I thought it was energising. It made me look at my attitude to diet, exercise and in general to work. Anne Holman, FSD.
I think you did a great job, all of you. You are to be congratulated for taking up the challenge - everyone I have spoken to so far has told me how much they enjoyed the day. You have reason to be very proud. Yvonne Holbeck, IHSSR.
It truly was a great day. I have emailed a few people today (regular contacts from all over the university, including student contact centre, ITD, payroll, marketing, finance) and was able to say "it was nice to see you yesterday!". Thank You. Victoria Wust, Language Centre.
I found the Professional Support Staff Conference to be a wonderful day. Some valuable information was gained from the various speakers and from networking with other staff members. Since this day I have been even more uplifted in my disposition and value being appreciated. Thank you again. Gail Foex, FSD.
Just like to thank you for a great day yesterday, at the Professional Support Staff Conference, you and your organising committee did a great job. I must admit I was a bit sceptical to start with, but ended up soon changing my mind. It was great to put faces to names, even though it was impossible to meet everyone in such a short time. Are there any plans to hold this event on a yearly basis, as I am sure it helps re-enforce professional staff of their value to CQUni. Thanks again. Kim Gohdes, FSEH.
Thank you for the opportunity to attend. It was fabulous to meet other professionals who share the same role as you, face-to-face. When you work remotely, this can make all the difference in the job. So many excellent ideas come from our professional staff and I congratulate your team on this initiative. Susan Praed, FABIE.
The day was wonderful. Robyn Bailey, Student Support Centre.
Discussions are already underway regarding the 2nd CQUniversity Professional Support Staff Conference for 2012 which promises to be even bigger and better than the first.