When leadership changes meet low rankings: what it means for us
Only 17 days ago, the Vice-Chancellor announced a major realignment of her leadership team. One of the biggest changes was moving Professor Gregor Kennedy into a new role as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), with student services brought directly under his portfolio.
Now, with Professor Kennedy’s message last week and the release of the national QILT Student Experience Survey, we can see why. Melbourne has been ranked lowest in the country for undergraduate student satisfaction.
Senior management has moved quickly to frame this as a matter of “clearer responsibilities and greater accountability". In practice, this will likely mean increased pressure on staff.
For those of us working directly with students—whether in classrooms, studios, libraries, or service desks—this may very well mean:
More scrutiny at program and subject level – teaching staff in particular will be under the microscope.
New initiatives and compliance-driven workshops – framed as “support” but often adding to workloads.
Intensified expectations on professional staff – student services, advising, and admin staff will face greater demand without matching resources.
A widening split in leadership – our teaching and service work sits under the DVCE as a lever for rankings, while our employment conditions sit under the COO/Finance as a cost to be managed.
My take? It’s important to be clear: staff did not cause this drop in rankings. Our colleagues across the University work tirelessly for students every day. The real drivers are systemic: underfunding, oversized classes, constant restructures, and leadership decisions that treat staff wellbeing as secondary.
