27 - 28 June, 2019| Bayview Eden, Melbourne
Chris Veraa, Director Student Experience at Central Queensland University

Chris Veraa


Director Student Experience
Central Queensland University

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Chris.

Download The Latest Agenda

Interactive Workshops: Wednesday, 26th June 2019

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019


1:00 PM WORKSHOP B: Improving the Mental Health of the University Community Through Collaborative Strategic Planning

The interdependent relationship between good mental health and student success is increasingly evident. CQUniversity is an early proponent of a university-wide mental health strategy, encompassing staff, students and the wider university community through a diverse suite of proactive and reactive mental health promotion activities.

  • Learn how students played an early role in championing the need for a strategy
  • Discover how collaboration between student leaders, mental health practitioners and human resources teams gave rise to a unique strategic direction
  • Examine the way evidence-based practice sits alongside student led initiatives to deliver a holistic strategy

Conference Day One: Thursday 27th June 2019

Thursday, June 27th, 2019


11:20 AM PANEL DISCUSSION: Exploring Innovative Methods of Measuring Retention Success that Reflects the Diversity of Institutions

When the Higher Education Standards Panel released the ‘Improving Retention, Completion and Success in Higher Education’ report in 2017, included was attrition rates for Australian Universities. This panel discusses the variables that should be considered by institutions to better examine their retention achievements:

  • Exploring the vast difference in educational institutions including provided course subjects, student demographics, channels of course delivery, and geography and how this affects student attrition
  • Examining how to appropriately measure the success of student retention strategies and reflect the institutions achievements as a whole

3:30 PM CASE STUDY: Embedding A Framework For Student Retention, Success & Participation to Ensure Lasting Impacts on Students’ Futures

For each year of university study completed, a student can enjoy an additional 11% of lifetime earning capacity. For a university like CQUniversity – where students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds make up a significant portion of the overall cohort – this kind of impact can be life-changing. CQU’s Student Participation, Retention and Success Strategy was developed to ensure the ripple effects of a CQUniversity education are felt long after students leave the institution.

  • Developing an evidence-based framework that fits the institution and its students
  • Encouraging a university-wide retention mindset through universal principles
  • Adapting the standard definitions of retention and success to suit the unique characteristics of CQUniversity students