Media releases

Federation University Australia’s Professor Marcia Devlin will host a ‘pop up panel’ discussion on student equity at the National Press Club in Canberra later this month.

This panel is part of the Facilitating an Innovative Future through Equity initiative being hosted by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.

Professor Devlin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Quality), will lead a discussion on students from regional and remote areas, which has been identified as an area that will drive and shape public policy in equity in Australia. 

She will facilitate a robust discussion on this complex conversation; draw out some innovative future directions for equity policy; and contribute to channeling those findings to policy makers, researchers and equity practitioners across Australia.

“This is a very timely and important initiative from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education,” Professor Devlin said.

“As Australia moves from a reliance on mining to a future where ideas and knowledge are key to our prosperity, it is critical to innovate in ways that are inclusive and do not leave people behind.

“If you enable diversity through the inclusion of students from equity backgrounds, this enhances everyone’s experience and outcomes.”

The pop up panels will be introduced by the award-winning journalist Monica Attard. Federal Education Minister, Simon Birmingham, will give a keynote speech just before the panels.

Professor Devlin is leading a suite of research at FedUni aimed at improving the success of students studying at regional locations and who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Common views about disadvantaged students include assumptions that these students are somehow in deficit. Research has not supported those assumptions,” Professor Devlin said.

“While students who are the first in their family to go to university have to learn the particular and often peculiar ways of university, they bring rich life experience and views on topics that are alternative to mainstream thought, which enriches knowledge.

“I am very much looking forward to the discussions at this event and to the outcomes from it.”

The session will be held on Monday, 28 November.