Erin White, (Acting) Schools Relationship Manager

Welcome to the New Year.

We trust that you and your school community had a restful and happy break, and our thoughts are with those in flood-affected regions. 

As some of you may be aware, our Schools Relationship Manager Nicole Klein will be taking three months long-service leave (commencing in March) to get married and take a holiday. 

To ensure a smooth transition, I am pleased to be acting in the Schools Relationship Manager role until the end of June.  I look forward to working with you and your school and assisting you with any questions you may have.

At our Toowoomba campus, Rebecca Weppner will be looking after the administration of the Head Start program.  Many of you already know Rebecca as our School Liaison Officer from her school visits throughout the past year.  Please continue to direct all Head Start enquiries for all campuses and modes to headstart@usq.edu.au or telephone 07 4631 1736.  Our School Liaison Officer Josh Murphy will be coordinating the 2012 USQ Student Experience Day, to be held on 17 May at the Toowoomba campus.  We look forward to again providing a wonderful opportunity for many of your Year 11 and 12 students to gain a 'taste' of university.

At our Springfield campus, Carla Marangelli will continue to work with you again in 2012.  We also welcome Toni Dobbyn to the School Liaison Officer role while Tania Kelsey is on leave.  Please feel free to contact Carla and Toni if you are located in the Greater Springfield and Brisbane regions.

At our Fraser Coast campus, our School Liaison Officer Tas Webber will continue to work with you and your students this year.  Many of you already know Tas through his school visits and interactions throughout the past few years.

We are busily preparing for the annual USQ Guidance Officer Days to be held at the Fraser Coast, Springfield and Toowoomba campuses during May.  If there are specific topics you would like us to cover in these days, please let me know. 

We hope the year ahead is a positive and successful one for you and your school community.

Warm regards,
Erin White
(Acting) Schools Relationship Manager

Rebecca Weppner

We would like to introduce you to our new Head Start Administrator, Rebecca Weppner.  While she is new to the role, Rebecca has been part of our team for the past 12 months as the School Liaison/Marketing Officer (Toowoomba campus).  Rebecca is a current student at USQ, studying a double degree - Bachelor of Business and Arts.  She was also a Head Start student in her final year of school in 2008.  As a former Head Start student and current USQ student, Rebecca is very well qualified to answer any questions you or your students may have regarding the Head Start program. 

While Semester 1 applications have closed, there are some exciting new courses on offer in Semester 2 and 3 this year which may be of interest to some of your students.  View the Semester 2 course list for a complete list of available courses.

If you have any questions about the Headstart program, please contact us by phone 4631 1736, visit the website www.usq.edu.au/headstart or email us at  HeadStart@usq.edu.au.

USQ has received a $48.9 million grant from the Federal Government to launch a new program that will streamline the digital and online experience for all USQ students.

The funding is the largest single government grant ever received by the University and will be used to launch the USQconnected program which is designed to expand, encourage and enrich student participation and improve the overall university experience.

USQconnected will be a huge benefit for the university's 20,000 distance education students, helping cement USQ's status as an industry-leader in online education by allowing distance students to have a similar campus experience as a full-time face-to-face student.

The application for funding was made to the Australian Government's Structural Adjustment Fund (SAF), aimed at increasing the number of students undergoing tertiary education in non-metropolitan areas.

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Toowoomba campus

USQ Toowoomba is entering 2012 with a brand new look and improved facilities, with the campus receiving $26 million of construction work.

Manager of Planning and Space Simon Pearl said the University was pushing to get as many of its construction projects done as possible with minimal inconvenience to students.

'Our priority right now is our campus hub project which is currently in stage four- the renovation of the refectory and kitchen,' Mr Pearl said.

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Your students may already be considering their options for next year. At USQ, we have presentations that can assist your students with their decision making. Depending on the cohort that we are presenting to, we tailor each presentation to suit their needs.

We offer school presentations for the Year 8 to 12 cohorts, with the lower levels more focused on building aspirations and starting the thought process on further education. With the Year 11 and 12 cohorts, we discuss more details such as our Head Start program, scholarships, support, pathways available to them after high school and student life at university.

If at any time you would like to book in a USQ visit at your school, please do not hesitate to email or book online.

TWILIGHT ENSEMBLE RECITAL Wed 8 Feb at 6pm, USQ Arts Theatre, Toowoomba

HAVING A GREAT TIME, WISH YOU WERE HERE 14 Feb-8 Mar at 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, USQ Arts Gallery

NOMINATE NOW FOR 2012 'TO GLEE OR NOT TO GLEE'    Wed 17 Oct at 6.30pm, USQ, Toowoomba

Bright future ahead of USQ Science graduate Andrew Bufalino

Imagine working in a job you love so much that when you look decades into the future you hope to find yourself doing the exact same thing in the exact same place because you are so passionate about it.

This kind of career fulfilment is a pipedream for many of us, but for USQ Science graduate Andrew Bufalino it's a dream come true.

After Mr Bufalino completed his Bachelor of Science (Climatology) at USQ in 2010 he gained entry into the Bureau of Meteorology's graduate program.

He has since successfully completed an internal training program, and at 21 is one of Australia's youngest graduate meteorologists.

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March 2012

Date	Event	Audience	Location
1	Mathematics Enrichment Program	Year 9 & 10 students	USQ Toowoomba
2	High Schools Constitutional Convention	High achieving Year 12 students (particularly History & Legal Studies)	USQ Toowoomba
7-8	Indigenous Connections Event	Indigenous students (Years 8-12)	USQ Toowoomba
9	Indigenous Connections Event	Indigenous students (Years 8-12)	USQ Toowoomba
16	Leadership Day	Year 11 & 12	USQ Fraser Coast
22	Mathematics Enrichment Program	Year 9 & 10 students	USQ Toowoomba
24-25	Reinvent Your Career	General Public	Convention Centre, Brisbane

April 2012

Date	Event	Audience	Location
12	Mathematics Enrichment Program	Year 9 & 10 students	USQ Toowoomba
14-15	Artistically Relevant Technical Theatre (ARTT) Workshop	Drama Teachers	USQ Toowoomba
27	Youth Leadership Program	Years 9-12 current & potential leaders	USQ Toowoomba

For the full list of events and activities for 2012 visit our website.