1. What is your job title?

In August 2022, I retired after 35 years, working initially at the University of Sydney for 2 years, before moving to Macquarie University in 1989, where I remained until retirement. Over the 35 years, I worked most of the time as the lead for government reporting for students.

2. Briefly, how would you describe your role in your institution?

In 1987, during my time at the University of Sydney, I would assist in the preparation of our student statistical reporting via the completion of hardcopy spreadsheets. For many of us, 1989 was a major development in government reporting, with the introduction of student load and HECS. In those days, we would send files to the Government Department on floppy disks, until the data became so big, which is when we upgraded to sending magnetic tapes via couriers. Finally, we began sending our student data via encrypted files using the Department’s file servers. As I departed Macquarie University in 2022, the University had begun submitting real-time data to the Department using TCSI (Tertiary Collection of Student Information).

3. From your perspective, what will be the key skills, capabilities, and knowledge required for institutional research moving forward?

Over the time I worked at both universities, I had many wonderful people who passed on their knowledge willingly, and I hoped that I in turn was able to pass on such knowledge to the many people I worked with over the years. It was also a privilege to form a wonderful working relationship with many colleagues in the Department. Over the years, many of these Department officials became good friends, mainly through our get-togethers at AAIR Forums and SIG Forums.

Therefore, when I was asked in my later years for advice, suggestions, or expertise on institutional research, I drew upon the many years of working in the sector, plus the shared knowledge I picked up from others while attending the many AAIR Forums over the years.

4. What do you believe will be the future priorities or emerging areas of interest for institutional research, in particular, since COVID-19?

Hopefully, COVID-19 will be part of our history and will not be a major concern in the future. If it has not already commenced, I see artificial intelligence or predictive analysis becoming commonplace across all forms of student data, from the time a student commences pre-school until the time a student completes their higher education. At the moment, we are only scratching the surface of what can be achieved. With TCSI, there is lots of data that can be analysed.