Editorial

From the editor

Dear AAIR Members

From my own neck of the woods, universities are well and truly underway for 2026. And what a beginning it has been. When I reflect on 2025, I see many universities have made great strides towards managing AI, they have invested in making sure students are ‘job ready’ through work integrated learning, and they are trying to meet the demands of a generation that is asking for more. When I look ahead, I am enthusiastic and optimistic. I see universities are preparing for the introduction of ATEC, and they fight to maintain their social status as universities delivering for the public good. But I do know that there are many colleagues who are in tumultuous circumstances. Whatever your circumstance, I hope that AAIR can be a space where collegiality and friendliness are abundant; where you learn lots and share your expertise; and where you feel a sense of belonging with your peers outside institution walls.

To that end, my aim for the AAIR newsletter in 2026 is one of conscientiousness. I will strive to meet the expectations of you, our readers. I will provide resources and articles that you want to read. And I aim to use the newsletter as a way to showcase the talent and expertise of our community. I have a few ideas on how I can better achieve this – some of which will need to wait to be announced. One that I do want to announce is that in 2026 the newsletter will be people focused.

Having the newsletter ‘people focused’ can only work if I have people to focus on. That means I need you to share your expertise or, what I consider more engaging and less daunting, simply what you did last week. Please do reach out to me. I will work with you to make a pretty one pager that you can use to showcase and evidence your impact. This is especially a good idea if you want to start practising for an AAIR forum presentation.

I hope you enjoy the 2026 February edition of the AAIR newsletter. Any and all feedback is welcome. Please shoot me a message with your thoughts!

Warm regards

Alexander Civil

Editor, The Institutional Researcher