Provost's message

On 8 March 2024, through the operation of the Adelaide University 2023 Act, the new Adelaide University was established. This landmark moment is another significant step towards the commencement of our new institution on 1 January 2026.

Through the establishment of Adelaide University, a number of key governance bodies have come into operation, in particular the Transition Council and Transitional Academic Board.

The 15-person Transition Council (with two positions requiring future appointment), led by Ms Pauline Carr (Transition Chancellor), Ms Janet Finlay (Transition Deputy Chancellor) and the Hon. John Hill (Transition Deputy Chancellor) met in their first official capacity last week.

A key action from the meeting was the approval of the Terms of Reference of the Transitional Academic Board. The interim memberships will be drawn from the two existing Academic Boards and co-chaired by Professor Deirdre Tedmanson (University of South Australia) and Professor Scott Smith (University of Adelaide).

The Transition Council has also approved a Tripartite Agreement, which outlines how the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, and the new Adelaide University will operate concurrently over the transition period.

The Tripartite Agreement also includes the detailed Adelaide University Integration Project Plan that captures critical path activities and timeframes to 1 January 2026 and the Adelaide University Strategic Ambition and Direction 2024-2034 document, which was informed by the co-creation activities delivered over the past six months and synthesised by the Joint Committee.

Following our TEQSA application in January, we also recently submitted our first application for CRICOS registration. This is a requirement for the delivery of courses to learners on student visas.

A large body of work has been done to date within the Legislation & Academic Governance Domain and across our respective institutions, so we thank all of our staff who have been involved. Transition planning and implementation will continue, and we look forward to providing more details in due course.

Professor John Williams
Legislation & Academic Governance Domain Lead
Joint Committee, Building a new Adelaide University