From the Chancellor – Winter 2011

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UQ Chancellor Mr John Story

Welcome to the Winter 2011 edition of Contact.

The academic year started in an unforgettable fashion, with devastating floods inundating large parts of Queensland, including the St Lucia and Gatton campuses. In this issue you’ll find related stories and a gallery of striking photographs that help capture the historic event from the University’s perspective.

While the damage incurred by UQ was mainly restricted to the grounds rather than buildings, the support offered by staff, students, neighbours and partners during this time was extraordinary. The clean up team worked incredibly hard to reopen roads and restore the sporting facilities, with Property and Facilities staff shifting almost 300 tonnes of silt from roads at St Lucia in one day alone.

Also playing a direct role in the recovery effort were the large number of donors – many of them alumni – who answered the call to assist UQ students whose accommodation and belongings had been destroyed by the floods. Their generosity ensured these students did not go without, and we sincerely thank each and every one of them (more on the success of the UQ Flood Appeal can be found here).

Among the worst-hit areas at St Lucia was International House, which has welcomed scholars from around the world for more than four decades. The college has been closed for Semester One while it rebuilds, but will reopen in July thanks to the support of its current and former residents.

The resilience of International House shows the UQ college tradition is a proud and enduring one – indeed, St John’s and Emmanuel will mark their centenaries this year, having been part of the University community since the very beginning. A special feature gives a colourful overview of UQ’s 11 colleges, and reveals both their rich history and the vitality of their communities today.

In this edition we also acknowledge the initiatives made possible when passionate alumni donate their time and resources to the University. These stories are but a sample of the great work undertaken in the name of partnership, and we invite you to join with us to make a difference.

Happy reading.

John Story
Chancellor

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