Deakin College and Deakin University have celebrated 30 years of a partnership that has helped more than 22,000 students progress to a Deakin degree.
The relationship began in 1996, when the college was known as the Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology. It took the Deakin College name in 2015, reflecting a closer connection with the university and the pathway it offers to domestic and international students.
Deakin College Director and Principal Hamid Khattak said the partnership had endured because of the respect and commitment of people at both institutions, and their shared priority of “keeping students at the centre of everything we do”.
At an anniversary event in Melbourne last week, university and college leaders, alumni and colleagues reflected on the people who built the partnership and the students whose lives it has helped shape.
Navitas CEO Scott Jones spoke about how much students and their learning environments have changed over three decades. Their aspirations, however, remain the same.
“They still want the opportunity, the purpose, and the chance to build a better future.” Jones said, adding that those ambitions extend to their families.
Meeting those aspirations calls for more than a route into a degree. It requires support, a sense of belonging and a willingness by both partners to adapt as students’ needs change.
That point came through particularly strongly in the story of former Deakin College student Pete Mobilia, who spoke about the role the college played in his own journey. Former College Director and Principal John Duncan also paid tribute to the late Peter (PJ) Campbell, a founder and former leader of the college.
I’ve watched the Deakin College–Deakin University partnership grow from the outside over the past 30 years, and I was delighted to be there to celebrate the anniversary with the Deakin team. It was also great to see Navitas founder Rod Jones again.
Congratulations to Deakin College, Deakin University and Navitas, and to the many people who have contributed to the partnership since 1996.
Photo Credit: Hamid Khattak via Linkedin.
