In this episode, we catch up with Deakin’s Vice-Chancellor, Iain Martin to explore the evolving role of universities. From his beginnings as a medical student in 1980s UK to leading one of Australia’s major universities, he explores the delicate balance between education and research, the concept of social licence, and why “ceaseless curiosity” matters more than ever.

Read Iain’s white paper on social licence here.

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Click here to view the episode transcript.

• (00:00) – Introduction
• (00:26) – University Experience
• (03:52) – Trust in Universities
• (05:21) – Social Licence and University Purpose
• (07:36) – The Role of Curiosity
• (08:19) – Evolution of Higher Education
• (11:50) – Rankings and Research vs Education
• (14:10) – Balanced Excellence at Deakin
• (18:04) – White Paper on Social Licence
• (23:45) – Universities and Difficult Debates
• (27:48) – Creating Safe Debate Spaces
• (29:27) – Personal Experience with Change
• (34:57) – The Evolution of University Research
• (40:24) – Making Research Accessible
• (44:05) – Deakin Research Highlights
• (46:06) – Why Study at University
• (48:45) – Student Experience and Support
• (50:16) – Advice for New Students
• (51:50) – Improvements in Higher Education
• (55:37) – Quick Fire Questions

Please note: The individual views and opinions expressed in this video do not necessarily reflect those of Deakin as an organisation. Deakin is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where both freedom of speech and academic freedom are vigorously upheld. Our community thrives on diverse opinions and perspectives, with open-minded inquiry and respectful disagreement essential to our university culture. Information provided is as known at time of publishing.