News from
St Hilda’s
News & Publications
Leading The Way
St Hilda’s College is an inclusive community that welcomes students from cities and towns Australia wide and countries around the world. Third year student, and the inaugural College Queer representative, Ciara, has a mindset and strong voice for equality...
$100k Scholarship Announced to Celebrate Refugee Week
OUR INCLUSIVE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY SPIRITTo celebrate Refugee Week and the year of welcome, St Hilda's College is excited to announce a new refugee scholarship valued at $100,000, proudly supported by The Ngaruk Fund, a subfund of Australian Communities Foundation....
Success On The Water
Jess Vinnicombe is a sportsperson to watch. This year she was the recipient of the St Hilda’s College Elite Sports Scholarship, awarded for her outstanding rowing ability. Jess left her hometown in Perth to join St Hilda’s College and study a Bachelor of Science...
The First 100 Days
It’s been 100 days since my family and I moved from Sydney down to St Hilda’s and I’m more certain than ever that this was the best decision I’ve made in my career so far. It wasn’t an easy call to pack up 15 years of connections, friends and local life but we’re so...
Perspective and Hope
When our daughter was born nearly 25 years ago, I felt incompetent for the first time. I had carefully avoided all things I did not do well and basked in my competence. Within two days of her birth she nearly died of a sudden illness and spent...
Leadership in the Unknown
When our daughter was born nearly 25 years ago, I felt incompetent for the first time. I had carefully avoided all things I did not do well and basked in my competence. Within two days of her birth she nearly died of a sudden illness and spent...
International Women’s Day
St Hilda's College opened in 1964 to provide accommodation for rural women, led by the founding Chair of Council, Alice Paton and Marjorie Smart the first Principal. Today we celebrated International Women's Day at a breakfast with two inspirational alumni guest...
Leadership in an ear of risk and regulation – Part 2
Last week, I shared a story that illustrated the tricky balance between rules and relationships. In an era of risk and regulation, placing faith in relationships and trust can feel unpredictable, and in a leadership job, sometimes a bit irresponsible. However, leading...
Leadership in an ear of risk and regulation – Part 1
Last week, I attended the University Colleges Australia conference in Sydney. One of the workshops I was involved in as a panel member was called Guiding a course of Responsibility and Respect in a context of Risk, Regulation and Renewal. We explored how we...
Leading from the side? Why positional leadership does not make a leader.
I have named this blog, ‘Leading from the Side’ because it sums up my approach to leading a residential college full of young people, aged 17-22. I would argue that young people give very little credence to positional leadership, they aren’t going to follow just...
Leading Not Manage Change
As we enter the last few weeks of this semester at College, it is important for me to think about next year. Because I value and respect my students, I have held two significant surveys to work out what level of changes are needed in order to go into 2020...
Volunteering Your Expertise Makes a Difference
On Wednesday this week, I sat in a meeting that is now a quarterly ritual: the Investment Committee meeting. As a person who prides herself in her competence, the Investment Committee meeting makes me feel that I am in a room where others are speaking an entirely...