Statement of Strategic Intent

About JCU Strategic Intent

JCU aims to create a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference.

Comprehensive, but focused

We are a comprehensive University. Our teaching and research focus on four themes:

  • Tropical Ecosystems and Environment
  • Industries and Economies in the Tropics
  • Peoples and Societies in the Tropics
  • Tropical Health, Medicine and Biosecurity

Place is powerful

The Tropics is our place: a vast geographic area that Aristotle called the Torrid Zone. Our three tropical campuses are complemented and extended by regional and remote study centres and research stations.

Students are at the heart of our University and we inspire them to make a difference in their fields of endeavour and in their communities by:

  • Delivering high quality teaching and learning programs in a research-rich environment, and
  • Fostering their professional expertise and intellectual curiosity. Our world-class research generates new knowledge and understanding to meet the challenges facing the peoples of the tropics.

Diversity and reconciliation

Embracing the diversity of the communities we serve in two countries, we work with them to create opportunities and enduring benefits for our region and beyond.

Acknowledging the First Nation peoples of the world, their rich cultures and their knowledge of the natural environment, we pay particular respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of Australia.

We are pledged to achieve genuine and sustainable reconciliation between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community.

Sustainability

Committed to the principles of sustainability, we will ensure that our actions today do not limit the range of social, cultural, environmental and economic options open to future generations.

Values and Beliefs

Our actions are underpinned by our values and beliefs:

Values

  • Excellence
  • Authenticity
  • Integrity
  • Sustainability
  • Mutual Respect
  • Discovery

Beliefs

  • We recognise that knowledge has the power to change lives
  • We ignite and support a passion for learning in our community
  • We are enriched by and celebrate our communities’ diversity
  • We understand that a sustainable environment is central to our lives and our work
  • We uphold our commitments.

An international University as reflected in our people, our places, and our research, we take quiet pride in being recognised as a leading tertiary institution in Australia, our Asia-Pacific region and among the universities of the world.

One university | Two countries | Three tropical campuses - Cairns, Singapore, Townsville