University campus offers a workplace to envy

[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 1  14 April - 12 May 2008 ]

Wendy Holden enjoys her work at the University of Melbourne immensely and knows her workplace at the Parkville campus is the envy of many of her friends.

“Not many jobs allow you to start the day with coffee at Brunetti – I always do, walk to meetings through one of the best ‘gardens’ in Melbourne, mix with intelligent people-both academics, professional staff and the current students and finish off with a swim in the Beaurepaire pool at the University sports centre after work,” says Wendy.

Wendy Holden is the University’s General Manager of Marketing and Recruitment Onshore. In this role she oversees a unit which is responsible for the recruitment of undergraduate students studying in Australia and New Zealand.

“An added bonus in my job is working with such a wonderful group of staff at the Information Centre.”

Wendy arrived at the University in 1994 following an early career in the education sector. Her first appointment was at Daylesford, in the days when potato farmers and timber workers dominated the population prior to the bed and breakfast tourism boom.

She credits her biggest investment mistake as not buying a cottage on Wombat Hill for $11,000! Community engagement included playing basketball for the local “Apaches” where the students who umpired matches were able to exact retribution on their daytime teacher at night.

After several years living in a shared 1920s Hepburn Springs teacher house “Linga Longa” (operating as a B and B these days) Wendy moved back to Melbourne. She taught VCE Politics and Psychology and acted in various roles including Humanities Co-ordinator in the Government system and finally working as a counsellor for a large school.

Like many teachers Wendy decided to change her career path and began investigating other options. During this time an ad for a Schools Liaison Officer appeared prominently in the Saturday Age.

“The prospect of working at my alma mater was immediately attractive and the position matched my experience in schools and interest in school-aged students,” Wendy recalls.

The career transition was no foregone conclusion, however.

“I still remember the interview which was held in the old administration library in the Raymond Priestley room with a panel of six staff up one end of the table and me sitting all alone up the other end.”

Over the next 13 years, Wendy has led a team which has developed initiatives placing the University at the forefront of education in Australia.

The launch of Melbourne Scholarships and consequential interstate marketing, promotion of Australian fee places, the dramatic growth in international enrolments, particularly onshore, and most recently the implementation and promotion of the Melbourne Model have all occurred during this time.

“ The culture at Melbourne has also changed significantly where the ‘m’ word – Marketing – is now not only permissible in the lexicon but is endorsed with the support of a major television and media campaign.”

Among the many highlights of Wendy’s career at Melbourne are visits to North American and UK institutions in 2006 as part of a Universitas21 partnership award.

“The extended time for discussions with U21 staff gave me a unique insight into our Universitas partners and provided a ‘virtual’ network of peers across the globe.”

The experience also confirmed that Melbourne’s recruitment programs are world standard.

“As with teaching, one of the benefits of the role has been watching prospective students enrol and graduate into leading roles in the community.”

Wendy recalls one of the inaugural national interstate scholars who moved to Melbourne, had a stunning academic career and was later based at the Australian embassy in Beijing.

“It’s always gratifying to see that someone you have convinced to move away from their family and everything that is familiar to a new life ends up in such a fulfilling career”.