Guest Speaker Natalie Nelmes- Natalie Nelmes became the Director of Geraldton Universities Centre (GUC) in 2015 after serving for five years as the Centre’s Special Projects Manager, working at the coal face of creating this innovative model for supported university education in the Mid West region of WA.
With a Masters in Management and an Arts degree, and working for 15 years in the marketing and PR industries prior to GUC, Natalie works with the firm belief that communication and collaboration can open doors to new ways of thinking and finding solutions to community issues.
It’s exactly the approach GUC took in establishing the first not for profit regional university centre in Australia. Having drawn interest throughout Australia for this model, regional universities centres have now been funded by the Commonwealth throughout Australia. Natalie has extended assistance to many communities in their quest to create a Centre and was the inaugural Chair of the Regional University Centre Network Advisory Committee.
Within her own community, Natalie is a board member of Progress Mid West and Champion Bay Senior High School.
GUC started in 2002. The first Regional University Centre in Australia.
It runs fully supported courses from Curtin University WA, University of Southern Queensland and Central Queensland University. The main programs are education and nursing. Other programs include accounting and social work.
GUC sets itself apart from the major city universities by providing administrative and pastoral support to all students. They run local residential programs, free wifi, academic co-ordinators, face to face tutorials, 24hr access, support during work pracs.
There are usually between 250-300 students supported in any given year. Most enter the GUC programs after being at TAFE, though quite a few go to GUC after finding university in Perth has too many challenges. The student population is 80% female. 8-10% students are aboriginal. Many are the first in their family to attend university.
GUC is working with Curtin University in local high schools to prepare students for university programs. Seventeen are enrolled this year.
To date over five hundred students have graduated from GUC. Another forty plus will graduate this April.
GUC one of five regional university hubs in WA along with Curtin will be involved in workshops later this month to try to develop, in conjunction with the State Government, some more regional higher education opportunities.
Finally Natalie expressed her gratitude for Rotary's on going financial sponsorship to the GUC's Hollomby Foundation which provides scholarships to financially disadvantaged students. She has just read forty seven applications for scholarships. An emotionally exhausting experience.
Vote of thanks by Laurie Dines.