Southern Cross Uni meets the challenge of the closed Qld-NSW border

Southern Cross University is meeting the challenge of working on both sides of the closed Queensland-NSW border.

Southern Cross University has campuses on both sides of the Queensland border.

The closure of the Queensland-NSW border will not prevent Southern Cross University delivering classes online, and its campuses remain open.

Vice-chancellor Adam Shoemaker said the university, whose Gold Coast campus whose southern boundary runs along the Queensland state line at Coolangatta, had expected that at some stage in the coronavirus crisis the border might close.

“Like every organisation, we are dealing with the rapidly changing circumstances associated with the COVID-19 emergency as they happen,” Professor Shoemaker said.

“We are working through the impact of the border closure to ensure the least disruption possible to our staff and students.

“Southern Cross University has already curtailed travel between campuses and as of Monday, all classes are now delivered online.

“Many of our staff are also working from home now, so we now have a virtual operation across the internet that does not require students to cross any borders.”

SCU also has with campuses in Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern NSW. About 7000 of its 20,000 students are online enrolments, teaching for the remainder converted to online from Monday, but timetables remained the same.

The university had just under 6000 international students, the largest proportion from South Asia. About two-thirds of the 5200 onshore international students arrived by the beginning of the academic year.

Clinical placements, pracs, internships and other forms of work integrated learning are to continue as planned. Graduation ceremonies have been postponed until after 1 July and transcripts are being fast-tracked so that graduates are not disadvantaged in their search for work.

SCU has had only one case of coronavirus, a professional staff member from The Philippines.