What is NAAUC?

For those unfamiliar with our Association, the National Association of Australian University Colleges Inc (“NAAUC”) is the peak representative body for tertiary students living on campus. We are a student-run, not-for-profit association that focuses on building leadership amongst students in colleges and halls. We achieve this in a number of ways: providing members with leadership training, with networking opportunities, with access to online resources (e.g. risk management forms), with 24 hour advice, and with an Annual Conference featuring an intimidating academic program.

NAAUC can trace its beginnings to a small group of College Club Presidents that met in 1968, launching its inaugural National Conference the following year at the University of Sydney. Since then, NAAUC has grown from the initial small group to a membership which fluctuates at over 90 member colleges.

After 41 years travelling the country, 2009 sees NAAUC return to the University of Sydney with the same good idea it had back then: bringing college people together. Fittingly, our theme for the 2009 Annual Conference is ‘Uniting Today, Empowering Tomorrow’.

This theme reflects what NAAUC is all about: seeking collegiality or more broadly, community spirit. Very importantly, we do not see our Conference as the ends to this goal – rather, we aim to give delegates the skills, the ideas and the inspiration to go home and unite their communities, whether that be a college, an inter-college body, a hall, a village, a house, or whatever else you might call it.

The 2009 Conference program is geared to provoke student leaders and to expose them to a diverse range of college perspectives. As always, it features a fantastic line up of key note speakers; discussion groups, where delegates can share ideas and solutions; workshops, on topics such as ‘Starting a Student Club’ and ‘Incorporation’ and professional development seminars - presentations on a variety of topics including event management and pastoral care. Outside of the academic program, our social program is not only fun, but acts as an example of how events should be run. It features a community service initiative (coinciding with NAIDOC week), a cultural ‘jam night’, Parliamentary Debating (in NSW State Parliament) and a ‘Global Dinner’, amongst others.