Country Universities Centre announces Monica Davis as new CEO

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) has announced that Monica Davis has been appointed as its Chief Executive Officer. Ms Davis will assume the role from the 3rd of May 2021 following outgoing CEO, Duncan Taylor.

Ms Davis has led Student Support and University Partnerships for the CUC since 2018. In this role, she has worked with Australia’s leading online and regional universities to develop partnerships and programs for regional students, collaborated on research, as well as established the highly successful Learning Skills Advisors program. Prior to this role she has run small businesses, worked with multinational corporations and for the BRW’s fastest-growing company in Australia. She has a Masters in Geostatistics from the University of Adelaide, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons I) from the University of Newcastle.

CUC Central Chair Mr Dean Lynch said: “I am delighted to have Monica as our new CEO. Monica is an outstanding leader who has led the CUC forward in our approach to supporting regional students with her strong understanding of Regional Australia and the barriers that location can create. Monica will continue to take the CUC forward as a leader in this unique space within Higher Education, and I have no doubt that we will grow stronger as an organisation over the coming years.”

The CUC has expanded rapidly over the past three years, with 15 Regional University Centre locations across three states bringing access, support, and opportunities to regional communities.

Mr Lynch said: “Duncan Taylor has laid a great foundation for the CUC model to be recognised in its approach to enhancing opportunities for regional communities. We like to say that the future of regional education is bright as we open new CUC Centres, and indeed it is as we deepen our operations and support. “

Ms Davis said: “The success of the CUC to date is attributed to the tireless efforts of outgoing voluntary CEO Duncan Taylor, whose dedication to regional Australia has been without parallel.”

Ms Davis said: “The vision for the CUC has been to empower regional people by building highly connected learning communities and opportunities for a vibrant and prosperous future. The CUC has fought determinedly to offer real solutions to the barriers to regional education, and I look forward to continuing this work.”

“The strength of the CUC has always been the people at its heart -the community boards, dedicated centre managers and learning skills advisors, and of course our students. I’m delighted to be able to offer my service to them.”

The Country Universities Centre is a not-for-profit network of community-owned Regional University Centres across NSW, QLD and Victoria. They offer dedicated study spaces and student support to any student studying at any Australian university. The CUC has supported over 2200 students, studying at more than 35 different universities. The CUC team believes that the future of an aspiring student should not be predetermined by where he or she lives.