One ATEM, many communities
Connecting like-minded professionals by region, role or speciality
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A vibrant tertiary education sector is built on collaboration, connection and shared growth. Our vision is a sector where individuals and organisations connect, engage and thrive.
Our communities are the heart of this vision, offering spaces for members to exchange experiences, share wisdom and learn from one another. Whether you’re connecting regionally, exploring specialised topics through our communities of practice, or engaging with others within your institution, there’s a place for you in ATEM’s network.
From leaders and managers to specialists and early-career professionals, our members come together across disciplines to gain valuable insights and support on their career journeys. Together, we create a vibrant, engaged community, fostering a stronger and more dynamic sector for the future.
Communities of Practice
Championing innovation, advocacy and knowledge
At ATEM, we believe that collaboration drives progress. Our communities of practice connect participants across the tertiary education sector to share insights, solve challenges, and shape the future of tertiary education management together. Whether you’re new to a specialistion or a seasoned professional, our networks provide valuable opportunities to connect and grow in your role through:
- Building lasting connections with others who share your challenges and aspirations
- Learning from peers, mentors, and experts to sharpen your skills and broaden your perspective
- Exchanging ideas and insights that inspire new approaches in your work
- Gaining confidence as a leader, collaborator, or advocate in the sector
Find your tribe
One of the best things about working in tertiary education is the people you meet along the way.
And some of the most valuable connections are made beyond your own workplace.
ATEM communities bring together people who understand your work, face similar challenges and are generous with what they know.
As an ATEM member, you’re part of a network that reaches across the sector. It’s a space to pick up fresh ideas, learn from colleagues who’ve been there before and share your own experience and learning. Along the way, you’ll build relationships that can make a real difference to your career. Explore our communities and networks.
Can’t find one that fits? Perhaps it’s time to start your own! We’d love to hear your ideas.
Explore our communities and networks
ATEM Policy Network
Lead: Mark Hatwell
Since 2006, our policy network has been a vital space for individuals involved in developing, managing, and reviewing institutional policy within the tertiary education sector. The network fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing, regularly hosting forums where members can discuss challenges, explore solutions, and stay informed about best practices.
As part of its contributions to the sector, the policy network has also published two editions of its widely regarded Policy Without (Much) Pain Guide, offering practical insights and strategies to streamline and strengthen policy work.
Project Management
Lead: Dr Fiona Margetts
As universities and other tertiary institutions become increasingly project-oriented, the importance of aligning project management with strategic goals continues to grow. Our Project Management community brings together individuals who are passionate about how projects are designed, executed, and evaluated within the tertiary education sector.
This community explores the critical role projects play in creating value for students, staff, alumni, and the wider communities connected to our institutions. Whether you’re leading complex initiatives or interested in developing your project management skills, the ATEM Project Management community offers a platform for learning, collaboration, and innovation.
Risk Excellence
Lead: Yue Lin Sun
Our Risk Excellence community is dedicated to enhancing the standards of risk management within the tertiary education sector. Effective risk management is critical for ensuring the safety, sustainability, and resilience of institutions in an increasingly complex environment.
This community seeks to establish benchmarks for performance, helping institutions identify best practices and align their risk management strategies with organisational goals. By collaborating with risk professionals across the sector, we aim to develop a robust body of knowledge that informs decision-making, promotes accountability, and strengthens institutional frameworks.
Professional Faculty Leadership
Leads: Alice Faulkner, Fiona Bygraves and Stacey Vogel
Faculty and school managers are at the frontline of university operations, managing the intersection of strategic priorities and daily challenges. This community is designed to provide a dedicated space for Faculty leaders to connect, share insights, and collaborate on solutions that address the complexities of their roles. With a focus on the unique demands of faculty management, this community offers opportunities to discuss operational pressures, share practical strategies, and explore how sector trends like digital transformation and funding changes are impacting faculty operations.
Whether you’re navigating resource constraints, managing staffing challenges, or driving faculty-wide initiatives, this community is your opportunity to engage with peers and contribute to a network that understands the critical importance of your work.
Reviews Network
Lead: Rosemary Marson
The Reviews Network is a community with a focus on how universities manage and organise their corporate and organisational reviews. Through their emphasis on continuous improvement and accountability, reviews provide an essential foundation that supports a university’s institutional commitment to, and compliance with, its planning and quality assurance frameworks. Reviews play a key role in monitoring and demonstrating compliance with the Higher Education Standards Framework and are important to the Australian Government’s governance of the sector.
We are a broad group of like-minded professionals who are responsible for leading and managing reviews within their institutions, which may include the review of academic programs/courses or the reviews of academic areas and/or thematic areas. The network is a community of practice, committed to sharing ideas and best practice and improving this core aspect of university business.
Higher Education Quality Network
Lead: Rachael Weiss
The HEQN is a network of quality assurance professionals working in higher education across Australia – a community of practice which advocates for and advances quality and standards in higher education. The network provides a forum for knowledge sharing and for collaborative problem-solving on topical issues in quality assurance, disseminates information to members on national and international developments in higher education quality-related matters, and engages with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) on quality assurance issues and in sector-wide debates on quality assurance policy issues.
The core values of our membership are: Quality First in advocating for the sector, Chatham House Rules in discussion and debate, members acting as critical friends and trusted, supportive colleagues in sharing and developing good practice, and working with and through TEQSA in enhancing the quality of the higher education sector in Australia.
Step into community leadership
We’re currently refreshing our communities of practice to better support collaboration across the sector. If you’re interested in setting up a new network or refreshing an old one, we’d love to hear from you.