"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future," said Nobel-winning physicist Nils Bohr.
The past 12-18 months, with all its unforseen shocks, has provided abundant proof of Bohr's maxim.
But there is a safe prediction that can be made about the coming year, and the years after it: enterprises of all sorts will need to be more resilient, adaptable and nimble.
It is sobering, but necessary, to reflect that all the functions that support our Australian lives are becoming less stable.
Politics, trade, economics, the global climate and the biosphere that cradles us are under pressure, and showing it.
UNE cannot navigate into this storm with its sails trimmed for past conditions.
Even if our underlying processes were operating as usual, the higher education system is in the midst of its own upheavals.
Changes to the funding models, changes to the intrinsic value propositions and changes in student expectations all demand a reimagining of how universities operate and their purpose within a transforming society model.
COVID has wrought its own seismic shifts.
Among other things, it has pushed most of the world's universities reluctantly into online teaching. UNE was a pioneer of distance education, and has held onto its advantage across challenging times.
But that space has suddenly become much more crowded and competitive. In response, UNE is ramping up critical investment into online excellence and innovation so that we meet the needs of future students.
As we brace for future conditions - without really knowing what they are - UNE is working to strengthen other areas of the enterprise. Much of this work revolves around UNE's role as a regional university.
UNE was established in the regions, for the regions; this remains our key goal.
The Tamworth campus expansion is just one aspect of this strategy. We understand that just as the UNE enterprise will be challenged by future conditions, so will the communities we are here to serve.
That is why considerable back-room planning is going into better positioning UNE as the partner of choice for the region's businesses and communities.
UNE-supported research, and UNE-supported education, delivered in partnership with our communities, must be a critical resource in these turbulent times.
UNE is moving into 2021 knowing that the shocks and challenges are not over. We also know that a rising tide lifts all boats.
Outside the vital business of supporting our students and researchers, wherever they may be, UNE will be focused on developing collaborative innovative solutions that address key issues for the communities we support.
It's an exciting, enervating challenge. By this time in 2021, I hope that UNE and a broad spectrum of partners and collaborators will be celebrating success.
