Office Hours with John Gardner
Sally Kift’s background as a first generation student motivates her work to improve experience for students. In this episode, she shares the similar challenges Australia and the United States face in building a connected system, access, and helping students gain a sense of belonging.
Professor Sally Kift is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law (FAAL), and President of the Australian Learning & Teaching Fellows (ALTF). She has held several Australian university leadership positions, including as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at James Cook University (JCU) and inaugural Director, First Year Experience at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Sally is a national Teaching Award winner (Business & Law: 2003), a national Program Award winner (Assessment & Feedback: 2006) and was appointed an Australian Discipline Scholar in Law in 2010. She was awarded a national Senior Teaching Fellowship over 2006-2009 to investigate the First Year Experience and develop Transition Pedagogy to support diverse student cohorts’ success via intentional and inclusive curriculum design. In 2017, Sally received an Australian Awards for University Teaching Career Achievement Award for her contribution to Australian higher education.
Since 2017, Sally has been working as an independent higher education consultant. Over 2018-2021, she was a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), Curtin University and now chairs NCSEHE’s Grants and Fellowships Committee. In 2018-2019, she was a Ministerial appointment to the Australian Qualifications Framework Review that recommended a range of enhancements for diverse learners’ participation and attainment in pursuit of lifelong learning. Sally now holds a Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellowship at Victoria University and is an Adjunct Professor at JCU, QUT and La Trobe University. She is Advisory Board Chair for the Student Success Journal and has co-edited an international collection on Student Retention and Success in Higher Education (2021).
