Collaboration is a focus at Flinders and Erin Ruff is right in her element – helping connect people and build new University partnerships in her role as External Engagement Coordinator at the Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement.
What is your role at Flinders University and how did your background lead you to this point?
I’m the External Engagement Coordinator here at Flinders. It’s a very diverse role, which is great for me because I have a very diverse background! I have a science degree, but have worked in student recruitment, marketing, media and communications, graphic design, community engagement, and my true love – Widening Participation.
Building meaningful relationships has always been at the heart of all of my work.
What does a normal day look like for you?
Luckily for me, there’s no such thing as a normal day! The only constant in my work life is coffee (triple shot almond milk flat white from UpCo), and after that I could be doing anything from arranging a campus tour with a VIP; to meeting with a community or industry partner; to advising on a guest list for an event so that the right people get to hear about the amazing work that happens inside our labs and offices here at Flinders.
Can you describe a challenging time in your life and how you dealt with it?
I’ve moved from Sydney, to the NSW mid-north coast, to Newcastle, and finally to Adelaide all in just the past five years.
It’s always a challenge to settle in to living somewhere new, and each move has meant navigating a new workplace as well. Getting involved and taking an active interest in what’s happening outside of my own team has meant that I now have contacts in every part of Flinders. Not only has this helped me to do my job better, but I’m never far from a friendly face when I need support.
Can you describe one of your proudest moments?
My role is primarily to support others engage with external stakeholders, so I feel like I’ve done my job well when I’ve helped make others look good in front of an audience, or when I hear that a productive partnership resulted from connections I’ve made.
This year has had a few moments of pride as I’ve been a part of launching some truly innovative and exciting research centres and institutes. A particularly special moment was to have the Premier state at one of these launch events that he’d never been in a room with so many “captains of industry”.
How do you relax or wind down on the weekends?
Hiking with my dogs (Cooper and Rolo) while listening to a podcast, or spending too much money buying tickets to live music or comedy gigs.