Flinders University’s Directors, College Services juggle diverse tasks in a role that’s hard to categorise. This week we chatted to Taicea Agnew, DoCS for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

What do you do at Flinders University?

I’m a Director of College Services, of which there are six across the various colleges. We are basically responsible for providing leadership, and strategic and operational direction for the delivery of professional support services across the central portfolios to the college. We work closely with all Directors of portfolios to ensure optimum service is provided to both staff and students.

Can you briefly describe the career path that took you here?

I qualified as an accountant with Ernst and Young (trust and companies), had a variety of finance related positions and then moved into the university sector in various managerial roles, including school manager. All of the Directors of College Services at Flinders have had varying paths into this career and no two paths have been the same.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

What I love about my role is that no day is the same and there is such a breadth of areas we get involved in that I love the mix of what each week will bring. It’s a really rewarding (yet challenging) role to have and I love the networking part of it to get to know so many wonderful staff and students!

Can you share a challenge and how you overcame it?

A particular challenge of the role in my opinion is knowing how much to do as there is always scope to do more. My advice is to be realistic and stay true to your own values as these are pretty much what we use as our guides to know how to achieve things. My best moments are seeing how well our teams work together in solving any issues and also seeing just how much passion many of the staff and students have – it makes you feel good to be part of something bigger.

What does a ‘normal’ day look like to you?

A normal day usually consists of multiple meetings and always having that bigger picture in sight to bring the teams together to achieve the mission of the college and University. Trust your teams that they can do their roles, and always try to celebrate any successes you can. Nothing beats the feel good factor! Most importantly, communication and networking are key.

How do you like to relax or spend your ‘spare’ time?

My spare time is usually spent with the family and walking the dog – who loves to go for long runs!