Strategic Plan 2024-2029

Our Purpose

To nurture, inspire, and empower the thought leaders and change makers of the future in an on-campus residential community that encourages students’ academic success, intellectual and personal growth, social responsibility, and powerful belief in their own potential.

Our Vision

To become Australia’s first need-blind residential college, meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need and offering sector-leading transformative residential opportunities to the most promising young people in Australia and beyond, regardless of socio-economic background.

JCH Tote Bag Image 2024

Our Values

Community – We work together to sustain a safe and supportive environment where all of us can be our authentic selves, contributing according to our strengths, and receiving support according to our needs

Courage – We challenge ourselves every day to grow beyond our comfort zone by believing in our own potential and by taking chances, risks, and new opportunities

Curiosity – We think for ourselves, asking searching – and sometimes difficult – questions, inspired not only by our academic disciplines but also by a wide range of other interests

Generosity – We care for those around us, using our privilege and talents to effect positive change in our local, national, and global communities

Excellence – We strive to be the best that we can be in all that we do, learning from our successes and our struggles alike

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Read more about our Strategic Plan

Our Strategic Plan 2024-2029  was first launched in our alumni magazine, Luce.  Click to read the foreword from our Principal, Dr Eleanor Spencer-Regan, and learn more about our vision for JCH.

You can also contact us for more information.

Luce 2023 cover
Strategic Plan for website 2024_Page_1
Our Ten Strategic Objectives

In order to fulfil our Purpose in the present and achieve our Vision in the future, we commit ourselves to the ten strategic objectives below.

Student Experience

  • We will continue to foster a warm, welcoming, and inclusive College culture for students, staff, and visitors
  • We will promote, support, and celebrate intellectual development and academic achievement

Widening Participation

  • We will attract more of the most promising young people in Australia and internationally, particularly those who have historically been excluded from higher education and colleges, with the ultimate goal of administering a need-blind admissions process and meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need by 2035
  • We will support all our students to become career and life-ready through a wide range of leadership and personal development opportunities

Reputation and Relationships

  • We will build our reputation, both nationally and globally, and be recognised as a leading institution within the sector
  • We will have a positive social impact in our communities through volunteering and outreach

Advancement and Philanthropy

  • We will strengthen links with alumni from all decades to build a global community through enhanced engagement
  • We will significantly grow our endowment through donor relationships to support our strategic aims, including our need-blind admissions policy, the care of our heritage-listed buildings, and the resourcing of our educational programs

Estate and Facilities

  • We will invest significantly in our heritage-listed buildings and grounds to provide an attractive living and learning environment for current and future students
  • We will strive to operate in an environmentally sustainable way
What is a 'Need-Blind' Admissions Policy?

Need-blind admission refers to an admissions policy that does not take into account an applicant’s financial status when deciding whether or not to accept them. This means that applicants are assessed strictly on their merit and potential, rather than on their ability to pay.

Applicants are still asked to provide the institution with information about their financial situation as part of a Major Scholarship application, but this is not seen by those staff making admissions decisions until after an admissions decision has been made. This approach typically results in a higher percentage of accepted students who require financial assistance and means that an institution will require a substantial endowment or other funding sources to support the policy. Institutions that are need-blind and meet full need for all accepted students tend to be highly selective due to the large number of high-quality applications they receive.

Why meet 100% of demonstrated financial need?

If an applicant to the College requires financial support to meet the cost of their residence fee, they will be invited to submit a Major Scholarship application, evidencing their financial circumstances including household or parental income, expected parental contributions, personal savings, income from part-time work, eligibility for Centrelink payments, and any other scholarships or bursaries awarded.

If they are offered a place, the College will then assess their Major Scholarship application, working out how much they can reasonably afford to pay towards their residence fee. The College commits to covering the ‘gap’ between what they can reasonably afford and the full cost of their residence fee.

For example, if a student can reasonably afford to pay $24,000 of their $35,842 residence fee (based on the 2024 fee) from a combination of parental contributions, Centrelink payments, and income from part-time work, the College commits to covering the remaining $11,842.

A good strategic plan is the result of a lengthy and intensive process as you try to articulate the who, how, what, why, and where of your institutional identity... Janet Clarke Hall, as the first residential university college for women in Australia, has a unique story to tell, one that continues to attract the most promising students who dream of following in the footsteps of trailblazing alumni like Diane Lemaire, Gillian Triggs, Helen Garner, Elizabeth Blackburn, and Marita Cheng. Our rich history has guided and inspired us as we have sought to answer those questions and look to the future, asking how best we can continue the College’s legacy of offering true equity of access in higher education.

Dr Eleanor Spencer-Regan, Principal

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Our College is situated on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, whose stories, educational practices and connection to Country are part of the world’s oldest living culture.  We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and those emerging in our community.

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