Meeting Martin van Run, Director – USQ International

Competing in a tough international education marketplace in a dynamic environment in order to grow international student numbers will keep Martin van Run busy in his role as Director, USQ International.

Martin has been involved in international education for over 30 years in a range of roles from being a teacher and teacher trainer to helping establish a university campus in Dubai for the University of Wollongong to being Director of the International Office at La Trobe University, as well as its international pathways college.

Martin, therefore, has a wealth of experience to draw on.

‘I’ll be focusing on the recruitment and admissions across all four study modes for international students,’ Martin said.

‘The University has over 6,000 international students of which about 20% are on-campus in Queensland - the largest numbers are students studying externally, either with partner institutions overseas, in Sydney or via Distance Direct.

‘Everyday opportunities to move forward will present themselves, it will be important to properly funnel these opportunities and to take on the right challenges.’

Martin acknowledges that the international area is a tough area to do business presenting many challenges and hurdles to overcome.

‘While 2012 marks the start of a deregulated environment for Australian universities to attract domestic students, this has always been the case with regard to international students and the competition has been worldwide and growing rapidly.

‘Also, there is no QTAC equivalent for international students, so we have to set up systems to ensure that students know how to apply and that the students we accept are of the quality we need as a leading international institution.

‘We also have other areas out of our control like changing government policies – in particular the country ranking for immigration and the world currency markets.

‘All of these things can have a significant effect on our enrolment numbers.’

Martin also aims to ensure that USQ remains active in the scholarship market and keeps diversity in our student cohort.

Martin relocated to USQ to follow and further his career, leaving his family in Melbourne until they can relocate to Toowoomba. He has not regretted this move.

‘My wife and [adult] kids come to visit and I have been back to Melbourne a few times since I started, so I still get to see them.

‘I am enjoying it here too. I have lived in several different countries and big cities but I grew up in country Victoria, so living in Toowoomba doesn’t feel particularly strange or difficult.

‘USQ is also a great place to work and with internationalisation remaining a key focus, it will prove to be beneficial for both staff and students.’


Contact Details:
Sam Tickell, USQ Media ,+61 7 4631 2559