The UTS Business School and Stanford Australia Foundation (SAF) commenced a five-year partnership program in 2019; the 'University of Technology Sydney and Stanford Australia Foundation (UTS–SAF) Capacity Building and Engagement Series'.
UTS Business School and Stanford Australia Foundation Partnership Program (2019–2023)
UTS is an agent for social change, transforming communities through research, education and practice – ensuring a healthy, sustainable and socially just society. The Stanford Australia Foundation is an entity established by the Australian Alumni of Stanford University to provide scholarships for executives of Australian non-profit organisations to undertake Stanford executive programs to enhance their leadership abilities for the benefit of Australians in need. The shared beliefs of the two organisations will help achieve a significant contribution to the public good, social mobility, interconnectedness and equity and enable an environment for communities to thrive, in partnership with our alumni and supporters.
The purpose of this program is to bring together two world-class universities with strengths in science, technology and business, not only to significantly strengthen the exchange of academic excellence but also to build capacity in the not-for-profit sector in Australia. It will strengthen relationships between both Stanford Australia and UTS Alumni through events hosted throughout the course of the year.
Every year, four world-renowned speakers will be brought over from Stanford University to UTS, covering a variety of topics from the fields of business, health, science and the arts. The program will host stimulating public presentations by the invited Stanford Faculty and Workshops for not-for-profit Leadership that will seek to increase the managerial capacity of the not-for-profit sector in Australia. In addition to these opportunities, The Stanford Australia Foundation will continue to offer scholarships for not-for-profit leaders in Australia to undertake executive education at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
It is firmly believed that the partnership between UTS and SAF will be best served to have a positive impact on society. The Program will equip an estimated 120 executives of not-for-profit organisations per annum with a broad and fundamental set of skills that will ensure growth and sustainability of their worthwhile causes, and ultimately, build the capacity of the sector.
We are seeking an engaged and committed partner that will help shape and guide the program for our not-for-profit leaders, our alumni, and our community as a whole.
About the program – The UTS–SAF Speaker Series
The purpose: Each Stanford speaker has been, and will be, strategically selected with the objective to serve audiences from a diverse set of industries interested in understanding important new ideas as well as executives in the not-for-profit sector. With the increasing demands on not-for-profits to be more commercially focused, the breadth of knowledge covered in this speaker series will equip them with valuable skills to implement in their organisations and drive delivery of their missions.
Global preparedness for future pandemics and emerging infectious diseases – novel vaccine technologies and environmental factors
The first 100 Days of the Biden presidency
The making of an American president
Engine of Impact: becoming a truly great non-profit enterprise
Unstable American politics and the 2020 election
World after the pandemic – convergence or divergence?
Authenticity in consumer markets
Platform business models
About Stanford Australia Foundation
SAF, since 2008, has been instrumental in the contribution of more than $400,000 in scholarships (22 to not-for-profit leaders and two to tech start-ups) to attend executive courses at Stanford University in California, USA.
SAF has tripled the resources invested by leveraging partnerships and relationships, with more than two-thirds of scholarship funding coming from bequests and foundations.
SAF is an active volunteer board consisting of Stanford University alumni.
Scholarship recipient testimonials
Following EPNL, I committed myself to make a difference for kids suffering with cancer. As Chairman of the Children’s Cancer Institute, Australia, I helped raise $100 million to build a new cancer research facility in a JV with UNSW and grow the organisation from 67 scientists to over 400. Stanford inspired me to develop my own purpose of ‘Caring for others’, which continues to drive me today.
– Dr. Joe Collins, Findex Investment Review Committee, Client Advocate (EPNL 2008)
The Fred Hollows Foundation has launched a social enterprise which will see 60 surgi-centres built in Southeast Asia, attracting $100 million in funding and delivering one million surgeries over the coming decade. The SAF scholarship and Stanford program were instrumental in helping me to shape the business plan and convince the Board with both head and heart to gain approval.
– Kirsten Armstrong, Director, Knowledge & Innovation, Fred Hollows Foundation (EPSE 2017)
The time at Stanford gave me an opportunity to step out of the day to day, to get a macro view of our organisation and its strategic direction. Coupled with the exposure to world-leading research and best practice teachings meant that when I returned to my organisation it was with fresh eyes and I was better able to see the business as a whole and make important improvements. It was one of the most worthwhile experiences of my professional life.
– Renée Coffey, Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, Deputy CEO (EPNL 2017)