Professor Karen Nelson was appointed on 22 April 2014 to lead USC's Student Administration, Student Life and Learning, the Academic Secretariat and to Chair the University's Learning and Teaching Committee. As Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students) at USC, she was responsible for transforming USC’s approach to student engagement and success. She has had strategic oversight of the student life-cycle activities and has led a range of curricular and co-curricular initiatives to enhance students’ engagement, retention and success. Karen finished at USC on 9 February 2019 to take up the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at USQ. Professor Nelson’s research into the complexity surrounding student success has been instrumental in uncovering the factors influencing attrition and advancing practices across the sector. Professor Nelson is a nationally and internationally acknowledged expert in student engagement and student retention and success.