Community Bank at Swinburne puts people first

Swinburne and Bendigo Bank have today announced a partnership to open a Community Bank® at Swinburne, which will reinvest banking profits into projects, programs and people at Swinburne.

Profits from Community Bank® at Swinburne will support the Swinburne community in a variety of ways including scholarships to support young people, funding grants to help researchers become leaders in their field, sustainable infrastructure projects to make Swinburne an even better place to work and study, and support for clubs and societies.

Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson AO says Swinburne is pleased to enter into this partnership that puts people first and supports projects that matter to Swinburne.

“The partnership supports our commitment to create social and economic impact within our university and the broader community. The initiative with Bendigo Bank also aligns with our 2025 strategy as an industry-connected university that engages staff and students with business,” says Professor Kristjanson. 

“Creating partnerships with industry leaders presents opportunities to connect our students and our research with real-time experience, innovation and learning.”

In addition to the opening of a Bendigo Bank ‘customer hub’ at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus, the partnership brings opportunities to investigate collaboration between Swinburne and Bendigo Bank. These may include research partnerships, masters course co-creation, career development support for Bendigo Bank and increased industry engagement opportunities for Swinburne students.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Managing Director, Marnie Baker welcomes the partnership with Swinburne.

"Our strategic partnership with Swinburne is part of the continuing evolution of the Bendigo Community Bank® model and represents a further opportunity to build on our partnerships and share value by feeding into the prosperity of the tertiary education sector," says Ms Baker.

“We have a well-established program to engage highly talented university graduates from a range of disciplines that provides experience working across many aspects of our business to accelerate their learning and career development, so the mutual benefits are exciting for both of us.“

Strong Swinburne support

Results from a staff, student and alumni survey conducted in 2018 were overwhelmingly supportive of the initiative.

Swinburne Vice-President (Engagement) Jane Ward believes the partnership with Bendigo Bank reflects the university’s strong commitment to innovate and to create positive social change.

“Our community likes to give back. We seek partnerships where our values align and we can ensure there is ample opportunity to benefit our community through funding, research, student placements or other co-created projects,” says Ms Ward.

“The Community Bank® at Swinburne initiative provides that opportunity. It’s a direct return for social good and we look forward to supporting our community through the partnership, and exploring opportunities to strengthen this promising industry connection.”

The Community Bank® at Swinburne hub will open in the coming months at Swinburne’s Hawthorn Campus. Swinburne staff, students, and alumni have access to a range of special offers, with more details available at www.bendigobank.com.au/swinburne.

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