The decision to cut a flagship student international leadership programme has been denounced by students as a step backwards for the University of Technology Sydney.
The BUILD programme, which was last year shortlisted for a prestigious prize in the Asia region, has provided opportunities for intercultural collaboration, global citizenship and student leadership for the past 16 years.
It is the latest international programme to be cut by UTS as part of its Operational Sustainability Initiative, that has seen 400 staff, 1,100 subjects, 167 courses cut.
UTS will discontinue BUILD (Beyond UTS International Leadership Development) at the end of 2026, ending one of the university’s longest running co-curricular leadership initiatives.
The decision was announced to students a fortnight ago, following what UTS described as a review of university programs and their long-term sustainability. Established in 2010, the program has seen over 1600 students take part and was named a finalist in last year’s Green Gown Awards.
There are only so many co-curricular programs that can take you to the United Nations.
In a statement provided to Central News, UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Leo Mian Liu acknowledged the decision would disappoint many student’s alumni and staff.
“We recognise that the conclusion of the BUILD program will be disappointing for many students, alumni and staff who have contributed to the program over many years,” Professor Liu said.
“It has played a distinctive role in the UTS experience, offering opportunities for intercultural learning, global citizenship and social impact, shaping the journeys of students.”
Professor Liu said the decision reflected a “broader effort to ensure our student engagement program remains sustainable and continues to meet the evolving needs of our student community”.
However, students interviewed by Central News questioned whether existing initiatives could provide the same opportunities as BUILD.
Management at the University of Technology Sydney have targeted a number of international programmes and courses as part of its Operational Sustainability Initiative. Photo: Tom Snow.
Third-year Bachelor of Business and Public Health student Robert Nersisyan said BUILD opened doors for him that would otherwise have been closed.
As part of the program Nersisyan attended the Humanitarian Affairs Asia annual peace summit at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, where he met with students from over 40 countries.
“The opportunities you can do through BUILD are one of one. You’re not going to find them in other places,” he said.
“If BUILD wasn’t there, none of us would have known. None of us would have gone.”
Nersisyan disagreed with UTS’s suggestion initiatives such as the SOUL Award and volunteering programs would continue to provide similar opportunities.
“There are only so many co-curricular programs that can take you to the United Nations,” he said.
A UTS student and former BUILD ambassador, who would only be referred to as Kate, said the program had fundamentally shaped her university experience and career, providing opportunities she otherwise wouldn’t have had.
“Put simply, BUILD connects people,” she said. “In no tutorial or lecture have I ever conversed so deeply with such diverse and open-minded groups of people.”
International student Shiva Sharma said BUILD transformed his university experience after arriving in Australia from India to study a Master of Business in Supply Chain Management.
Initially joining BUILD to earn an additional qualification, Sharma instead found the program gave him confidence and a sense of belonging during his first year in Australia.
The program’s really been, about setting [the] foundation for students to go out and make a change in the broader world.
“BUILD taught me something beyond academics. It gave me purpose and values in my own life,” Sharma said.
The programme’s manager Veronica Wong, who has led BUILD since 2018, said it had developed its own role alongside other UTS co-curricular initiatives.
She said BUILD particularly focused on global perspectives, sustainability and intercultural understanding, while programs such as the SOUL Award and Brennan Justice and Leadership Program had different areas of emphasis.
The students who are walking around after finishing the program, they continue to bring that legacy out wherever they go.
“The program’s really been, about setting that foundation for students to go out and make a change in the broader world,” Wong said.
Wong said a student-led survey conducted during the review attracted around 100 to 120 responses, while she also submitted feedback to the university that was co-signed by other staff members.
“There was a lot of feedback, and I know that it was taken on board and looked at by the University,” she said.
Despite the support expressed during the consultation, Wong said she saddened at the outcome.
“Obviously, I was disappointed that that proposal had stood,” she added.
While Professor Liu said that no single program would replace BUILD, he added that students “will continue to have opportunities to develop intercultural capability, community engagement experience and global perspectives through a range of initiatives including global mobility programs, the SOUL Award, volunteering opportunities and student-led activities.”
UTS confirmed to Central News that the review of BUILD formed part of the university’s Operating Model Change process, which proposed changes across the university as part of efforts to reduce cost and restructure overall operations.
The original proposal sought to restructure professional services across the university and identified around 209 full-time equivalent positions that could be affected.
Wong confirmed BUILD staff would have the opportunity to enter a redeployment process following the program’s closure.
“If obviously there isn’t anything suitable, then the redundancy will kick in,” she said, adding she hoped to remain at UTS in a role focused on the student experience, but did not yet know whether an appropriate position would become available.
Current BUILD students can continue during Spring Session 2026 before the program concludes at the end of the year.
For Wong, the program’s lasting impact will be carried by the students who participated in it.
“I just really want that legacy to continue,” she said. “The students who are walking around after finishing the program, they continue to bring that legacy out wherever they go.
“Regardless of everything, I take that away as the best achievement.”
Main photo of Robert Nersisyan by Tom Snow.
