SOLL staff series: An interview with Jackson Harnwell

Jackson Harnwell is finishing his secondment as the School Manager at the School of Linguistics and Languages (SOLL). He holds a bachelor degree in music (performance), specialising in classical singing, and a Master of Arts and Cultural Management. Niles interviewed Jackson about his work and his colourful life outside of work.

I understand that prior to your secondment as School Manager at SOLL, you were in another role. Could you start by telling us what your previous job was like?

My last role was the Manager of Experiential Learning for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, and I did that for about six years. I started in the faculty in 2015 and was working in student support. In 2016, I started working in the clinical placement role, and at that point it was just helping manage the legal agreements between hospitals and the faculty, and then between 2016 and 2019, the role gradually expended. In the end, I was managing our system for how we administer student placements, pre-placement compliance requirements, quality and risk frameworks, just to name a few. And, of course, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was mostly doing pandemic response, making sure that our students could still be on placement to get the experiences that they needed even with all the lockdowns and the restrictions on who could go into hospitals.

Not everyone might know that my background is in music. I was trained as a performer. I studied here at the University as a classical singer, and I’ve done some performing work and some stage management work. So during COVID, this mindset that I had related back to my performing world, which was “The show must go on” and you just find a way of navigating through it, making sure that our audience, or in this case our students, continue to have the best experience, even though behind the scenes things are a bit crazy. I think that mindset really benefited me during the pandemic.

What changed your mind to work in administration instead?

I started working for the University in 2011 when I was undertaking my undergraduate studies. It was a casual role. It was just convenient that I could work on campus while I was studying, but by the time I got to the end of my undergraduate degree, I was a bit burnt out and I needed a break. Classical music is so structured, and the expectations are so high. I needed some time away from that. I realised that music was something that I wanted to do because I loved it, but if I was going to get burnt out and feel this pressure, I was going to stop loving it. I needed to find a way of making sure that I continued to enjoy making music, and I realised the way to do that was to not make it my career.

Trying to make a living is very difficult in the classical music industry, particularly in Australia as the market is very small here. It was going to be a very hard road, and I didn’t want to lose my passion for it. So I decided to continue working at the University while I figured out what to do next, and eleven years later, here I am, still at the University, still trying to figure out what to do next. The University is giving me great opportunities to move around different areas, first in shared services, then in the Faculty of Science, as well as Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, and now the Faculty of Arts. It’s great to see how I can continue to utilise my musical training and experience in an administrative role.

How does working here as a school manager compare with your previous job?

It’s so different. I knew that it would be a very different type of job. I don’t think I really appreciated just how different it would be, but it’s been fantastic. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to try to make sure that the academic staff can do what they need to do in terms of teaching and research, and to make sure that our students get a good experience. Then, there is the variety of things that appear on my desk – it might be a financial problem, a building and facilities problem, a strategy and planning problem, a workforce or HR problem. There are so many things going on constantly, which is very different compared to what I used to do. Though my previous role was busy, it was focused in one specific area. Now I’ve got all of these bits and pieces happening at once. But I have to say that the environment here is brilliant. From day one, everyone has been very friendly and understanding as I’ve gradually gotten my head around the school, and gained knowledge about how things are done, for example, who’s who, and all other things. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive school for my first experience as a School Manager. It really is because of the support that I got from the school, how open and collaborative people have been, that I felt comfortable to apply for school manager roles subsequently and to solidify the sort of role that I want to do.

What’s you plan after this stint?

My next role will be the school manager for the School of Culture and Communication (SCC). That’ll be a nice alignment with my training, my master’s degree and my experience here. SCC is a more complicated school in some ways than SOLL so it will be a new challenge for me. But I’m really excited at the opportunity to work in the same school that I studied in.

It looks like you have had a fulfilling work experience thus far. So, what do you do in you spare time?

I live in Pascoe Vale with my partner and our cat. We both love travelling. One of the most notable trips was a few years ago when my partner and I went to Nepal and did the Everest base camp trek. It was surreal to be in a totally different cultural environment, and to be doing that kind of trek. It was hard work, but really amazing, and we made some great friends out of that trip.

Just a couple of years ago, we did the Milford Sound Track with my family including quite a few aunts and uncles. That was just incredible as well. I think travelling is not just about going somewhere different, seeing different sceneries, and experiencing different cultures, it’s also incredible because of the people that you embark on those activities with. And I’m fortunate that there are so many people around me who enjoy participating in those activities as well.

Besides travelling, I also quite enjoy cycling, and I try to cycle to and from work most days and occasionally on weekends as well.

Do you still perform singing?

Not as much as I’d like to. It’s been a few years now since I performed but I’m hoping to reintroduce some of that back into my life, because it is important for me to have a creative pursuit that takes me away from my work.

Any final comments for our readers?

It’s been such a great experience working in the school. There are a lot of passionate people here with a lot of great ideas. There’s a lot of wonderful things going on at SOLL, such as new ways of engaging with young people, developing amazing overseas experiences for our students, and doing exciting research that contributes to Australian languages and cultures. It’s such valuable work and it’s been incredible to be part of the school.

*Jackson’s farewell afternoon tea will be held on Thursday, 27 October at 3.30 pm in Room 407 in Babel Building. Respond to the invitation if you would like to attend it.