Australian Baptist Education

Australian Baptist Education Inc. (ABE) was established in 2009 to facilitate the extension of Baptist ministry to the Australian community through education. Current and former members of the ABE Board of Directors have been extensively involved in private, not-for-profit education for the last 30 years. Two ABE directors were foundation board members of Lake Joondalup Baptist College (1990) and served on the board of the college until 1999. Three ABE directors were foundation board members of Winthrop Baptist College (1994), and Somerville Baptist College (2004) - two schools which later merged to form Kennedy Baptist College (2013) - as well as serving as foundation board members of Mandurah Baptist College (2005). The Executive Chairperson of ABE also served on the steering committee that established Carey Baptist College (1998). The ABE Board of Directors currently manages Quinns Baptist College (1996), Geelong Baptist College (2002), Alkimos Baptist College (2011), Austin Cove Baptist College (2011) and Bunbury Baptist College (2019).

The Baptist network of schools is now the third-largest private school network in Western Australia. Approximately 10,000 students and 700 staff study and work in open-entry Baptist schools. 

Sheridan Institute of Higher Education

Sheridan Institute of Higher Education is the higher education initiative of Australian Baptist Education Inc (ABE). The name “Sheridan” is derived from the Celtic “sirideán”, which means “seeker” or “searcher”, and was frequently used in the context of seeking truth or wisdom.

Historically, the directors of ABE have been pursuing the development of a Baptist higher education provider in Perth for over 20 years.

• In 2000, an exploratory committee was established to examine the feasibility of starting a new university in Western Australia. The committee was later dissolved.
• In 2005, “Sheridan College” was registered as a business name.
• In 2010, Sheridan College Inc. was registered as a not-for-profit incorporated association.
• In 2014, Sheridan College was registered as a higher education provider with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and accredited to deliver a Graduate Certificate of Business Administration (GradCertBA) and a Graduate Diploma of Business Administration (GradDipBA).
• In 2016, Sheridan College was accredited by TEQSA to deliver a Master of Education, a Graduate Certificate of Education and three undergraduate diplomas - Diploma of Arts (DipA), Diploma of Business (DipBus) and Diploma of Science (DipSc).
• In 2017, Sheridan College was accredited by TEQSA to deliver a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business.
• In 2019, Sheridan College's registration was renewed by TEQSA.
• In 2020, Sheridan College changed its trading name to Sheridan Institute of Higher Education.

Core Purpose

To offer higher education to those who are seeking to live an extraordinary life. To this end, Sheridan Institute of Higher Education will inspire its students to love truth, seek wisdom, embrace innovation and be instruments of peace in the world. 

Core Values

In interpreting its responsibility to faithfully steward Sheridan Institute of Higher Education in the fulfilment of its mission, the Board upholds the following values:

Adding Value to Society

The Board believes that Sheridan Institute of Higher Education will enrich the broader community through (1) innovative education, scholarship and research that advances knowledge and produces graduates who will be faithful stewards of the world’s resources, (2) a presentation of the Christian message which provides an opportunity for students to be reconciled with their Creator, and (3) modeling a community that images God’s infinite, unconditional love.

Nurturing and Cherishing Christian Educators

The Board recognises that Christian educators are the most important resource of a Baptist educational institution. Sheridan Institute of Higher Education invites committed Christian scholars into an intellectual community that shares those beliefs common to evangelical Christian denominations. One of the reasons the Institute of Higher Education has been established is to serve as an authentic platform for Christian scholars to engage in lines of intellectual inquiry grounded in the Christian faith. The Board is committed to preserving the Institute of Higher Education’s evangelical Christian ethos by recruiting Christian educators and satisfactorily providing for their personal and professional wellbeing.

Protecting Freedoms

Early Baptists were fierce advocates for religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Reflecting this rich heritage, the Board promotes the political, economic, social, religious and academic freedoms enjoyed by both women and men in democratic societies. The Board understands the historical emergence of these freedoms and the quality of life that has resulted from them to be a work of common grace, and a precious, if incomplete, picture of the true reality of freedom that is found in Christ.

Serving with Integrity

The Board promotes the principles of servant leadership in the Institute of Higher Education, emphasising the importance of humility and personal integrity in all the Institute of Higher Education’s activities and interactions.

Practising Hospitality

The Board practices and upholds the Christian virtue of hospitality. The Institute of Higher Education will maintain low barriers to entry, including low tuition fees and open enrolment, and will provide a safe physical and social environment for expressing personal convictions and for studying, researching and discussing ideas without fear of personal abuse or discrimination.

Graduate Attributes

It’s our conviction at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education that study does more than equip students with knowledge in a specific academic discipline. We believe it can have a transformational effect on a person’s own nature.

The philosophers JP Moreland and William Craig, write:

“Study itself is a spiritual discipline, and the very act of study can change the self. One who undergoes the discipline of study lives through certain types of experiences where certain skills are developed through habitual study: framing an issue, solving problems, learning how to weigh evidence and eliminate irrelevant factors, cultivating the ability to see important distinctions instead of blurring them, and so on. The disciplines of study also aids in the development of certain virtues and values; for example, a desire for the truth, honesty with data, an openness to criticism, self-reflection and an ability to get along nondefensively with those who differ with one.”

JP Moreland and WL Craig, Philosophical Foundations of a Christian Worldview, 2003

The higher education sector in Australia describes these kinds of outcomes as “Graduate Attributes” (GAs). At Sheridan Institute of Higher Education, our graduate attributes are aligned with our Core Purpose and describe the kind of personal characteristics we hope students will exhibit when they graduate.

Sheridan graduates will be:

• Lovers of truth
• Seekers of wisdom
• Innovative thinkers
• Effective communicators
• Independent learners
• Servant leaders

If future referees use these kinds of descriptors when writing about Sheridan Institute of Higher Education graduates, we will consider this a sign of a successful higher education.

Legal Framework

Sheridan Institute of Higher Education is the trading name for Sheridan College Inc., a not-for-profit incorporated association incorporated under the WA Associations Incorporation Act 2015. 

Sheridan College Inc. is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

Board of Directors 

The Sheridan Institute of Higher Education Board of Directors is elected by the members of the association.

Rev Dr Warick Smith (Chair)
PhD (Anthropology), MEd (Adult Global Education), MDiv, BCom, Dip Arabic, CELTA, MAICD 

Mike Smith (Treasurer)
GradCertBus, GradDipArts, BScEd, MAICD 

Dr Mathilda Joubert (Executive Director)
PhD (Education), MBA, MSc (Cognitive Neuropsychology), BMus (Hons), BMus (Ed), Cert IV TAE 

Dr Matthew Bambach (Secretary/Governance Support Officer)
PhD (Board Governance), MA (HRM), GradDipEd, BBus (HRM&IR) 

Darren Smith
MBA (Murdoch) BA(Hons) (UWA), FAIM MAICD 

Professor Terence Lee
PhD, MA, BA(Hons) 

Stephen Simpson
BJuris LLB, Dip of Charismatic Ministry 

Professor Ross Dowling AM
PhD, GradDipEd Admin, GradDipDiv, BSc MSc [Hons], DipTchg, DipRec&Spt, GAICD 

Ps Justin Hearn 
Adv Dip Chr Min

Annual Reports

Organisation Structure

About the Academic Council

The Academic Council is the delegated body responsible for governing Sheridan's academic programs and policies. The Council is composed of Sheridan faculty, student representatives and external advisors from academia and industry. 

Academic Council Members

Chair
Professor Terence Lee, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Sheridan Faculty
Dr Susan Conradie, Dean, School of Education
Dr Anne Garnett, Academic Staff Representative (Chair of Teaching and Learning Subcommittee of Academic Council)
Dr Mathilda Joubert, Director of Excellence and Innovation
Dr Maya Krayneva, Academic Staff Representative
Dr Natalie Leitão, Academic Principal
Tim Mullen, Academic Staff Representative
Darren Smith, Executive Principal
Professor Augusto Zimmermann, Dean, School of Law

External Advisors
Christine Guyler, Head of Academic Standards, HealthCert International
Associate Professor Graham McKay, PhD, Honorary Associate Professor and Former Head, School of Language and Literature, Edith Cowan University
Professor Werner Soontiens, PhD, University of Notre Dame
Professor Geoff Soutar, PhD, MA, BEc, FAIM, FAMI, FMIS, FANZAM, Winthrop Professor, Head of Discipline/Marketing, University of Western Australia