A fresh eye for the future
by Michèle Nardelli
For UniSA’s new Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj a new workday pleasure will be returning home to his family most evenings. And the potential to cycle to work once or twice a week rather than having to catch a flight to Canberra is a psychological and physical plus
- he likes to keep fit.
The former Australian Research Council (ARC) chief has been a commuter between Adelaide and Canberra for the past two and half years and understands the sharp end of trying to maintain work/life balance.
"Even though my kids are technically adults, it will still be nice to feel a bit more like a regular family again," he said.
Educated at the University of Copenhagen, majoring in biochemistry and chemistry, Prof Høj has a Master of Science degree in biochemistry and genetics and a PhD in plant biochemistry. He arrived in Australia in 1987 and first worked as a lecturer and senior lecturer in biochemistry at La Trobe University before moving to the University of Adelaide and a professorial role in viticultural science and oenology.
Given that background it would be easy to assume his eye will be fixed on research alone – but you’d be wrong.
Prof Høj has a much broader view of the increasingly competitive and complex higher education environment and some pretty firm ideas about what lies ahead.
"One of the key aspects of the current environment is competition – maintaining and further enhancing position and reputation will be vital for UniSA," he said.
"Since I arrived in Adelaide in 1995 I have witnessed from the outside, UniSA’s growth from a new university with a clear equity mission, to a vibrant, modern, institution making a difference in the community at many levels.
"There is a real sense of shared vision for what the University can do in the community – for service, teaching, research and for the international engagement that is so much a part of its character."
Prof Høj believes UniSA has the capacity to grow as an institution with the right mix of teaching, learning and research.
"A good university has all those elements in the mix – a great university will find ways to build a vibrant nexus between research, teaching and learning that offers a dynamic environment for students and staff.
"It is about aspiring to quality in what we do, but also about creating an educational environment that attracts the best minds – educators and students – and helps them to flourish.
"I want UniSA to be a brilliant place to work, learn, teach and research in more than the colloquial sense.
"I believe the most inspirational environments are ones where creativity is encouraged, where there is a strong sense of shared commitment to achievement and where optimism prevails."
Prof Høj says improvement at the individual and organis-ational level is a must for any university committed to success and delivering value.
"Right now we need to embark on a path of further improvement with vigour," he said.
"We need to build an institution at which we can say every staff member is enthusiastic and proud to be employed and at the same time I want to be able to say I’m proud of our people. It is a two-way proposition that will require focus and determination at all levels."
Prof Høj says these are his personal and organisational goals.
"I believe we can look forward to great rewards," he said.
"If we can say collectively, as individuals and as a university that we are making a contribution to Australia as a country, which is among the best educated and most competitive in the world, that will indeed be satisfying."