From the Chancellery
A
new phase of my life started on July 1 this year, when I officially
began my role as Chancellor of the University. Having enjoyed a long
and rewarding career in the Australian minerals industry, I was keen
to further extend the next chapter of my life, which has been based
mainly around community and government involvement – I think I have
found the ideal role as Chancellor.
In addition to holding executive positions in large companies such as Comalco, Rio Tinto and Normandy Mining, I have always taken an active interest in community organisations. For instance, I’ve been involved in the governance of the Royal Flying Doctor Service for over 17 years, which included being the National President in the 1990s. I am currently also the Chair of the Board of St Andrew’s Hospital and Chair of the Council of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (a Commonwealth Government organisation established to better understand and protect the tropical marine environment, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef).
This diverse portfolio of corporate governance activities reflects my long held interest in community and environmental responsibility and the special importance to Australian industry, business and society of education, science, research and sustainable development.
I believe UniSA is deeply committed to educating its students so that they can approach their working lives with a sense of professionalism, innovation and a real ability to apply their learning. The challenges and opportunities of the future lie in education, health, resources, defence, communication, and the development of sustainable societies and environments, and I have been impressed with UniSA’s capacity for research in these key areas. UniSA has developed a research and teaching community that is clearly dedicated to adding value to business and to the health and welfare of the State. Of course, real change cannot be made without successful implementation of knowledge, and I have also been very pleased to discover how focused UniSA is on this "can do" aspect.
The University’s mission, which addresses education, creating and disseminating knowledge and engaging with our communities therefore fits well with my beliefs on what is needed in order to address the challenges and opportunities of the future. We need to ensure that together we continually build upon our strengths so we can respond to change with confidence.
I was fortunate to have met some of our graduates while I was recently in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore for the offshore graduation ceremonies. I attended two dinners with our postdoctoral graduates and was inspired by what they had achieved, by their enthusiasm and dedication to their profession, and by their outlook towards their community. A highlight for me was at the Malaysian ceremony where I congratulated an 85-year-old man on his graduation from the Master of Advanced Business Practice. It was an honour to have been able to share that moment with him and it is a testimony to lifelong learning – anything is possible if you have a dream and determination. It was impossible not to be moved by the obvious joy on the faces of the graduates and their friends and family as they received their qualification. I look forward to meeting more graduates, to learn how they have used their knowledge and experiences from UniSA and to congratulate them on their success. I am sure I will be inspired.
I have also been inspired by the way our staff work – in particular their collaboration, cooperation and competence. This was evident at the offshore graduation ceremonies and the alumni and partner meetings I attended. I felt proud to be part of this team, and I am sure that there was a sigh of relief amongst the staff that the new Chancellor’s training wheels didn’t fall off on the first bend!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the first few weeks of Chancellorship, and I look forward to working with and meeting many more staff and friends of UniSA.