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Sydney Uni’ s new chancellor
Company director Belinda Hutchinson is the new chancellor of the University of Sydney. She succeeded Professor Marie Bashir, who is the Governor of NSW. Bashir concluded her second term as chancellor last December. Hutchinson has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and received a University Alumni Award in 2012. She is currently chairman of QBE Insurance Group, a director of St Vincent’ s Health Australia, AGL Energy, the Salvation Army Eastern Territory Board, Australian Philanthropic Services, NSW State Library Foundation and a member of the federal government’ s Financial Services Advisory Council. She is also the president of Chief Executive Women. An organisation comprising 240 of Australia’ s women leaders.
Schreier moves to Macquarie
The deputy secretary, economic and strategy, in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Paul Schreier, has been appointed Macquarie University’ s chief operating officer. After his schooling in Melbourne, Schreier did his bachelor’ s, master’ s and PhD( engineering) at Queen’ s College, Cambridge. He then joined Britain’ s Royal Navy and served for six years around the world. When he left the navy he became a management consultancy partner for McKinsey & Co. He was based in London and Kuala Lumpur and served clients in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Far East, Australia, and Africa. He will start his new role in Sydney next month.
Saint to lead Adelaide research
The University of Adelaide has appointed world renowned genetics expert Professor Robert Saint to the new role of pro vicechancellor( research strategy). Saint, who is the current dean of Faculty of Science and professor of genetics at the University of Melbourne, said he was delighted to return to Adelaide, where he will start in the new research post in July. He has been professor of molecular genetics and evolution at the Research School of Biology, Australian National University, and director of the ARC Special Research Centre for the Molecular Genetics of Development. He studied molecular genetics of embryonic development for three years at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In Australia he has worked at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and the CSIRO.
ACU education post
Australian Catholic University has appointed Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith as executive dean of the Faculty of Education. Wyatt- Smith was group dean( academic) in the Faculty of Arts, Education and Law at Griffith University. She was also research director of the Centre for Applied Language, Literacy and Communication Studies. She has also worked at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology after she became head of the English department at All Hallows’ School in Brisbane. Wyatt-Smith is recognised for her work in literacy and assessment in education. She has led several programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels while attracting competitive grants and government-funded research consultancies. She will take up her new post in June.
Leader for Sunshine Coast TAFE
The incoming director of Sunshine Coast TAFE, Leeza Boyce, says she will try to continue the institute’ s strong ties with local business and industry. Boyce said she aimed to continue the dedication to thrive in the changing vocational and educational training marketplace, and thanked outgoing director Ross Hepworth for his outstanding legacy. During a ceremony at the Mooloolaba campus, Boyce outlined her vision for the region’ s leading vocational training institute. She has a long affiliation with TAFE, having been the local institute ' s chief operations officer and director of the Southern Queensland TAFE, based in Toowoomba.
Macquarie deputy V-C
Current dean of medicine at the University of Queensland Professor David Wilkinson has been appointed deputy vicechancellor, corporate engagement and advancement, at Macquarie University. Macquarie vice-chancellor Professor Bruce Dowton said Wilkinson will strengthen the university’ s engagement with a wide range of corporate entities, adding that his background as a senior member of the medical profession will also be a great asset to the Macquarie University Hospital and Advanced School of Medicine. The University of Queensland said that Wilkinson had led its Medical School to a position where it has become recognised as Australia’ s global medical school. His other achievements include establishing a major rural health research enterprise within the South African Medical Research Council funded by WHO and US and UK groups. In 1994 he won a NIH Fellowship to study for a masters in epidemiology at Columbia University. His research in Africa generated three doctorates.
STRICTLYSPEAKING
WEAPONISED
The verb de-weaponise emerged in last year’ s public debates about“ de-weaponising America” and the control of guns in civilian hands, especially military-style guns. This use of de-weaponise to refer to portable weapons sets it apart from all other applications of weaponise itself. Its earliest use was amid the“ Star Wars” arms race, when space rockets were weaponised by being fitted with“ nuclear or other explosive devices”( Oxford English Dictionary [ OED ] online). The weaponisation of space with atomic devices( OED 1984) was pitched as the US defence strategy – but a potential threat to everyone. Weaponised anthrax( OED 2001) and other chemical / biological substances developed for germ warfare are also large-scale weaponry, and a menace to non-combatants in war and peace. More amusingly, weaponised now appears in conjunction with animals, in retrotalk of the elephants Hannibal used to invade Europe 2000 years ago; and in tall stories from World War II, of weaponised dogs with explosives strapped on to attack enemy tanks. This raises the real question as to what the“ weaponised terrorist” mentioned in a recent ABC interview might be armed with: A bomb to blow himself( and others) up? A hand gun? Or was he just walking his dog?
Written by Emeritus Professor Pam Peters, researcher at Macquarie University’ s Centre for Language Sciences. www. campusreview. com. au Issue 2 2013 | 39