Tribute to a significant career
More than 400 people – industry, government and higher education sector leaders – including former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Blanche d’Alpuget, Sir Eric and Lady Neal, former Minister of Education Dr Susan Ryan and Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue, attended a special dinner celebration on May 9 to mark the career of Vice Chancellor Professor Denise Bradley and 15 years of achievement for UniSA.
Prof Bradley retires from the University at the end of the month.
Her career as an educator in South Australia dates back to her first posting as a high school teacher at Brighton High. But it was her role in the history of UniSA that was the focus of the evening.
In his dinner speech Chancellor David Klingberg applauded Prof Bradley’s leadership.
"One of the great experiences of my professional career has been working with Denise Bradley and my admiration for her has grown with each passing year of our association," he said.
Prof Bradley first took on the role of lecturer at one of UniSA’s founding institutions in 1975. She progressed quickly in her career and at the time of the University’s inception in 1991 was Deputy Vice Chancellor, playing a critical role in the idea, establishment and early growth of the institution. When appointed Vice Chancellor, Prof Bradley was only the third woman in Australia to hold such a position.
She took the helm at one of the most rapid periods of change Australia has ever seen – economic, social and technological – and huge change in the higher education sector.
Chancellor Klingberg highlighted the emergence of UniSA as a mature institution under Prof Bradley’s leadership.
"The picture of UniSA’s growth over the last decade is remarkable," he said. "Since 1996 student numbers have grown from 24,000 to 34,500; international student numbers from 1000 to 11,000; and the number of graduates has tripled to 100,000. Research income has also tripled and the number of research institutes has increased from two to eight. Annual revenue has risen from $240 million to $400 million."
He also noted that UniSA’s reputation and success for research in collaboration with industry had taken the University to number one in the nation in 2006. Similarly UniSA’s role as a leading Australian provider of offshore education had won it top spot from 2002 through to 2005 and five time winner of the Business SA Export Award for Education.
"Professor Bradley has built enormous respect for this institution among our peers and colleagues," Chancellor Klingberg said.
"Denise’s influence on sector governance and policy leadership has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her eye for the emerging issues – university alliances, online learning, student services, capital infrastructure – and her ability to identify the questions that need to be addressed and her capacity to make persuasive contributions to their resolution has been sought by many state, national and international bodies.
"In particular her critical role in the reshaping of what is now Australia’s fourth largest export industry, both through UniSA’s international activity and as chair of Australia’s international education agency, IDP, has gained international respect."
Reflecting on Prof Bradley’s leadership, Chancellor Klingberg said each step in her career had always been a new challenge she had embraced with energy.
"Denise approaches new challenges with youthful engagement in the ideas, a questioning mind and a leader’s eye for the horizon," he said.
"It is a mark of her leadership that change was never ‘not an option’, assumed positions could be altered, and existing presumptions could be challenged. This is what we expect of our universities. As Denise herself has said, universities need to be young and brave in their thinking, and in Denise Bradley, UniSA has benefited from a leader who has built those values into the foundation of the institution."
The Chancellor also announced that the forum in the new Hawke Building would be named the Bradley Forum to mark Prof Bradley’s enormous contribution to the University.
"I thank Professor Bradley for her tireless efforts and ongoing contributions to our University and to Australian higher education," he said.
UniSA Graduation Occasional Address by Professor Denise Bradley AO (Word file, 44kb)
UniSA Graduation Honorary Award Citation by Professor Michael Rowan, Pro Vice Chancellor: Education, Arts and Social Sciences (Word file, 35kb)