Gareth Evans to be new ANU Chancellor

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans has been appointed Chancellor of The Australian National University by the University Council.

Evans will succeed Professor Kim Beazley, who has been named Australian Ambassador to the United States.

Evans, President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group, Co-Chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and Honorary Professorial Fellow at Melbourne University, will take up the appointment early in the New Year. Evans has had a long career in public life, including 21 years in the Australian Parliament and 13 years as a Cabinet Minister.

An Oxford graduate, Evans was an academic lawyer and barrister prior to entering parliament.

ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb said Evans was an eminent Australia who would make an important contribution to the university.

“Gareth Evans has made an outstanding contribution to Australian life and international affairs over his long career. His national and international standing makes him a perfect fit for ANU,” Professor Chubb said.

“A hallmark of Gareth’s career has been the academic rigour and energy he has brought to each role. His output of books and articles over the course of his career is substantial and admirably so given his roles and responsibilities in his professional life. His links with, and contributions to, universities and like institutions around the world means he has special empathy with the academic enterprise in many of its forms.

“Kim Beazley has been an excellent Chancellor for ANU. He has had a life-long association with the university and will always be welcomed warmly back to the campus. The loss for ANU, however, is tempered by the gain for the nation. He brings enormous gravitas and a deep understanding of the United States to the role of Ambassador,” Professor Chubb said.

Professor Kim Beazley said, “Gareth Evans is a great Australian of international renown. His advocacy and advice will be invaluable within the university and formidable in public forums in Australia and globally.”