Professor Barney Glover named chair of Universities Australia

The vice-chancellor and president of the University of Western Sydney (UWS), Professor Barney Glover, has been appointed the next chair of Universities Australia (UA) - the peak body representing the Australian university sector both nationally and internationally. Elected to the position unopposed, Professor Glover will take over from the current chair, Professor Sandra Harding, on 19 May 2015.

Educated at the University of Melbourne, Professor Glover holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics. He is active in business and academic leadership through membership of boards including the Business/Higher Education Round Table and has held senior executive roles across a diverse range of Australian universities, including Curtin University, University of Newcastle and Charles Darwin University as well as UWS.

UWS Chancellor Professor Peter Shergold said Professor Glover “understands the crucial role that universities play in building the social and economic capital of our nation”, with a “deep commitment to widening participation in higher education”. Professor Glover was also acknowledged by Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne, who said the new chair is a distinguished university leader with “a track record in building strategic partnerships and promoting a culture of research excellence”.

Minister Pyne thanked outgoing chair Professor Harding for her work over the past two years, stating that Universities Australia has recently “forged an unprecedented consensus about sustaining and improving higher education in Australia”. Professor Glover added that his predecessor has “displayed determined advocacy, leadership and an unswerving commitment to the strong ideals of the sector to serve students and contribute to economic and social progress”.

Congratulating her successor, Professor Harding said Professor Glover has “demonstrated a deep knowledge and executive leadership role in research and a passionate commitment to encouraging broader participation in higher education”. In particular, she recognised his role in helping UWS to progress into “something of a microcosm of contemporary Australia with its hallmark diversity, inclusiveness and determined aspiration to improve the world”.