Professor Susan Elliott AM has been appointed Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, effective from Saturday 5 August 2023.
Monash University Council has also approved several consequential appointments which will commence on Saturday 5 August 2023.
This follows the announcement that current President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AC, will leave Monash University on Friday 4 August 2023 to commence her new appointment as the Governor of Victoria on Wednesday 9 August 2023.
Monash University Council held a special meeting on Tuesday 27 June where they endorsed the appointment of Professor Elliott, who is the University’s current Provost and Senior Vice-President.
As Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elliott will oversee the delivery of Monash’s Strategic Plan Impact 2030 and the University's operations while Council completes the selection and appointment of the next President and Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Elliott expressed her gratitude for the appointment and her desire to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.
"I am deeply honoured to serve as the Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of Monash University,” Professor Elliott said.
“It is a privilege to work alongside such exceptional students, staff and partners. Professor Gardner’s visionary leadership has elevated Monash to be one of the top universities in the world, and I am determined to ensure we build upon Monash University's reputation as a global leader in education, research and innovation."
Professor Elliott joined Monash University in March 2017 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President, where she led the University’s dedicated Education portfolio and shaped the Monash education agenda.
She successfully led the development of key educational partnerships, including Online Education Services, the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership and the McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership.
Professor Elliott was the first Australian and first female academic to be elected President of the Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE), and she was appointed Chair of the management committee of the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) in 2018, overseeing all admissions to Victorian tertiary institutions. She led the restructuring of VTAC to become an independent incorporated body and remains a Board Member of VTAC. She has also served as a Board Member for the Australia India Institute and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
Monash Chancellor Simon McKeon AO congratulated Professor Elliott on her appointment and thanked the outgoing President and Vice-Chancellor.
“On behalf of the Council, I would like to congratulate Professor Elliott. We have great confidence in Professor Elliott's ability to lead the institution during this transitional period. Her strategic acumen and commitment to academic excellence will ensure continued success and growth for the university,” Mr McKeon said.
“I would like to take this opportunity to again thank our outgoing President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AC, for her years of outstanding service to the University, and on behalf of the whole Monash community, wish her all the very best in her new role as the next Governor of Victoria.”
As Professor Elliott assumes her Interim role, Council has approved the following consequential appointments which will also commence on Saturday 5 August 2023:
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Professor Sharon Pickering (Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President) will be Acting Provost and Senior Vice-President;
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Responsibility for the Indigenous and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion functions will transfer to Professor Rebekah Brown (Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Senior Vice-President) in the interim; and
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Professor Allie Clemans, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) will be Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) and Senior Vice-President.
The University has commenced a process to appoint the next President and Vice-Chancellor. The global search will be complemented by a consultation period with key University stakeholders to assist Council in specifying the qualities, skills and profile for its next President and Vice-Chancellor.
To conduct a national and international search for suitable President and Vice-Chancellor candidates, Council has engaged Dr Birgit Brandt of the global executive search firm Perrett Laver. The search process will be complemented by a consultation period with key University stakeholders to assist Council in specifying the qualities, skills and profile for our next President and Vice-Chancellor that will best serve the University.
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