The University of Tasmania announced today that Professor Rufus Black’s contract as Vice-Chancellor had been renewed.
Chancellor Alison Watkins said the University was thrilled Professor Black would continue in the role, which he first took up in March 2018. The reappointment is ongoing with no fixed end date.
“We have an outstanding leader in Professor Black,” Ms Watkins said. “Under his leadership, the University has adopted a strategy of serving Tasmania and making important global contributions through focusing on our island’s distinctive strengths.
“The University Council supports and is committed to delivering the University’s strategy, which includes the consolidation in Hobart’s CBD and the expansion of access for students in regional areas.
“The opportunity to work with someone of Professor Black’s calibre and standing in the education sector was a big part of why I wanted to take on the role of Chancellor.
“Like my fellow councillors, I am very pleased to be able to continue working with Rufus and all the dedicated people at the University as we deliver education and research to benefit Tasmania and the world.”
Professor Black’s initial contract is due to finish in March 2023. Announcing the renewal now provides stability of leadership and direction as the University continues to emerge from the global pandemic and deliver on its strategic direction.
Professor Black said much had been achieved at the University in recent years, and much work remained ahead.
“I am proud of what we have achieved together for Tasmania, and I am honoured to be able to continue contributing alongside all my incredible colleagues,” he said.
“Through the education and opportunities we provide students, and the knowledge and impact we create through our research, the University plays a critical role in supporting a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for our island and making distinctive contributions to meeting the world’s challenges.
“Challenges lie ahead, and there is much to be done on continuing to improve the student and staff experience, but the chance to lead a university community that does good for Tasmania, a place I love and call home, is as inspiring and exciting to me now as it was when I started.”
Ms Watkins said Professor Black’s leadership had been instrumental in guiding the University safely through the global pandemic.
A focus on removing barriers to education has underpinned the nation-leading Schools Recommendation Program and the expansion of the University’s scholarship program, enabling more Tasmanians to access higher education.
The new strategic direction has seen the University attract record numbers of interstate students to distinctively Tasmanian offerings while maintaining its strong rankings across all major university rating systems and securing its highest ever levels of research funding.
Campus transformations in Burnie and Launceston are delivering new, state-of-the-art facilities that are housing expanded offerings. Nursing, accelerated business, psychology, pharmacy, physiotherapy and speech pathology are all now available, or soon will be, in the North and North-West.
Recognising that a commitment to Tasmania begins with a commitment the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, the University is progressing its work to indigenise its curriculum and, in 2019, the University made a formal apology for its role in wrongdoings towards Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
Professor Black has also made sustainability a priority. The University has divested of all fossil fuel investments and emerged as a global leader in how institutions can respond to the climate emergency. The University of Tasmania is the number one university in the world for climate action according to the Times Higher Education rankings and was recognised as the Sustainability Institution of the Year for Australasia in 2021.