New Adjunct Professor brings wealth of experience
14 December, 2005
Ken Hickson, who has just been appointed Associate Professor
(Adjunct) within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the
University of the Sunshine Coast, is someone who practices what he
preaches when it comes to communication and networking within the
wider community, linking business, the arts, the environment and
the University.
As a strategic communications consultant, he admits he spends
more of his time working with local, regional, national and
international organisations on an 'honorary' basis, because he
believes he has a useful contribution to make.
He is a member of the Maroochy Economic Development Advisory
Board and the Australian String Quartet Queensland Advisory Board,
is a Governor of WWF Australia and has recently been involved in
helping to establish the new Sunshine Coast Literary Association,
now serving on its Management Committee.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Associate
Professor Pam Dyer, said when making the adjunct appointment, that
"Ken Hickson's area of expertise is public relations and his
continuing contributions, as a professional, advising curriculum
development and facilitating networking opportunities, is a great
asset to the Faculty and the University".
For the past four years Ken has been a sessional lecturer at the
University in communication studies and last year started a new
course, entitled International Communication, the first of its kind
in Australia.
He has also organised Production Workshops to give students an
opportunity to work for clients in the real world and managed four
workshops for community organisations, sponsored by the
University.
Currently he is writing a book on Corporate Communication to be
published internationally by John Wiley and Sons in their
"Mastering Business in Asia" series.
Originally trained as a journalist in New Zealand, Ken has
worked in newspapers, radio, television and magazines. He is the
author of Flight 901 to Erebus, a non-fiction account of a major
airline disaster.
For 17 years he lived in Singapore, where he established a
public relations consultancy and managed work for a wide range of
international clients.
His company was acquired by Fleishman Hillard, one of the
largest consultancies specialising in international communication,
and he continued to manage its South East Asian operations until
the end of 2000, when he re-located to the Sunshine Coast.
Ken, with his artist wife M, have organised numerous art
exhibitions and workshops, as well as concerts on the Sunshine
Coast by the Australian String Quartet.
He introduced the Quartet to the University, which launched a
series of the fund-raising concerts for the University's Art
Gallery.
He now resides in Maroochydore but continues to own and oversee
a travel agency in Coolum.