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Ian Kennedy - Chancellor 1998–2007
31 March 2007
The media has covered the news of our new Chancellor John Dobson OAM this week, as Ian Kennedy AO steps down as quietly and unobtrusively as he conducted the role over the last nine years.
Ian has kept governance oversight in perspective, as he kept a close watch on positive outcomes as his principal concern. The University and the Region owe him a great debt for his unwavering support and stewardship through the early years.
Ian was a member of the Planning Committee in 1993. He was a panel member interviewing for the Planning President and I remember still, the penetrating questions he asked of me, in a way that focused me to accept the role.
In the first Council he became Deputy Chancellor and subsequently Chancellor in 1998 when Tony Fitzgerald AC stepped down.
He has filled the profoundly important honorary role in his own particular style, derived from long experience as a highly successful CEO in his own right in the private sector.
Ian has never sought the spotlight as he did not see day to day University business as his concern. Yet in his leadership of Council affairs, he has been an anchor.
It will be obvious to those who have seen universities ripped apart by poor Chancellor-Vice-Chancellor relationships, how important and different the role of Chancellor has to be conceived, and Ian Kennedy had an impeccable grasp of the complementarity that informs that relationship.
From the earliest days Ian became a friend and confidante, yet never resiled from questioning or criticism if it was warranted. But valuably, he developed an impeccable understanding of the challenges facing USC, and knew how to encourage people to confront those challenges.
He understood, as an experienced CEO, the importance of people and organisational culture. He has also been less concerned with some of the inflexibilities of traditional business planning in the early years and has supported calculated risks.
His down-to-earth approach has been incisive and invaluable in the development of this University. None of us now, or in subsequent generations, should ever forget his period of office that has helped lay so many foundations on which our current successes are built. My own gratitude will be life-long. Thank you, Ian, from all of us.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast.