Who is UNSW's New Chancellor?

Many UNSW students have likely heard the name David Gonski at some point, even if they aren’t fully informed on his specific role or responsibilities as UNSW Chancellor. Aside from his position, Gonski is known for other contributions to education within Australia, particularly the “I Give a Gonski” campaign, alongside its related reports and funding scheme. But after twenty years, Gonski is stepping down, with Warwick Negus set to fill his shoes. As this transition occurs, students may be left wondering about the exact role of a university chancellor, who the incoming chancellor is, and if this is going to have any significant impact on student life and welfare. 

What does the UNSW Chancellor even do?

Essentially, the role of the UNSW Chancellor is to serve as an official public representative for the university. This is done through various means, such as engaging with the government and broader community, as well as ensuring that UNSW’s aims and values are represented. The chancellor is also the head of the UNSW Council, the university’s governing body.

Another key role of the chancellor is to collaborate with the vice-chancellor to govern the university through strategy and academic direction. While the vice-chancellor is generally more responsible for overseeing operations, the chancellor serves as an important source of guidance and direction. Metaphorically speaking, if UNSW were a corporation, the vice-chancellor would be the CEO, while the chancellor would be the chair of the board. The vice-chancellor actively manages the university, while the chancellor instead provides governance.

The chancellor also serves an important ceremonial role, most significantly through presiding over graduation ceremonies. Symbolically, the chancellor, being the one to hand over the degree to the graduate, serves as a symbol of the degree’s integrity and the university’s authority. As the position is unpaid and part-time, this decreases the presence of the chancellor on campus; the chancellor’s role is more reputational than directly strategic. However, chancellors still play a crucial role in university operations. 

Who is Warwick Negus and what are his aims?

An experienced and long-term UNSW council member, Warwick Negus has been appointed as the next UNSW Chancellor. Typically, incoming university chancellors are selected externally, drawing from the judiciary or executive business positions. While Negus has no judicial experience, he has an extensive background in both philanthropic and leadership positions, which both justify him being appointed to the position and will hopefully benefit the university over the course of his term. His curriculum vitae includes time as the Director of the UNSW Foundation (UNSW’s fundraising arm) and as Chairman of UNSW College. Interestingly, unlike David Gonski, who is a prominent figure in the education space, Negus is less well known; however, he has a significant background in banking and finance, including work at Goldman Sachs and Colonial First State. Having graduated with a Master's degree in Commerce in 1987, he is only the second UNSW alumnus to assume the position, following Gonski.

Negus lists one of his strongest aims as being emphasising and advancing the current UNSW strategy of ‘Progress for All’. This strategy reaffirms the mission to serve both students and the greater community through collaboration with industry and the community at large. He has highlighted an interest in advancing this mission, particularly in the areas of health care, sustainability, and social/education outcomes. 

Any impacts on student life?

While on the surface, it might not seem like this change will have significant impacts on students, the changes to governance that a change in chancellor causes can trickle down and impact the day-to-day experiences of students. Hopefully, Negus’s aims of further strengthening and enhancing UNSW’s current strategy will have positive impacts on the well-being of students into the future.