University of Adelaide appoints its 20th Vice-Chancellor

Professor Warren Bebbington has been appointed the University of Adelaide's 20th Vice-Chancellor.
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Monday, 26 March 2012

Professor Warren Bebbington has been appointed the University of Adelaide's 20th Vice-Chancellor, commencing from July 2012.

Making the announcement, Chancellor, the Hon. Robert Hill, said Professor Bebbington, who is currently Deputy Vice-Chancellor (University Affairs) at the University of Melbourne, was selected after an international search. Professor Bebbington succeeds Professor James McWha AO, who retires after a decade as Vice-Chancellor and President.

"The University of Adelaide Council is very pleased that Professor Bebbington will be joining the University as Vice-Chancellor. He has an outstanding record of excellence in teaching and academic leadership."

Mr Hill said that under Professor McWha's outstanding leadership, the University had grown substantially in size, achieved world-class results in teaching and research, and become financially strong.

"We are confident that Professor Bebbington has the vision and exceptional leadership qualities to continue on this path and take the University to an even higher level," he said.

Professor Bebbington said he was delighted to be joining a University of such distinctive character. "Its blend of history and innovation gives it many possibilities, and I am looking forward to being part of its future," he said. The appointment is until the end of 2017.

A Fulbright Scholar, Professor Bebbington studied at the University of Melbourne and in New York at Queens College, Columbia University, and the CUNY Graduate School, completing masters degrees in Arts, Music, and Philosophy, and a PhD.

Prior to his present role as a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bebbington was Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Relations) at the University of Melbourne. He also served as a Dean at the University of Melbourne and at the University of Queensland, and before that taught at the Australian National University's School of Music.

As a teacher, he won the University of Melbourne Award for Excellence in Teaching (Humanities) in 2005 and an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for "30 years of outstanding teaching" in 2008. He has appeared frequently as a visiting keynote speaker at universities abroad, including in Dublin and Hong Kong in recent months.

Professor Bebbington's publications include the Oxford Companion to Australian Music, and he was, for a decade, the music member of the international Advisory Committee for Encyclopaedia Britannica. His national community roles have included seven years as Chair of Music Committees for the Australia Council, Federal Chair of AMEB, and Deputy Chair of Youth Music Australia.

In announcing the appointment, Mr Hill also acknowledged Professor McWha's enormous contribution to the University of Adelaide over the past decade.

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