Emeritus Professor
Citation delivered on the occasion of the admission of Diana Wood Conroy as an Emeritus Professor of the University on 19 July 2012.
Chancellor, on behalf of the Council, it is my privilege to present to you, Diana Wood Conroy.
In the twenty years since her arrival in 1992, Diana Wood Conroy has brought to this University the special insight and gifts of a weaver of tapestries. Her feel for details and interconnections has been reflected in her academic work and her attentive support of colleagues and students.
Diana played a pivotal role in attracting high quality postgraduates to the Faculty of Creative Arts. She mentored fellow staff as they undertook higher studies and was a champion of creative arts research and of postgraduate supervision, leading always by her own example. She appreciates the worth and richness of the student learning experience and pursued its recognition as a member of key University committees. Diana’s students have been inspired to achieve better things with her support and encouragement.
Diana has earned an international reputation for her art and for her research, in the fields of both contemporary textiles and classical archaeology. She also has a special interest in indigenous art, locally and in remote regions. Her publications record is impressive. Her record of achievement stretches from 1962 when she received the Australian Institute of Archaeology Prize to her election as a member of the Council of Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens in 2011. Diana has been recognised by the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools for her research and by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for her outstanding contribution to postgraduate teaching.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once observed that: “Old and new make the warp and weft of every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these two strands”. Diana Wood Conroy illustrated this relationship not only in her archaeological research but in the mix of expertise, experience and vitality that have characterised her contribution as an exceptional academic leader.
Diana Wood Conroy has enriched her discipline, her students and this community. It is my pleasure to present her for admission as an Emeritus Professor of the University of Wollongong.