July 21, 2015

‘National treasure’ and former Australian of the Year receive honours

Four prominent businesspeople, creatives and educators will receive honorary doctorates from UOW.

Four prominent businesspeople, creatives and educators will receive honorary doctorates from UOW during graduation ceremonies this week (22-24 July). They include ‘living national treasure’ and author Thomas Keneally AO (pictured above), inspirational businesswoman and 2013 Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose AO OBE, educator Mr Douglas Becker and renowned mathematician Professor Carl Chiarella.

Watch: Guest speaker presentations, 2015

Douglas Becker

Driven by a strong sense of purpose to help others, Douglas Becker, who received a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on 22 July, has made education the focus of his career.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE, Mr Douglas Becker, Deputy Chancellor Mr Noel Cornish, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy) Professor Joe Chicharo

His organisation, Laureate Education Inc., encompasses undergraduate, masters and doctoral degree programs spanning engineering, education, commerce, medicine, law, health sciences, hospitality and IT.

“His global network of universities, including a partnership with UOW in Malaysia, delivers education to more than a million students worldwide,” Professor Joe Chicharo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy), said.

“Ultimately, Mr Becker is helping empower the communities his organisation operates in by creating social mobility.”

Doug Becker is also the Board Chairman of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), which prepares young people to be productive and engaged citizens globally. Through a decade-long partnership with Laureate, the Foundation’s YouthActionNet initiative has supported more than 1300 young social entrepreneurs who are impacting millions of lives. The YouthActionNet institute model has been adapted in 21 locations around the world, including 14 institutes led by members of the Laureate network. YouthActionNet has great parallels with UOW’s iAccelerate program, as both support and nurture budding agents of change.

Ita Buttrose AO OBE

Ita Buttrose has shone a spotlight on the welfare of some of our most vulnerable citizens and worked hard to remind us all that they need, and indeed deserve, a higher standard of care from their community. Throughout her career she has continually broken down barriers for women.

It is her significant contribution to AIDS/HIV, mental health and ageing in Australia, and her advocacy for the respectful treatment of our seniors, that UOW has chosen to recognise Ms Buttrose as a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) during the final graduation ceremony for Autumn session 2015 on Friday 24 July.

“Ms Buttrose’s patronage of mental health issues has resonance for the University’s research in this area as we seek to discover what is needed to ensure a rich and fulfilling quality of life in our later years and to change the way that the community regards ageing,” Mr John Steele, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences said.

Carl Chiarella

Professor Carl Chiarella’s quest for knowledge and excellence has taken him around the world but he now returns to his roots to accept a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) on Thursday 23 July.

Professor Carl Chiarella and Adrian Chiarella 

The financial mathematician and economist worked as a Teaching Fellow in Mathematics at the Wollongong University College and was the very first PhD supervised by the late Professor Austin Keane, the University's first Deputy Vice‑Chancellor, and the first PhD from the Mathematics Department at Wollongong.

“Though his work has taken him to all corners of the globe, he has maintained strong connections with UOW delivering educational seminars and collaborating on curriculum development and we’re delighted that UOW has been a part of Carl’s journey,” Professor Chris Cook, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, said.

Thomas Keneally AO

Described as a friend of UOW, Thomas Keneally was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) on 23 July during the morning graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts.

Deputy Chancellor Mr Noel Cornish, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts Professor Amanda Lawson, Mr Thomas Keneally AO, Senior Fellow Paul Sharrad, Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE. 

A leading literary figure for more than fifty years, Mr Keneally has worked tirelessly for the benefit of artists. He has served on the Australia Council, the Australian Society of Authors and supported imprisoned writers through the literature and cultural network Sydney PEN. Mr Keneally is also a teacher, an advocate of a just society and robust culture and a social critic.

“Despite his modest physical stature and characteristic Aussie self-deprecating humour, Mr Keneally stands tall as one of Australia’s most significant writers and thinkers,” Dr Paul Sharrad, Senior Fellow, English Literatures, said.

Though UOW once unsuccessfully tried to entice Mr Keneally to be a teacher at the University, he has taken time to share his wisdom with UOW staff and students. Less than 12 months ago (29 September), Mr Keneally gave a talk titled ‘50 Years of Fiction’, telling listeners he believed Hemingway would have been a great tweeter with his gift for brevity.

“He would have revelled in sending commentary restricted to 140 characters,” he said. 

Following his confirmation as a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), Mr Keneally again took centre stage at UOW to deliver the occasional address to this semester’s LHA graduates.