December 14, 2016

Former UOW executive praises the power of education

Professor John Patterson inspires graduates to embrace the new three Rs

For Professor John Patterson, education is the key to changing lives.

It is the path to success and achievement, to alleviating social inequity and pulling people out of tough circumstances.

Professor Patterson is proof of the power of education to make a difference to someone’s life.

The first in his family to attend university, Professor Patterson overcame humble beginnings to embark on a career in teaching and education.

“There’s no doubt that for the average Joe and Josephine, education is the game changer,” said Professor Patterson, whose father was a cleaner at the old NSW Public Works Building in Sydney.

“There are always people in the world who achieve in spite of what is the normal behaviour. There will always be people who are entrepreneurs with no formal education but develop an app and make millions. But for the vast majority of people, education is the main avenue to achievement, success and lifestyle.”

As a kid from the then working-class suburb of Balmain, Professor Patterson attended Fort Street Boys’ High School before training as a PE teacher at Sydney Teachers’ College.

He joined the Wollongong Institute of Education as a PE lecturer in 1974, and was still there eight years later when it merged with the University of Wollongong.

More than 40 years on, Professor Patterson’s contribution to UOW was recognised with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters and an Emeritus Professorship during today’s (Wednesday, 14 December) graduation celebrations.

It was a “privilege” to be honoured, Professor Patterson said, describing his four decades of service to UOW, during which time he rose from Dean of Education to become Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations) in 2001 and then Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2010, as much more than a job.

“For more than 40 years, I didn’t have a job, I had a privilege, and I got paid for it,” he said, two years after his retirement from UOW.

“I worked with great people. No two days were ever the same. How good is that?

“I started at the bottom of the ladder, and ended up in a position of influence, and hopefully it was used wisely. It was such a privilege to be there.”

Professor Patterson delivered the Occasional Address during the first ceremony of the summer graduations, using the opportunity to encourage the audience of graduates to embrace a different version of the traditional three Rs.

“The graduates will leave with a set of knowledge and skills from UOW, which are a statement of quality and achievement. But that’s not enough for the future. They will need to stay hungry, to achieve, and adopt a new set of the three Rs. I’m not talking about reading, writing, and arithmetic. They will need resilience, respect and recency.”

Professor Patterson stressed the need for students entering the world to be flexible to new opportunities, to stay current in their skills, to keep fighting in the face of adversity, and to always demonstrate respect to the people around them.

“They will have to disavow themselves of the notion of being job ready,” he said. “I don’t think you can be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet. But you can be job capable.”

These life lessons have provided the backdrop for Professor Patterson’s approach to the world and his time at UOW.

“I’ve always had a sense of hunger and a sense of excitement. I was resilient. If I got knocked down, I’d get back up again and go harder.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to have been the beneficiary of education and to be able to work in education. A lot of students at UOW come from working-class backgrounds just like me, so I have gained a lot satisfaction from seeing their success. Does it get any better? I don’t think so.”

During his tenure at UOW, Professor Patterson saw tremendous change as the University grew into the respected institution it is today.

He said it has been a source of pride to see how far UOW has come in what is essentially a short span of time.

“To see UOW’s status and standing now, it’s simply been outstanding,” he said.

“Universities have been around for hundreds of years. I was walking through the Italian town of Pisa a number of years ago, to see the tower before it fell down, and I was walking past the University of Pisa’s School of Medicine. It had a sign that said ‘established 1315’. At the same time, we were just planning the UOW Graduate School of Medicine, which this year celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“You’ve got to see things in that perspective. UOW is still in its infancy as a University, but it’s an extraordinarily powerful and quality institution.

“It has changed the town of Wollongong dramatically.”

He may have left the University, but Professor Patterson’s legacy and passion will continue to inspire the next generation of students.

Upon his departure, he established a $20,000 scholarship fund to help future students attend UOW, and remains firmly committed to the idea that education is the key ingredient to success.

“If I wanted to change the world overnight, I would educate girls in third-world countries. That would change the world,” he said.

“I was the first in my family to graduate from university, and I’ve been the recipient of extraordinary education. It provided me with opportunities I would never have otherwise had.”

Photo: Professor John Patterson. Credit: Paul Jones