Carol Kiernan: “I grew up, and the university grew up with me”

Carol Kiernan still remembers stepping onto the University of Wollongong campus for the first time.

“It was in 1964, and I remember coming as a very young girl because my father [Colm Kiernan] was a foundation lecturer in history.”

A little more than a decade later, she would embark on her own learning journey—on the path to becoming a national leader in criminal intelligence, a champion for social change, and the founder of the National Missing Persons Unit in the late 1990s.

Associate Professor Colm Kiernan (Department of History) with his wife Joan, and daughters Margaret and Carol at the University of Wollongong Student Enrolling Centre in 1975. Photo: UOW Archives.

From Wollongong to the world, Carol's distinguished career spans almost as long as UOW’s 50-year milestone.

A Bachelor of Arts (Honours) graduate, Carol played a pivotal role in the formation of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and her World Bank initiatives continue to support disadvantaged communities in Serbia and Washington, DC.

Closer to home, in 2017, Carol co-founded Honour a Woman, a volunteer-led movement dedicated to achieving gender parity in Australia’s honours system, the Order of Australia.

UOW was my “total awakening”

“I was very excited to start at the University of Wollongong in 1975. And it was a fantastic year. If you think back history-wise, it was the first International Women’s Year, and UOW was offering Women in Society courses—women in psychology, women in history, women in science—it was wonderful,” Carol says.

“It was a total awakening for me—a feminist awakening, but also a political awakening with 1975 being the year of [former Prime Minister Gough] Whitlam’s dismissal.”

“Even back then, I could sense the potential of a UOW degree—it was going to be something different. It wasn’t just about the bricks-and-mortar education; it was about equipping students with real-world skills."

"UOW was harnessing a new energy among students, setting itself apart from older institutions. Even the wavy blue logo at the time felt fresh and modern. My group of friends and I chose the University of Wollongong, and we were proud to be UOW.”

The “analytical framework” of my career

“My voice for 50 years of UOW is championing the power of an arts degree,” Carol states.

“The degree included politics, and there was feminism. But most importantly, there was an analytical framework that has guided my entire career. In 1975, the arts versus science debate was fierce, and I’d like to say here and now—it’s clear that an Arts degree is one of the most universal and valuable qualifications.”

Front cover of Introducing the University of Wollongong: University Year 1975. Combining the 'U' and 'W' of the university's name, the wave symbol is "an apt reference to Wollongong's affinity with the ocean".

“UOW taught me to think critically, to speak with authority and evidence, and to apply those skills to make a real difference in the world. That foundation has shaped everything I’ve done since.”

Vision of a “multifaceted” future

“Over the next 50 years, I think universities will need much more [financial] support. That’s why alumni engagement and philanthropy are so crucial. But the government also needs to recognise the vital role universities play,” Carol says.

“Universities are essential to building a ‘thinking nation’—one that is forward-looking and progressive.”

“I’m excited about the appointment of UOW’s new Vice-Chancellor [and President, Professor Max Lu AO] and what the future holds. I’d be saddened if UOW moved away entirely from disciplines like linguistics and history—these are where tomorrow’s thinkers emerge. The University of Wollongong has always been a place of creativity, and it should continue to embrace that multifaceted identity. That’s the future of UOW."