News Archive

When John Winthrop Hackett founded the first free university of the British Empire a century ago, he could scarcely have imagined that this small University in a fledging state could become one of the world’s best.

He had very high ambitions for our University – that the university would be of “inestimable service in the development of our natural resources”, that it would teach the practical questions of life upon which “we depend for our daily bread” and that it should afford equal opportunities for rich and poor alike.

No doubt Hackett, who died only a few years after the University accepted its first students in 1913, would have been delighted with our recent achievement of being counted amongst the top 100 universities in the world (Academic Ranking of World Universities).

I am privileged to be able to deliver this news on the eve of our Centenary – and to be able to reflect upon the implications the recognition will have for our University as we move into the next 100 years.

The ranking is a reflection of the calibre of our staff, the excellence and relevance of our research, our performance as an institution and the contribution of former Vice-Chancellor Alan Robson.

Hackett’s desire for the University to be of inestimable service to the development of the nation’s natural resources would no doubt find favour within the echelons of the current West Australian business community – many of whom rely upon the expertise within our University to help grow and develop their businesses and to find innovative solutions, through research, to the challenges they face.

Partnerships with business and industry are critical to the development of the intellectual resources that underpin our economy.

Over the past few months, I have spoken about the need for a university that can help Western Australia develop a resilient economy, one that will last beyond the buoyant economic conditions of recent times.

And in fact, the recent dip in the price of commodities, such as iron ore, is a timely reminder that we must build upon the foundations we have laid and recognise the value of a long-term investment in higher education.

In looking forward to the beginning of our new century, I welcome the development of a new paradigm that will define our relationship with industry, government, the not-for-profit sector and the broader community.

As part of that paradigm, the University will examine its goals and how we should endeavour to achieve them – building on past achievements while being alert to new opportunities and changing expectations.

Hackett’s musings on the role of the University in the practical questions of life on which we depend were prescient. Many of the preoccupations of modern agriculture, for example, revolve around the challenge of feeding the world, such as finding new ways to grow salt-tolerant, drought-tolerant crops in a herbicide-resistant, low rainfall environment.

While these lessons are valuable in the Australian context, they have also been of benefit internationally as our research informs the agricultural practices of countries such as Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.

And in the tradition of the founding fathers of UWA we have continued to develop opportunities for students of ability to have access to higher education. Many of our scholarships and other forms of support for these students are made available through the generous support of our alumni and other benefactors.

Our University sits among the top five in Australia, is recognised as the best in its home state and contributes to research and scientific discovery, intellectual debate, and the policy development of the nation.

It is a fine position to find ourselves in as we enter the 100th anniversary of the first students entering UWA. Our challenge now is to develop a plan that will build upon and develop our research, our teaching and learning and the translation of our research into benefits for our State, our nation and indeed the world.

Paul Johnson

Vice-Chancellor

Published in Uniview Vol. 31 No. 3 Spring 2012