From the Chancellor – Centenary Edition

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Welcome to this special Centenary edition of Graduate Contact.

UQ Chancellor John Story

An Act of State Parliament established The University of Queensland in December 1909, and this year we are celebrating the diverse achievements of alumni like yourselves, who will continue to shape UQ’s future well beyond 2010.

I experienced my first graduation ceremonies as Chancellor in July, and repeating these duties in December brought home the extraordinary achievements of UQ students across many different fields. Particularly pleasing has been presenting awards to a growing number of research higher degree graduates, people whose original work paves the way for others to follow.

Fittingly for a Centenary edition, this issue abounds with stories of UQ people doing great things, with the presentation of the annual Alumnus of the Year awards to three high achieving women being just one example. 2009 was a productive year on many fronts, whether that be measured in attendance figures at the UQ Art Museum, the funding secured for major projects such as the Translational Research Institute Queensland, or new advances in animal and plant sciences realised at our evolving Gatton campus.

This edition also introduces you to UQ’s first Pro Vice-Chancellor (Advancement), Clare Pullar, who is a leading advocate for Australian universities. Clare and I joined Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield to thank UQ donors at a special event in October. These people – many of them alumni – prove that getting behind an institution like UQ does lead to positive outcomes.

Speaking of engagement, the previous edition of Graduate Contact saw the launch of the magazine’s website, which has been a successful venture. I’m told readers from 95 different countries have logged on since June; proof that we are living in a globalised world which extends well beyond South-east Queensland.

It is certainly a great time to be part of the UQ community, and we hope many of you can make the Alumni Reunion Weekend at St Lucia from July 2–4, or attend the affiliate functions planned for interstate and overseas locations.

Happy reading.

John Story
Chancellor

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