The University of Newcastle's Chancellor, Paul Jeans, will retire in December after more than a decade in the office.
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Mr Jeans, a former BHP executive, who in the course of his professional career had led the company's Steelworks operations at Newcastle and Port Kembla, was appointed as the university's seventh chancellor in July 2013.
His tenure has been marked by his oversight of significant infrastructural investment, including the construction of NUSpace and the Q Building in the university's burgeoning city campus, as well as the Central Coast Clinical School and Gosford Research Institute.
In a statement released Monday, Mr Jeans described his tenure as an "extraordinary honour" and said the university had a "life-changing role" and "critical place" in the Hunter region.
"We have strengthened our presence in and our service to this region and that is a legacy that will be carried on by our Council, Executive, and all of the University staff," he said.
Mr Jeans had initially planned to retire in June 2021, to be succeeded by former Deputy Prime Minister turned Whitehaven Coal chairman Mark Vaile; a decision which drew the ire of high profile university alumni and the community.
The decision to appoint Mr Vaile sparked a public crisis for the institution that ultimately ended in the resignation of two of the University Council's members and Mr Vaile's eventual withdrawal from consideration for the office.
Professor Jennifer Martin walked away from her seat on the council in June 2021 in protest over Mr Vaile's appointment, and his strong ties to the fossil fuel industry, before Australia Institute chief economist and UON alumni Richard Denniss returned the school's award for national leadership saying at the time that "leadership means not following people down the wrong path".
Sixteen Australian philanthropists, who collectively donate millions to environmental and sustainability projects each year, blacklisted the University of Newcastle in subsequent weeks in what became a sustained protest against the Whitehaven Coal chairman's appointment.
Dr Eileen Doyle also resigned from her position on the University Council amid the furore of public scrutiny.
Mr Vaile eventually withdrew from the appointment at the end of June that year, denouncing the campaign at the time as "a contempt for proper process and the principles that underpin how institutions should operate in a respectful and pluralistic society."
Mr Jeans, who was returned to the office in the wake of Mr Vaile's exit, oversaw the University as it achieved its highest global ranking and now accounts for the largest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander full-time equivalent students in the country, the campus said in announcing his eventual retirement.
Vice-Chancellor Alex Zelinsky lauded Mr Jeans' leadership, particularly through the COVID pandemic, and deputy chancellor Kevin Young said the school owed him a "debt of gratitude" for his service.
"I have admired Paul for always putting the interests of the University first," Professor Zelinsky said, "His outstanding leadership skills and experience have been immensely valuable to the University and to me personally, particularly during the challenging period associated with COVID."
Mr Jeans will retire on December 31, the University confirmed Monday, though they have made no indication of who will succeed him as the eighth UON chancellor.
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Simon McCarthy
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
