Professor James McWha, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide, have announced the appointment of Professor Kent Anderson as Pro Vice-Chancellor (International). 

 

Professor Anderson, who is currently Director of the School of Culture, History and Language at the Australian National University, will commence in the position in February 2012 following the retirement of Professor John Taplin.

 

Professor McWha said that Professor Anderson is highly respected as a bold and innovative leader with a passion for internationalisation in the higher education sector.

 

"We are delighted to welcome Professor Anderson to Adelaide to lead the University's international agenda. In a city that genuinely embraces a dynamic and diverse student population, this role offers tremendous scope to build on our strong reputation for attracting students from overseas," said Professor McWha.

 

Professor Anderson brings a broad range of experiences in the corporate sector in addition to a formidable list of academic achievements.

 

"Professor Anderson is joining us at a time of significant change in the higher education sector, nationally and internationally. His breadth of experience in universities across the globe and his understanding of the complexities of global education will bring valuable expertise to our international agenda," said Professor McWha.

 

Professor Anderson said that having been a university student on three continents, he had firsthand experience of the transformative nature of studying overseas and was looking forward to increasing opportunities for students at the University of Adelaide to study abroad.

 

"I am delighted to be joining University of Adelaide," Professor Anderson said. "I am very impressed with the University's commitment to the international agenda.

 

"Universities are special places that have a unique role within society," said Professor Anderson. "With that in mind, I was deeply impressed by University of Adelaide's immediate offer of assistance to University of Canterbury after the Christchurch earthquake. That is the kind of international institution I want to work for and the values that are important in fulfilling a modern university's mission in a globalised yet volatile world."

 

Professor Anderson is currently the Foundation Director of the School of Culture, History and Language in the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific.

 

He also holds a joint appointment with the ANU College of Law having led the Faculty of Asian Studies as Director from 2007-2009.

 

After completing his tertiary studies in Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, Professor Anderson worked as a marketing manager with a US regional airline, before practicing as a commercial lawyer in Hawaii, and then taking up an academic post as associate professor at Hokkaido University School of Law. He has also been a visiting professor at Waseda, Nagoya, Kyushu, Doshisha and Chuo Universities in Japan.

 

Professor Anderson read Law, Politics and Economics, and Asian Studies at Oxford University, Washington University, Kobe University and Middlebury College.