Media release

Vice-Chancellor to lead ACU until 2022

ACU Senate has further renewed the contract for Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven until December 2022, University Chancellor the Honourable John Fahey AC announced on Monday.

Professor Craven was appointed to the role in 2008 and has presided over an extended period of growth through an important period of expansion of the Australian higher education sector.

Recruited from the University of Notre Dame, Professor Craven was initially appointed to serve until 2013. His term has already been extended three times.

An expert in constitutional law, academic and leading contributor to public debate, Professor Craven has published a number of journals and books, and is a regular commentator in the Australian media. He has also served on many government bodies.

His tenure at ACU has been defined by three key areas of strength: the University’s growth, its Catholic identity, and its contribution to public policy.

In that period, University has doubled its student numbers, expanded the courses offered to students, developed a stronger and more targeted focus on research, added a campus in Adelaide and Rome, and constructed new buildings and infrastructure to support students and staff.

Professor Craven has served on a wide range of public bodies. He chaired the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group and was Deputy Chair of the COAG Reform Council.

He currently is the Lead Vice-Chancellor for Universities Australia on Quality and Regulation, a member of the Teacher Education Expert Standing Committee (TEESC) for the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (NSWVCC) representative on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Board’s Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC).

Professor Craven has fostered strong relationships with the Church in Australia and overseas. Testament to this is Professor Craven’s appointment by His Holiness, Pope Francis, as a Consultor to the Holy See’s Congregation for Catholic Education and his appointment to the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great for services to the Catholic Church in Australia.

Mr Fahey warmly commended Professor Craven’s leadership and guidance through this period,

“As Chancellor, I am proud to see the advancement of ACU under Professor Craven’s leadership.

“ACU has evolved as a serious player in research in this country and internationally and has steadily moved up in university rankings across a range of categories.

“In enhancing our Catholic identity, Professor Craven has strengthened the focus on mission at ACU with the opening of the Rome campus, the introduction of the Core Curriculum and the launch of ACU Engagement.  These initiatives, experiences and symbols proudly define us a Catholic university.

“The Vice-Chancellor’s contributions to external forums in higher education, government and the Church have strengthened the University’s profile and standing.”

Professor Craven said: “It is a great honour to be associated with an institution like ACU for such a long time.”

“I believe the next four years will be exciting ones for ACU.”