Southern Cross University farewells former Deputy Chancellor John Shanahan after death

A Gold Coast university has paid tribute to a beloved community figure after his passing last night.

SOUTHERN Cross university has paid tribute to a “dedicated and diligent” former Deputy Chancellor John Shanahan after his passing last night.

Mr Shanahan was a member of the University Council for more than a decade, serving from 2005 to 2017 and stepping up as Deputy Chancellor from 2014-2017.

He also served as Chair and member of a number of subcommittees at the university.

Current chancellor Nicholas Burton Taylor said Mr Shanahan was a “real champion” for doing the right thing at the university over the years.

“John was an invaluable member of the university community and he will be sorely missed,” he said.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to John’s wife Maggie and the rest of his family.”

John will be sorely missed.

After stepping down from the council in 2017 Mr Shanahan remained an active member of SCU’S Audit and Risk Management Committee.

He was known for being an enthusiastic and consistent attendee of graduation ceremonies, officiating at 15 ceremonies on behalf of the Chancellor.

He received an honorary doctorate in 2018 for his services to the university.

Vice Chancellor Professor Adam Shoemaker also shared his condolences.

“John was one of the great ‘heart-and-soul’ people of Southern Cross and made a huge contribution,” he said.

“To see his record of service is a reminder that this University has been driven by wonderfully community minded people such as John for decades and his loss is felt by many.”

Mr Shanahan was the director at Summerland Credit Union and Chair of their Audit and Risk Committee for 11 years, before stepping down in 2019.

He was an expert in forensic accounting, referred to by the Australian Financial Review as an “auditing doyen” in 2002.

John leaves behind his wife Maggie and other family members.

He was a senior technical partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia, the auditor of several Australian and international listed companies, and the author of a number of accounting textbooks.

SCU isn’t the only university he was part of, having also served as a Sydney University lecturer, a Macquarie Graduate School of Management adjunct and a University of NSW accounting academic for 12 years.

He lectured in Accounting and Auditing at the University of Canberra between 1971 and 1978, and in 1974 was a visiting lecturer at Birmingham University and Heriot-Watt University in the UK.