Former CSIRO chief Megan Clark is the next Monash University chancellor
Former CSIRO chief and Australian Space Agency head Megan Clark will be the next chancellor of Monash University.
Former CSIRO chief and Australian Space Agency head Megan Clark will be the next chancellor of Monash University following the surprise decision of incumbent Simon McKeon to step down.
Dr Clark, who is one of Australia’s leading women in science and technology, comes to the position after having been a deputy chancellor since 2021. She will be the first woman to hold the university’s top role as chair of the council, its governing body.
“Having served on the council of Monash University since 2015, I have seen first hand both the successes and the challenges the university has had to navigate, and (am) honoured to be able to step into the role of chancellor to help continue to guide this great institution through this next important phase,” Dr Clark said.
She will assume the role for a five-year term on July 2 and becomes chancellor as universities are in the spotlight for their response to pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
Dr Clark told The Australian now that protests and encampments were coming to an end, universities were moving into the “really important phase in any crisis which is the really hard work to address the systemic issues that need to be addressed, and that takes years”.
“How do we listen to each other? How do we have respectful debate and encourage respectful debate?” Dr Clark asked.
She said the protests had focused attention on the balance between acceptable free speech and what was not tolerable.
Dr Clark said Monash’s new vice-chancellor, Sharon Pickering, had been “crystal clear” on what was and was not permitted in the protests on campus.
“Anti-Semitism is not permitted and has not been permitted on campus. Hate speech – speech that abuses and harms any racial group or any religious group – is not permitted,” she said.
“Certainly from Monash’s point of view when we had ‘Zionists not welcome’ (slogans) on campus, our view was that it was anti-Semitic and it caused harm. We took a very strong view on that and it was not permitted.”
Dr Clark said it was important for every institution, not just universities, to examine and address “root causes” of racism and hate speech. “I do think it's a long-term commitment but I think we all have responsibility for it,” she said.
Monash has more than 20,000 international students in its Australia-based campuses, among the highest of Australian universities. Dr Clark said the legislation introduced to federal parliament last week that gave Education Minister Jason Clare the capacity to cap the number of onshore international students was “a very significant issue” for universities.
She said government decisions about the international student cap needed to take into account factors including Australia’s “world class, globally recognised education framework”; universities’ role in developing Australia’s skill base; Australia’s education role in the Indo-Pacific region; and universities’ contribution to research and development.
As well as serving in government roles, Dr Clark has had corporate roles. She and Mr McKeon were on the board of Rio Tinto when the mining company made the disastrous decision 2020 to destroy the rock shelters in the Juukan Gorge in Western Australia that had been inhabited by early Australians 46,000 years ago.
Dr Clark stepped down from the Rio board in December last year. She currently serves on the board of biotechnology company CSL.
The National Tertiary Education Union criticised Dr Clark’s appointment, labelling it a “backroom deal” in which staff and students were not consulted.
NTEU Monash branch president Ben Eltham said Dr Clark was a member of the council when staff were underpaid by $8.6m and her appointment highlighted the need for better governance.
A university spokesperson said external parties had been involved in the process to appoint Dr Clark and the staff and student representatives on the council had supported it.
“The recruitment process included the engagement of an external executive search consultant and the establishment of a five-member council working group comprising two distinguished external members,” the spokesperson said.
“The appointment had the unanimous support of the council, which includes an elected staff member who is an active NTEU member, and a student member.”
The university said Mr McKeon, who became chancellor in 2016, had made the decision to step down earlier this year after seeing through the appointment of Professor Pickering as vice-chancellor (a position equivalent to chief executive of the university, as opposed to the chancellor, whose role is akin to a board chairman).
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