Bracks named as Victoria Uni chancellor

Victoria University has named former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks as its new chancellor

Former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks will become chancellor of Victoria University in 2021.

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: new chancellor, uni satellite launch

Bracks in the chair

Victoria University has named former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks as its new chancellor, although he won’t take over until 2021. Mr Bracks, who already has a close association with Melbourne’s west — the area VU serves — said he was honoured to take on the role.

“The demographics of the west is changing and VU can play a great role in meeting the needs of its region,” he says.

Mr Bracks also praised the university’s new block teaching model, saying that it was “fit for purpose” for VU’s needs and student retention rates has “increased enormously” as a result.

He is currently the chair of the VU-led West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance who aim is to build clusters of high technology jobs in the area.

VU vice-chancellor Peter Dawkins said he was delighted Mr Bracks had accepted the role. Current chancellor George Pappas will step down at the end of this year and then two current members of the university council, Wayne Kayler-Thomson and Gaye Hamilton, will share the chancellor role until Mr Bracks steps in.

One small step

A space research centre at the University of Sydney will soon deploy its first two satellites into earth orbit from the International Space Station. The first satellite developed by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles and their Applications (CUAVA), named, CUAVA-1, is designed as a demonstrator for advanced communications, GPS applications, remote sensing and space environment instruments. Both satellites will be deployed from the space station by Japanese space launch company Space BD.