Glyn Davis will stay at ANU, as well as running Ramsay Foundation

Former Melbourne Uni chief Glyn Davis is going to juggle two jobs — as CEO of the Ramsay Foundation and as an ANU academic.

Glyn Davis will continue at ANU even as he runs the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: Political science still calls, UNSW’s health initiative

Davis to continue at ANU

The academic world was surprised by the news (exclusively revealed in The Australian last Wednesday) that former University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn Davis will embark on a new career next year as chief executive of the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

But, appearances to the contrary, he will not be leaving the half time academic post he commenced only two months ago as a distinguished professor at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy. Once he starts at the foundation his ANU job will continue, but drop to one third of full-time.

Those who have followed the saga of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, and its so far unsuccessful efforts to give tens of millions of dollars to a university for a “great books” course, should note that Glyn’s new home at the Paul Ramsay Foundation is distinct from the Ramsay Centre.

Although they are funded from the same source — the $3.6 billion bequest of the late businessman Paul Ramsay — and share three common board members (who were all senior business colleagues of Mr Ramsay), they are separately run and have quite different purposes.

The Paul Ramsay Foundation is Australia’s biggest philanthropic organisation and focuses on dealing with disadvantage in health and education. Since it was established under former CEO Simon Freeman following Mr Ramsay’s death in 2014, it has committed $200 million to its philanthropic work.

Many will be glad that Professor Davis will continue at ANU. He is a rare academic figure who is not only a political scientist but also worked at the highest level of the public service as head of the Queensland Premier’s Department during the Beattie government. He has important contributions to make at the Crawford School.

Health hub

UNSW says it will spend up to $250 million on a new health hub in partnership with the NSW government at the Randwick Hospital Campus which is just a block or two away from the university’s main location in Kensington.

UNSW says that the Health Translation Hub, will deliver state-of-the-art education, training and research rooms and expanded ambulatory care clinics in fields such as neuroscience, public and population health. The hub will include the Prince of Wales of Clinical School, the School of Women’s and Children’s Health, and the School of Psychiatry and will be fully up and running in five years.