A former Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and a retired District Court Judge rounded out the list of esteemed recipients.

Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM was recognised for her leadership in law, receiving the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa), recognising her work advancing legal reform and human rights in Australia. Emeritus Professor Croucher began her academic career at Macquarie University in the early 1980s, and in 1999 returned as Dean of Macquarie Law School, a role she held for seven and a half years. She has since been Commissioner, then President of the Australian Law Reform Commission, before being appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM, Australia’s ninth Chief Scientist, received a Doctor of Science (honoris causa). Dr Foley is a strong advocate for increasing Australia’s scientific capabilities, for emerging technologies such as quantum and for building diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. Dr Foley graduated from Macquarie University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science with Honours and a Diploma of Education, followed by a PhD on the properties of the semiconductor indium nitride in 1985.

Dr Rosie Hicks was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) recognising the profound impact her work supporting the growth of Australia’s world-class research infrastructure has had on university researchers and industry innovators. A physicist by training, she served 12 years as the inaugural CEO of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), which counts among its national network of facilities the nanoscale laser processing facilities at Macquarie University.

In recognition of his long and distinguished career in the law and service to the community as a judge, His Honour Judge Martin Blackmore SC received the award of the degree of Doctor of Letters. Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) for his leadership in fire management and contributions to building community resilience.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton congratulated the five recipients on receiving the University’s highest honour in recognition of their exceptional contributions to their fields.

“Macquarie University is proud to award honorary degrees to five pre-eminent people whose extraordinary achievements in their fields have had positive impacts on the wider community.”

Pictured above: Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM with Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM, Rosie Hicks with Pro-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Nick Mansfield.

A season of beginnings and endings

May Graduation season marked a new tradition for Macquarie, with the introduction of the Pro-Chancellor role to preside over many of the graduation ceremonies. A purely ceremonial role, the robes have been dutifully filled by Emeritus Professor Nick Mansfield.

The University has a very packed Graduation schedule for 2022 after it made a commitment to offer all graduands who missed out on a public celebration of their achievements due to the pandemic shutdown, the opportunity to participate in an in-person ceremony. As well as the added bonus of creating a wonderful atmosphere on campus, it also means this new role has been necessary to make this large number of ceremonies possible.

Emeritus Professor Mansfield, who retired from his role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Training and Partnerships) in 2019, was thrilled when he was approached by the Vice-Chancellor to take on this new role. And he is already loving it. Having had a lifelong association at Macquarie (first as the son of a staff member, then a student and then as a member of academic staff himself) Emeritus Professor Mansfield is a natural fit for the robes.

“I like the way we do Graduation ceremonies at Macquarie; a perfect blend of pomp and informality,” he says. “I especially love the positive, happy atmosphere brought by the graduates themselves and their friends and families.”

This is a season of farewells, with it being Professor Martina Möllering’s final graduation season in her role as Executive Dean for the Faculty of Arts. In her long career at Macquarie, Professor Möllering has many fond memories of graduations. One that stands out though, is the ceremony she attended that included the conferring of a PhD candidate who was well into their eighties.

“I thought that was marvellous because it spoke to lifelong learning and the value of ‘learning just to learn’. This wasn’t a person who was going to have a career afterwards, it was somebody who did the PhD out of interest and had the stamina to complete it. I was very touched by that,” she recalls.

Like many of our graduates, Professor Möllering will be farewelling her role at Macquarie this month but is excited about the future.

“It’s a farewell to the roles I’ve held, and it will be a different kind of relationship with the University, but it won’t end with retiring because there are so many connections that are ongoing outside of a particular role,” she says. 

All staff are warmly welcome to attend a farewell event for Martina on Thursday 26 May.

Pro-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Mansfield making a surprise presentation to Professor Möllering at her final graduation ceremony on Friday 13 May.

Dr Egan took the stage in the newly-named Michael Egan Hall to receive the Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his significant contribution to Macquarie University, to health and medical research and to the state of New South Wales. In addition to being Macquarie’s longest-serving Chancellor during a period of substantial change from 2008 until 2019, Dr Egan was NSW longest-serving Treasurer from 1995 to 2005. He also served on several government and non-government advisory boards.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton unveiled the naming of the new Graduation Hall in honour of Dr Egan at the graduation ceremony on Wednesday.

Staff who attended graduation ceremonies presided over by Dr Egan will see the naming as a fitting tribute. During his time as Chancellor, Dr Egan commanded the attention of his graduation audiences and had a propensity to entertain with his repertoire of amusing anecdotes.

In the biggest graduation week of the year, 1267 women and 918 men received their degrees, diplomas and certificates. Of the degrees conferred, 47 went to Doctoral (PhD) candidates.

Professor Dowton congratulated new alumni and pre-eminent Honorary Doctorate recipients.

“Many of our graduates have waited some time for their graduation ceremonies to take place because of COVID-19, and I congratulate them all for their achievements as well as patience in completing their studies and having the opportunity to celebrate this today with family and friends.

Other Honorary Doctorates join an esteemed cohort

Macquarie University also bestowed Honorary Doctorates on two other outstanding members of the University community last week for their significant contributions to society.

Australia’s first Astronomer-at-Large, Professor Fred Watson AM, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) for his outstanding contribution to science outreach and astronomical research, as well as his deep ongoing engagement with Macquarie University’s Australian Astronomical Optics and Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Macquarie Alumnus Matt Barrie, entrepreneur and business leader, received an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of his contributions in the global technology and finance industries, and as a member of the Macquarie University community.

Macquarie’s three newest honorary graduates are joining an esteemed cohort who have all been acknowledged for their exceptional contributions to society in their fields.

Every month we celebrate some of the impressive achievements in the Macquarie community. Got something to share for next month? Tell us.

Congratulations to Dr Liz Schroeder who has been appointed as a Commissioner on the National Mental Health Commission.

Dr Schroeder, Senior Research Fellow at Macquarie University’s Centre for the Health Economy, says: “It’s a privilege and honour to be appointed to the role, and I look forward to serving thoughtfully and strategically, and to making a positive contribution.”

The National Mental Health Commission provides advice to the Federal Government on ways to continuously improve mental health and suicide prevention, and reports on ongoing reforms of the mental health system in Australia.

In announcing the appointment, the Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt said the new commissioners were appointed for their experience. “Dr Schroeder has extensive local and international experience in applied research in the economics of complex public health interventions, including mental health and suicide prevention,” he said.

Last month marked the commencement of the autumn graduation series where several honorary doctorates were awarded to Australian and internationally-esteemed community leaders acknowledging their exceptional contributions to society in their fields.

Highlights include Professor Jim Patrick AO receiving a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) for his contributions to the field of hearing, and broadcaster, author and comedian Wendy Harmer receiving an honorary doctorate in recognition of her ground-breaking work in journalism and comedy.

To view the full list of honorary doctorates visit our Newsroom.

Maria Kovaleva has graduated with a PhD in Electronic Engineering and with the Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation – the highest honour at Macquarie University for a PhD student.

Maria’s supervisor, Professor Karu Esselle expressed his pride and said: “This is believed to be the first ever Vice Chancellor’s Commendation in Engineering at Macquarie University and most likely the first and only Vice Chancellor’s Commendation since PhD research in Electronics was started at the University by Professor Skellern over 25 years ago.

“It is extraordinary to see a woman getting it first in Engineering – a discipline highly dominated by men.”

Dean of the School of Engineering, Professor Darren Bagnall spoke to ThisWeek last year about its ambitious drive to seek out and recruit talented females.

Each year the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Awards recognise institutions whose talented staff members advanced their institution’s last year through innovative, inspiring and creative ideas. During the last round, Macquarie University was lucky enough to win a CASE Silver Circle of Excellence Awards in the category of Fundraising Programs: Targeted Campaigns in recognition of the Firefighters Climb for MND.

In 2015, Macquarie University began a partnership with firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW to create the Firies Climb for MND event. Held in October each year, firefighters climb the 98 storeys, or 1504 stairs of Sydney Tower Eye wearing the full 20kg firefighting equipment to raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND) research at Macquarie University. At a vertical rise of 250 meters, the climb to the observation deck is a gruelling challenge. Each floor of the stairwell hosts dedicated patients of MND both past and present. It’s a harrowing journey but nothing compared to what families living with MND go through every day.

Since its inception, each year the event smashes its fundraising targets and is huge credit to all involved. In 2015 the event raised an incredible $180,000 for MND research, far exceeding the original goal of $50,000. In 2016 a further $510,990 was raised, in 2017 another $630,100, and in 2018 $779,000 was raised thanks to the overwhelming support from the firefighting community and the general public. This makes over $2,200,000 raised since 2015. Most importantly, the funds raised from the event, along with other fundraising income, have been part of enabling two new MND clinical trials to begin at Macquarie University, along with vital MND research, giving hope to those living with this terrible disease.

Check out our article on the event last year.

Macquarie University’s autumn graduation season has seen more than 4100 students receive their degrees, cheered on by more than 16,000 proud parents, relatives and friends.

More than 130 of the degrees have been conferred on Doctoral (PhD) candidates.

Highlights of the season include the awarding of honorary doctorates to esteemed Australian and international community leaders in recognition of their exceptional contributions to society in their fields.

Recipients were:
His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Ret’d)
38th Governor of NSW and former Chief of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)

“This is a proud day for all graduating students, their families and special guests and I am honoured to join them to receive this degree, Doctor of Letters honoris causa, in recognition of Macquarie University’s fine tradition of academic and research excellence and outstanding commitment to public life and the community.”

Prof John Dudley BSc, PhD
Professor of Physics Université de Franche-Comté – CNRS FEMTO-ST and head of the Optoelectronics & Photonics research group.

Professor Dudley is a noted contributor to the fields of ultrafast optics, supercontinuum generation and the science of rogue waves, and is committed to education and the public communication of science.

“I feel especially honoured by this recognition because Macquarie’s tremendous commitment to research, education and public engagement is something I myself am passionate about. I believe that all of us in academia need to ensure that society at large understands the benefits of science and technology so that we can work together for the betterment of all.”

Prof Sir Liam Donaldson MB ChB, MSc (Anatomy), MD
Chancellor, Newcastle University (UK)

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson is recognised as an international champion of public health and patient safety and has produced landmark reports which have set health policy and legislation in fields such as stem cell research, clinical governance, quality and safety of health care, infectious disease control, patient empowerment, poor clinical performance, smoke free public places, medical regulation, and organ and tissue retention.

“I am delighted to become a member of the Macquarie University family. The health services research they are doing here is world class and vital as the goal of universal health coverage is now a World Health Organisation priority.”

Click on the Storify link for a selection of graduation pictures.

More than 10,700 guests visited campus to celebrate the achievements of the Macquarie graduates who attended their respective ceremonies to receive their awards. Throughout the ceremonies, the University awarded more than 4097 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Of the degrees conferred, 114 went to Doctoral (ie PhD) candidates.

Scroll through some of the highlights below, shared by our graduates and their loved ones:

In some of the ceremonies the students were joined on stage by one (or two) esteemed individuals who were on site to receive an honorary doctorate from Macquarie University, acknowledging their exceptional contributions to a field or discipline that reflects the breadth of the University’s areas of interest and expertise.

Margaret Pomeranz AM and David Stratton AM stepped in front of the cameras once again last Tuesday morning, not as film critics and co-hosts of the popular and now former ABC program ‘At the Movies’, but to receive honorary doctorates for their contributions to the film industry.

Margaret, a Macquarie alumna who studied German and social psychology in the 60s and 70s (“it was very easy to find a park back then”), credits her time at Macquarie as “life-changing”, giving her belief in her abilities, and setting the wheels in motion to set her on a career path she has greatly enjoyed.

David Stratton was likewise delighted to accept his award, saying it was both unexpected and gratifying, given his own education was cut short before he had completed high school, and he has always regretted not being able to study at a tertiary level.

Honorary doctorates were also awarded to:

• The late Ray Jackson (posthumous Doctor of Letters), recognising his contributions to indigenous social justice. A Wiradjuri Elder and one of Australia’s stolen generation, he worked tirelessly across Deaths In Custody, and co-founded the Indigenous Social Justice Association and was its President up until the time of his passing in April 2015.
• Emeritus Professor David Weisbrot AM (Doctor of Letters), previously a Professor of Law and Governance at Macquarie University, recognising his contributions to law reform in relation to health and medical research.
• Emeritus Professor John Melville-Jones (Doctor of Letters), recognising his contributions in ancient history, specialising in an understanding of the Mediterranean world from antiquity to medieval times.
• Businessman and Macquarie alumnus Dr Ian Pollard (Doctor of Business), recognising an esteemed business career that has seen Dr Pollard direct around 30 companies across a variety of sectors in as many years. Dr Pollard graduated from Macquarie in 1973 with a BA in Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Studies, and was Macquarie’s first Rhodes Scholar.

Graduation ceremonies continue this week, concluding on Friday.